I had the exact same experience last week! SSA called me back and it showed as "UNKNOWN" on my Android phone. I almost didn't answer because I get so many spam calls. When I did pick up, the representative immediately said "Hello, this is [name] calling from the Social Security Administration" so you'll know right away it's legitimate. They called me back about 2 hours after I requested the callback. Pro tip: make sure you're in a quiet place when they call because they'll need to verify your identity with personal information, and the connection quality can sometimes be poor. Also, have your Social Security card and any relevant documents nearby - they might reference specific details about your case. Good luck with your retirement application! The wait times are definitely frustrating, but once you get through to someone they're usually very helpful.

I just went through this exact situation two weeks ago! When SSA called me back, it showed up as "Unknown Caller" on my phone. I was so paranoid about missing it that I literally sat by my phone for 4 hours straight. They finally called back about 3.5 hours after I requested the callback. The representative was really nice and immediately identified herself as calling from Social Security, so you'll know right away it's legitimate. One thing that helped me was setting a custom ringtone for unknown numbers that day so I'd know to jump on any call that came through. Since you mentioned getting lots of spam calls - maybe consider temporarily enabling "Do Not Disturb" mode but allowing calls from unknown numbers to still come through? That way you won't get distracted by other notifications but won't miss their call. Also, they do leave voicemails if you miss them, but then you have to start the whole callback request process over again. Hope they call you back soon! The retirement application process is stressful enough without having to worry about phone tag.

i always thought you had to be married for the kid to get benefits thats interesting

Congratulations on your upcoming baby! Just wanted to add that you might also want to consider applying online through the SSA website (ssa.gov) for your retirement benefits if you haven't already. They've improved their online services quite a bit, and you can often get the process started without having to visit an office or wait on hold. Once your retirement benefits are approved, you can then follow up with the child's benefit application. The online portal lets you track the status of your applications too, which is really helpful. Good luck with everything - having a baby and dealing with Social Security paperwork at the same time can be overwhelming, but it sounds like you're getting good advice here!

dont overthink this. as long as the money goes to taking care of your dad thats what matters. i just keep a notebook where i write down what i spend on my brother each month from his benefits. never had any problems with the annual reporting.

I'm just starting this journey as a new rep payee for my mom's Social Security benefits, and reading through all these responses is both helpful and overwhelming! It sounds like the key takeaways are: 1) legally you CAN use the same account for both benefits, 2) the VA has their own separate fiduciary program with different requirements, and 3) keeping extremely detailed records is absolutely critical. For those who've been doing this for years - what's your best advice for a newcomer? Should I start with separate accounts from day one to avoid potential headaches, or is one account really manageable if I'm super organized with record-keeping? I'm pretty detail-oriented but don't want to make things harder on myself if I don't have to.

Thanks everyone for the helpful responses! I'm going to create my my Social Security account today to check my projected benefit amounts and the family maximum. Then I'll try to speak with an SSA representative to get exact figures before making my decision. The mix of health issues, raising two kids, and long-term financial planning makes this complicated, but your advice has been invaluable in understanding how this works!

Just wanted to add something important that hasn't been mentioned yet - as a widower with dependent children, you might also want to look into survivor benefits for your kids based on your late wife's work record. If she was eligible for Social Security, your children could potentially receive survivor benefits that might be higher than the dependent benefits they'd get from your record. You can't receive both types of benefits simultaneously, but you can choose whichever is higher. This could significantly impact your decision about when to file for your own retirement benefits. The SSA can help you compare both options when you speak with them.

I'm new to this community and currently researching Social Security benefits for my own situation. This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm impressed by how thoroughly everyone has explained the spousal benefit calculations - Pedro's step-by-step breakdown was particularly clear, and I love how Kara asked all the detailed questions I would have asked. I'm wondering if anyone has experience with how the calculation works when both spouses have significant earnings records but one is much higher than the other? My situation is similar but my husband and I both had decent careers, so I'm trying to figure out if I'll qualify for any spousal benefit at all or if my own benefit will be too close to 50% of his FRA amount. Also, has anyone noticed if the SSA agents are generally more knowledgeable about spousal benefits now than they were a few years ago? Some of the comments about getting different answers from different agents are concerning, but I'm hoping the training has improved.

Maya, welcome to the community! To answer your question about dual high earners - if your own benefit is already close to 50% of your husband's FRA amount, you probably won't get much additional spousal benefit. The formula is the same as what Pedro laid out earlier: you get the higher of either your own benefit OR 50% of his FRA benefit, not both added together. For example, if your husband's FRA benefit is $3,000 and yours is $1,400, you'd only get a small spousal supplement since 50% of his ($1,500) minus your benefit ($1,400) = just $100 extra (before any early filing reductions). As for SSA agent knowledge - I've found it really varies by individual agent. I've had some who were incredibly knowledgeable about complex scenarios and others who seemed to only know the basic rules. My advice is to always ask them to walk through the calculation step by step and don't hesitate to call back if something doesn't sound right. Getting a second opinion never hurts with something this important to your financial future! The good news is that with dual careers, you're probably in a stronger position overall even without significant spousal benefits.