Can I stop my ex-wife from getting my retirement?

Asked by: Dane Deckow IV  |  Last update: December 8, 2025
Score: 5/5 (6 votes)

There's nothing anyone can do to prevent their ex from claiming their Social Security. Even though some divorce decrees specify that one spouse will relinquish their rights to collect the other spouse's benefits, the Social Security Administration says these provisions “are worthless and are never enforced.”

How long can my ex-wife claim my pension years after divorce?

If your pension was not vested or had not matured at the time of your divorce, your ex-spouse may need to wait until it becomes eligible for distribution before she can make a claim. This means that even years after your divorce, they may have a valid legal claim to a portion of your pension once it vests or matures.

How can I protect my pension from my ex-wife?

Instead of dividing the pension, spouses might agree to such alternatives as:
  1. Trading an asset of equal or similar value, such as the pensioned spouse's stake in the family home.
  2. The purchase of life insurance equal to the pension benefits with the ex-spouse named as the beneficiary on the policy.

Can I remove my ex-wife from my pension?

You can remove you ex as a recipient of your pension. You can designate a new beneficiary with the holder of your pension which is what I did when I married my husband. Changing the beneficiary on my life insurance and pension with my employer protected his rights.

Can my ex-wife take my retirement money?

A court can award all or a portion of participant's retirement plan assets to his or her spouse, former spouse, child or other dependent by issuing a QDRO, which must be honored by the plan. The QDRO can order the plan to pay the participant's retirement plan benefits to an alternate payee.

How much of my retirement will my ex-wife get?

15 related questions found

Is retirement protected from divorce?

In California, all assets of a marriage, including 401(k)s, IRAs, and other retirement accounts or plans, will be divided.

Am I entitled to my ex wife's retirement?

You must have been married to your ex for at least 10 years if you want to claim their Social Security benefits. If you were married and divorced more than once, and each marriage lasted the required 10 years, you are entitled to the higher of the two benefits. You can't claim both.

What percentage of my pension is my ex-wife entitled to?

A general rule of thumb when it comes to splitting pensions in divorce is that a spouse will receive half of what was earned during the marriage.

Can I stop my ex-wife from getting my social security?

It's natural to ponder if you can stop your ex-spouse from partaking in your social security benefits. However, the high dam of federal law stands firm, preventing you from single-handedly stopping your ex-spouse from staking a claim on your benefits.

What is the Brown time rule?

Under the Brown Formula and time rule, the community property portion may be a ratio. It is the time worked between the date the spouses are married and the date they separated in relationship to the entire time the plan holder was employed.

Can my ex wife claim my pension if she remarry?

If my ex-spouse remarries, will his/her share of the pension come back to me? a. Generally, no. As with other divided property, the ex-spouse's share of the pension remains his/her property.

What if my ex never filed a QDRO?

If a QDRO is not filed, the former spouse may not be entitled to any portion of the retirement asset. This means you could miss out on your share of the retirement funds. If any of the following occur before a QDRO is filed, you risk forfeiting all of your benefits: Your spouse retires.

What is a spousal waiver?

A Member's spouse uses the Spousal Waiver Form to waive his/her legal right to pension benefits after the Member's death. If the Member wishes to select a form of pension that doesn't provide income to his spouse after the Member dies, then the spouse must complete this form prior to the Member's retirement.

How long do you have to be married to get half of retirement in Texas?

If your spouse is found to have hidden assets, then it could result in them losing the right to all of those assets and even a possible jail sentence. Does it matter how long we were married? Most retirement accounts, such as 401(k)s are divided upon divorce regardless of how long the marriage lasted.

Can a divorced woman collect her ex-husband's Social Security?

you're eligible for some of your ex's Social Security

wives and widows. That means most divorced women collect their own Social Security while the ex is alive, but can apply for higher widow's rates when he dies.

What rights does an ex-wife have when her ex-husband dies?

Can an Ex-Spouse Inherit From the Decedent's Estate? Once a divorce is finalized and assets have been divided between the former spouses, the ex-spouse will generally have no right to an inheritance from their ex-spouse's estate if their ex-spouse dies.

Is my husband's ex-wife really allowed to draw on his Social Security?

Social Security benefits for a divorced spouse are calculated based on the ex-spouse's earnings record or their own earnings record, depending on which one is higher. You're entitled to half of your ex's benefits if you start collecting once you reach your full retirement age (FRA).

What is the 10 year rule for Social Security?

If you've worked and paid taxes into the Social Security system for at least 10 years and have earned a minimum of 40 work credits, you can collect your own benefits as early as age 62.

What percent of Social Security does a divorced spouse get?

If you wait until your full retirement age (FRA), you'll get 50% of your ex's benefit. Full retirement age, or normal retirement age, depends on the year you were born. If you were born between January 2, 1943 and January 1, 1955, your FRA is 66. The full retirement age increases gradually for those born after 1955.

Does your ex wife get your retirement?

You are eligible to receive one-half (50%) of your ex-spouse's retirement benefit. If your ex-spouse should die before you, you can receive their full retirement benefit.

How are retirement accounts handled in divorce?

In California, any income that either spouse earns during a marriage is considered shared marital property. Defined contribution retirement plans like 401(k), 403(b), or 457 accounts, as well as IRAs or SEPs, are also marital property because deposits to these accounts are made from marital funds.

Can a prenup protect my pension?

Is There Anything I Can Do to Protect My Retirement Plans or Pension Benefits in Case of Divorce? If the marriage hasn't occurred, drafting a prenuptial agreement (commonly known as a prenup) is possible. The prenup can specify that retirement plans or pension benefits remain separate property.

Does my ex wife still get half of my retirement if she remarries?

Bottom Line. Getting remarried will not affect your accrued retirement or disability benefits under Social Security. However, if you receive divorce of survivor's benefits, there is a good chance that remarriage will affect those payments.

What are the three ways you can lose your Social Security?

Indeed, here are three ways you can lose at least part of your Social Security benefit.
  • No. 1: Keep working while taking benefits early. ...
  • No. 2: Be a substantially lower-earning spouse. ...
  • No. 3: Be alive in 2034. ...
  • Social Security still provides an important foundation for retirement.

Can two wives collect Social Security from one husband if they?

If the spouses divorced, the marriage must have lasted 10 years. Each survivor benefit can be up to 100% of your benefit. The amount may be reduced if the women start benefits before their own full retirement age, but they don't have to share — the amount isn't reduced because you've had more than one spouse.