Getting divorced in Maryland can be tricky, especially if you’re itching to call it quits sooner rather than later. If you and your spouse are planning a divorce, you should be aware that you could be eligible for more Social Security benefits if the marriage was at least 10 years long. But if the marriage was even a few months shy of the 10-year mark, you could lose out on a lot of benefits whether they live longer than you or you outlive them by decades.
Benefits of waiting until 10 years of marriage to divorce
Knowing family law will help you in the event that you and your spouse plan on divorcing. If you’re able to stick it out until at least 10 years of marriage, you’re able to claim what’s called spousal benefits, which will entitle you to 50% of your ex-spouse’s Social Security claim, assuming that your ex-spouse is alive. If your ex-spouse passes, you’ll be entitled to as much as 100% of their Social Security benefit. This applies to same-sex couples, too.
Techniques to help you through divorce
When you first find out that your spouse wants a divorce or you decide that you want one, you should consider counseling and some other techniques that will make it more likely that you and your partner can come up with a solution that will maximally benefit both of you. Along with getting counseling, you should also avoid lashing out, and you should try to stay busy. While it’s normal to grieve the end of a marriage, staying busy will help you keep a more balanced perspective on the process. Additionally, counseling will help you better remember that staying in a marriage for an additional few months could have some major benefits in the long term.
If you or your current spouse want a divorce, you’ll benefit from learning more about divorce law, including benefits concerning Social Security benefits.