Just wanted to share my experience as someone who went through this exact scenario! I was married for 8.5 years when we separated, but due to contested property issues, our divorce wasn't finalized until 2.5 years later - putting me at 11 total years. SSA absolutely counted the full duration from marriage certificate to final divorce decree. They didn't ask a single question about when we actually separated or stopped living together. I had all my documents ready (marriage certificate, final divorce decree, and my ex's SSN), and the process was straightforward. The key thing is having that final divorce decree - not just separation papers. It sounds like you're in great shape with your timeline! One thing I wish I'd known earlier is that you can actually apply up to 4 months before you turn 62, so you might want to start gathering your documents now.

I'm new to this community but found this discussion really helpful! I'm in a somewhat similar situation - married for 9 years when we separated, but the divorce took 2 years to finalize due to custody disputes, putting me at 11 total years. Reading through everyone's experiences here gives me confidence that SSA will count the full legal duration. One question I have is about the application process itself - do you apply online or do you need to go to a local SSA office for ex-spouse benefits? I've heard mixed things about whether the online system can handle the more complex benefit calculations or if you need to speak with an agent in person to make sure they're calculating everything correctly.

Has anyone here ever noticed that the SSA website sometimes updates with info about these kinds of payments BEFORE you actually get a letter in the mail? I always check there first when anything weird happens with my payments. Sometimes they have an explanation posted in my message center before the letter arrives.

I had something similar happen to me about 6 months ago! Got an unexpected $180 payment and it turned out to be a correction for Medicare Part B premiums. Apparently there was some kind of recalculation that happened after they processed my income information from two years ago, and they had been withholding too much from my monthly payments. The letter explaining it didn't come for almost 3 weeks after the payment, so don't worry if you don't hear anything right away. Like others have said, definitely check your mySSA account first - mine showed up there about a week after the deposit. And I agree with keeping it in a separate account until you know for sure what it's for. Better safe than sorry!

One more piece of advice - take screenshots of each page as you complete it! I did this and it was incredibly helpful when I needed to call SSA with questions. I could reference exactly what I was seeing, and I also had a record of what I entered in case anything got lost. Just press the PrtScn button on your keyboard and paste into a document, or use the Snipping Tool if you're on Windows.

Just wanted to add that if you're really nervous about the online process, consider doing a "practice run" first. You can start the application, go through a few pages to get familiar with the interface and see what questions they ask, then exit without saving. This helped me feel more confident when I did it for real. Also, make sure you have a good internet connection and plenty of time set aside - rushing through it is when mistakes happen. The system is actually pretty user-friendly once you get started, and all the save features people mentioned really do work well. Good luck with your application next month!

UPDATE: I finally got through to Social Security after trying all day! The $70 was indeed a retroactive adjustment. They explained that when my husband turned 66 last month (his FRA), they recalculated his benefit and found a small earnings record that hadn't been properly credited. The $70 represents the difference for February and March. A letter explaining this should arrive within 2 weeks. Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions!

Great to hear you got this resolved! This is such a common experience - getting these unexpected deposits and having no idea what they're for. Your situation with the earnings record adjustment at FRA is actually pretty typical. The SSA does these recalculations automatically when people hit certain milestones, but they're terrible at communicating what's happening beforehand. Thanks for sharing the update - it'll definitely help others who find themselves in the same confusing situation!

I've been collecting SS for 3 years now (I'm 64) and have a pretty large stock portfolio. As others said, dividends definitely don't count toward the earnings limit - but just so you know, once you reach your Full Retirement Age, the earnings limit goes away completely! So in a few years, you won't have to worry about ANY type of income affecting your benefits. Also worth noting that if you're under FRA and DO exceed the earnings limit, you don't permanently lose benefits. The SSA withholds $1 in benefits for every $2 earned over the limit, but when you reach FRA, they recalculate and give you credit for those months when benefits were reduced.

As someone who also inherited stocks and was confused about the SS rules, I wanted to add one more thing that might be helpful - keep good records of everything! I created a simple spreadsheet tracking my dividend payments, dates received, and which stocks they came from. Makes tax time much easier. Also, since you mentioned you're new to investing, you might want to research the "step-up in basis" rule for inherited stocks. When you inherit stocks, your cost basis is "stepped up" to the fair market value on the date of your uncle's death, which can save you a lot in capital gains taxes if you ever decide to sell. This is completely separate from the dividend issue, but it's another tax advantage of inherited stocks that many people don't know about. Sounds like you're being very responsible by asking these questions upfront rather than figuring it out after the fact!