Thank you all for the helpful information! It seems clear that my ex-wife has no claim to benefits on my record as long as she remains married. That's a relief to know. My current wife and I are satisfied with our benefit decisions, even though she's receiving a reduced amount by claiming early. One follow-up question - if my ex-wife's current marriage ends and she then claims on my record when she's eligible, would I be notified by SSA? Or would that happen without my knowledge?

Just wanted to add some clarity on the timing aspects since I see some questions about this. Your ex-wife would need to wait until she's at least 62 to claim any ex-spouse benefits (assuming she becomes eligible by being unmarried at that time). Since she's currently 55, that's still 7 years away. Also, regarding notification - you're correct that SSA won't notify you if she ever does file. This is standard practice to protect privacy. The system is designed so that ex-spouse claims are completely separate from your benefits and don't require any input or awareness from you. One small correction to an earlier comment - the 10-year marriage requirement is measured from the date of marriage to the date the divorce was finalized, not just separated. Since you mentioned 19 years of marriage, that requirement is definitely met if the situation ever changes.

I can definitely relate to your anxiety about this! I had my SSA interview about 8 months ago and they asked me similar questions about my ex-husband, including details about his siblings and even what street we lived on 18 years ago. I was so embarrassed that I couldn't remember most of it, especially since the agent kept pressing me for more details. But here's what helped calm my nerves - I called the SSA office a few weeks later to check on my application status, and the representative I spoke with actually explained that these verification questions are completely routine. She told me they ask them for every applicant with previous marriages because they need to document relationship history for their records, but they don't expect perfect memory recall. My benefits were approved without any issues, even though I probably answered "I don't remember" to at least half their questions about my ex. The key thing that worked in my favor (and yours too) was being completely honest about what I didn't know rather than trying to guess or make something up. Since you have your divorce decree and remembered the important stuff like your marriage date, you should be fine. Try not to stress too much - you handled it exactly right by being truthful!

I'm going through my SSA application process right now and this thread has been incredibly helpful! I've been dreading my interview because I know they're going to ask about my ex-husband from 14 years ago, and honestly I can barely remember what I had for breakfast yesterday, let alone specific details about someone I haven't spoken to in over a decade. Reading all these experiences where people forgot similar details but still got approved is really reassuring. It sounds like the key takeaway is to be honest about what you don't remember rather than guessing, and to have whatever documentation you can find (like divorce decrees). @Dyllan, I think you handled your interview perfectly by being truthful. The fact that so many people here have shared nearly identical experiences with successful outcomes should definitely put your mind at ease. Thanks to everyone for sharing - this is exactly the kind of real-world insight that's impossible to find in official SSA guides!

I'm going through something similar with my elderly father right now. One thing I learned is that you should also ask about becoming an "organizational representative payee" if you're worried about your own future ability to manage her benefits. This lets you designate a backup organization (like a nonprofit or financial institution) to take over if something happens to you. Also, when you do get the rep payee status, make sure to ask SSA about setting up online access through my Social Security. As her representative payee, you can create an account to manage her benefits online, which makes things much easier than calling or visiting offices all the time. The whole process took about 6 weeks for us from application to receiving the first benefit payment in my name. Just wanted to give you a realistic timeline expectation!

I went through this exact situation with my grandmother last year. A few things I learned that might help: 1. You can actually start both processes simultaneously - apply for rep payee status AND get the POA documents done. They don't interfere with each other. 2. For the SSA interview, they were very understanding about my grandmother's anxiety. The caseworker kept it short and asked simple questions like "Do you know who this person is?" and "Are you okay with them helping you with your Social Security?" 3. One thing nobody warned me about - once you become rep payee, her benefits will stop going to her account and start coming to yours. Make sure you coordinate this timing with her bill payments so nothing gets missed during the transition. 4. Keep a simple spreadsheet from day one tracking her benefit amount, what you spend it on, and the remaining balance. The annual reporting is much easier if you've been tracking all along. The whole process was less scary than I expected, but definitely start now while your mom can still participate in the decision. Good luck!

To address your last question: The DRCs (Delayed Retirement Credits) are indeed applied immediately to your benefits when you start receiving them. There's no separate waiting period for the credits to kick in. Just to summarize what we've covered for anyone else in a similar situation: 1. DRCs accumulate at 2/3% per month (8% per year) for those born in 1958 2. Credits are calculated monthly, not just yearly 3. The increase applies to your own retirement benefit, not to spousal benefits 4. The increased amount does apply to survivor benefits 5. Medicare enrollment at 65 is separate from Social Security filing decisions Your 6-month delay strategy sounds well-thought-out. It strikes a good balance between getting some benefits this year while also securing a permanent 4% increase.

As a newcomer to this community, I found this discussion incredibly helpful! I'm in a similar situation - turning 67 next year and trying to decide on timing. What really stands out to me from reading everyone's experiences is how the monthly calculation works rather than yearly. One thing I'm curious about that I didn't see addressed: if you delay past FRA but then need to claim benefits earlier than planned due to an emergency, can you still get credit for the partial months you did delay? Or do you lose those credits if you don't follow through with your original timeline? Also, has anyone here used the Social Security statement estimator to model different claiming scenarios? I'm wondering if their online tools accurately reflect these partial-year delayed retirement credits when you're planning.

I'm going through something similar right now - applied in mid-February and it's been radio silence since then. The lack of communication is honestly the most stressful part. I keep checking the website hoping for ANY update but nothing changes. It's good to see from everyone's experiences that this seems to be normal, even though it's frustrating. I'm trying to stay patient but it's hard when you're planning your finances around this income. Thanks for posting this question - it's reassuring to know others are dealing with the same waiting game!

I'm in a very similar situation - filed my Social Security retirement application in late January and haven't heard a peep since then! Reading through everyone's experiences here is both reassuring and frustrating. It sounds like 6-10 weeks is pretty typical right now, which puts me right in that timeframe. The lack of communication really is the worst part - you start wondering if your application got lost or if there's some issue you don't know about. I think I'm going to take the advice about calling them soon to at least verify they have everything they need. It's wild that in 2025 we still have such an outdated system for something so important. Thanks to everyone sharing their timelines - it helps to know this radio silence is unfortunately normal!