Projected Effects of a Proposal to Reduce Marriage Duration Requirement for
Divorced Spousal Benefits

Details: Allow divorced spouses who were married at least 5 years to receive reduced benefits

Projected Effects of Proposal on Social Security Benefits in 2030 POPULATION: Current-law beneficiaries aged 60 or older (characteristics)
Characteristic Percent of
population with a—
Percent change in
Social Security benefits at the—
Benefit decrease Benefit
increase
10th %ile Median 90th %ile
Total 0% 1% 0% 0% 0%
Sex
Female 0% 2% 0% 0% 0%
Male 0% 1% 0% 0% 0%
Race and ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino, any race 0% 1% 0% 0% 0%
White, non-Hispanic 0% 1% 0% 0% 0%
Black or African American, non-Hispanic 0% 2% 0% 0% 0%
All other races, non-Hispanic 0% 1% 0% 0% 0%
Country of birth
United States 0% 1% 0% 0% 0%
Other countries 0% 1% 0% 0% 0%
Marital status
Married 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Divorced 0% 5% 0% 0% 0%
Widowed 0% 1% 0% 0% 0%
Never married 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Highest education level
Graduate 0% 1% 0% 0% 0%
Bachelor 0% 1% 0% 0% 0%
Associate 0% 2% 0% 0% 0%
High school 0% 2% 0% 0% 0%
Less than high school 0% 1% 0% 0% 0%
Current-law poverty status
Above poverty 0% 1% 0% 0% 0%
In poverty 0% 7% 0% 0% 0%
Current-law household income quintile
Highest 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%
Second highest 0% 1% 0% 0% 0%
Middle 0% 1% 0% 0% 0%
Second lowest 0% 1% 0% 0% 0%
Lowest 0% 4% 0% 0% 0%
Current-law benefit type
Retired worker only 0% 1% 0% 0% 0%
Widow(er) (includes dually entitled) 0% 2% 0% 0% 0%
Spousal (includes dually entitled) 0% 1% 0% 0% 0%
Disabled worker only 0% 1% 0% 0% 0%
SOURCE: SSA Office of Research, Evaluation, and Statistics, MINT 8.23. Run ID: SPOUSAL OACT1001v1 02/20/2024
NOTES: Start date = 2025.
%ile = percentile.
Providing these estimates does not imply SSA support for the proposal, nor is SSA responsible for any interpretations of these estimates.