Q & A
How to Collect Child Support From an Ex’s Social Security Benefits
Q: “Can I collect unpaid child support from my ex-husband’s Social Security?” — Carol A: That depends on the kind of benefit your ex receives. If it’s Supplemental Security Income (SSI), you’re out of luck. But if he collects any…
I recently read a comment about Social Security and I want to know if it’s true…
Complete Question: Everyone is affected by the potential bankruptcy of Social Security – it’s all over the news. The disabled, the elderly, and those retiring in 20 years. I saw someone make a comment that I found disturbing. Since it…
I filed for Social Security 3 years ago, but now I don’t need it. Is there anything I can do?
Complete Question: I filed for my Social Security benefit at age 64 and now I’m 67. Obviously I had my benefit reduced and now, like many people, I had to get a job to supplement my income. To my surprise,…
My situation isn’t covered in Social Security’s Listing of Impairments…now what?
Complete Question: I was going to file for disability and found out that my issue is not on the Listing of Impairments that Social Security uses to determine whether or not you’re disabled. I know applying for disability is a…
How do I know if I qualify for ex-spouse benefits?
Complete Question: I’m 64 years old and not married, which I’m finding out limits my Social Security filing options. However, I recently found out that I could get ex-spouse benefits since I’m divorced. There’s one thing that concerns me, though.…
Can an ex-spouse get widow’s benefits?
Complete Question: Right now I’m getting ex-spouse Social Security benefits. I just found out that my ex-husband died a couple months ago. Is it possible for me to get widow’s benefits? I thought I’d ask first because I don’t want to…
Why is my Social Security benefit so low?
Complete Question: I will be 66 in a few months, but I went ahead and filed for Social Security. I figured my benefit wouldn’t be reduced very much by filing only a few months early, plus I retired from my…
Can I switch from my own benefit to spousal benefits?
Complete Question: I’m 62 years old and I started collecting Social Security, which is $900 per month. My husband is 70. He started his benefits at full retirement age and at that time, his benefit was $2,500. After I filed…
Can you get your Social Security benefits while living in another country?
Complete Question: I saw an article online about retiring abroad and it mentioned people getting their Social Security benefits while living in another country. Is it really that easy? Can my wife and I just pick up and move to…
Social Security said my wife can’t get spousal benefits…but why?
Complete Question: I turned 66 in January 2015 and my wife is going to be 63 in April. After looking into Social Security filing options, we kept hearing about “file and suspend” and thought this would be a great option…