Former Spouse

• Early retirement benefits from Social Security start as early as age 62. You may collect benefits on your own work history or the work history of your former spouse, if you were married 10 years. You must be divorced for two years to collect benefits if the ex-spouse is not receiving benefits. If your former spouse is deceased, you may continue to receive survivor benefits if you remarry after age 60. If you are receiving Social Security retirement based on the work history of a former spouse who is alive, you must notify Social Security of your remarriage right away.
  
  

Name Change

• Change your name by filing SS-5 "Application for a Social Security Card" with the Social Security Administration if you have changed your name by marriage. This will save confusion and errors in your Social Security records. Your Social Security records and Internal Revenue Service records need to be the same. Once you complete SS-5 and provide the information to Social Security, use the name and Social Security number appearing on the new card for your IRS tax forms.
  
  

New Benefits

• Talk with a Social Security representative soon after your marriage about your Social Security benefits. You may collect benefits on your own work history or the work history of your new spouse, but you must apply. Social Security takes about three months to complete a new application for benefits, but may be able to process your application more quickly since you have received Social Security benefits in the recent past.
  
  

New Spouse

• Unlike an ex-spouse, who does not have to file for benefits for you to collect benefits, your current spouse must apply and qualify for Social Security benefits before you can receive benefits based on a current spouse's work history. The new spouse can file for benefits and suspend collecting them. You may receive 50 percent of the full retirement age benefit of your new spouse when you are full retirement age. Full retirement age for individuals born between 1943 and 1954 is 66. If you are 62, you can receive about 35 percent.