Can I apply for Social Security spousal benefits online with ex's information? 2-hour phone waits!

Yes, you can absolutely apply online! Go to ssa.gov and use the retirement benefits application. There's a section where you can indicate you were married before. You'll need your ex's SSN or at least their date of birth and full name. The system will ask if you want to apply for spousal benefits. You can upload your marriage certificate and divorce decree during the application process. One thing to note - for ex-spouse benefits, you need to have been married at least 10 years, be unmarried now, and your ex needs to be eligible for benefits (even if they haven't filed yet). The SSA will automatically calculate whether your own benefit or the spousal benefit (up to 50% of your ex's) is higher and pay you the higher amount.

I tried applying online last year and it was IMPOSSIBLE!!! The system kept crashing when I tried to upload my documents. Then when I finally completed everything, they still made me come in person anyway because they said they needed to "verify" something. Wasted hours of my life I'll never get back. If you can get to a field office early in the morning, that's your best bet. Online is a JOKE.

The online application actually works well for ex-spouse benefits in most cases. You don't need your ex's permission or to notify them - the SSA handles all that internally. If you don't have their SSN, providing their name and date of birth should be sufficient, though it might take SSA longer to process. One important consideration: at 62, you'll get a permanently reduced benefit (about 30% less than at your Full Retirement Age). If you're eligible on your own record, you might want to calculate whether waiting would be more advantageous long-term. The SSA doesn't always explain all your options clearly in the automated system. For document uploads, make sure they're clear PDF scans under 5MB each. If the system rejects them, you can mail copies to your local office after submitting the online application.

i tryed calling SSA 5 times lastmonth and couldn't get thru toeither. So frustrating!!! My aunt used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) - its like a skip-the-line thing for SSA. She showed me the video demo https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU and it actually worked for her. they called her back in like 20min. might be worth it to just talk to someone amd ask your questions directly

the online thing worked for me but I was appling for reglar retirement not ex-spouse thing. I think the website is different now then it was before to. But it took me like 3 trys to get all my info in right. I kept forgetting parts and had to start over lol. just make sure u have EVERYTHING ready before u start!!

You should really consider if you want to take benefits at 62. My sister did that and now she regrets it because she's getting $340 less EVERY MONTH than if she'd waited till 67. That adds up to a lot over time. Do you need the money right now? If not, waiting is usually better unless you have health issues.

To answer your follow-up question about estimates: Yes, you can get estimates before applying. Create a my Social Security account at ssa.gov if you haven't already. It will show your own benefit estimates at different ages, though not spousal benefits. For ex-spouse benefits, if you know your ex's date of birth and approximate earnings history, you can use one of the online calculators like Open Social Security or AARP's calculator to get rough estimates. The most accurate way is to speak with an SSA representative who can run calculations based on both records. Also, a key point many miss: If you're eligible for both your own retirement and an ex-spousal benefit, filing at 62 means you take a reduction on BOTH potential benefits. The claiming strategy can get quite complex depending on your specific situation.

Just wanted to add my experience - I successfully applied online for ex-spouse benefits last fall! The key is having all your documents ready as PDFs before you start. You'll need your divorce decree, marriage certificate, and if possible your ex's SSN (though name and DOB can work). The online application took me about 45 minutes and I was approved within 3 weeks. Make sure to save your progress frequently - the system does time out after periods of inactivity. One tip: if you run into technical issues, try using Chrome browser and disable any ad blockers. Also, don't let the reduction scare you too much - getting 75% of your benefit at 62 might still be the right choice depending on your situation. You know your finances better than anyone else. Good luck!

I went through this exact same situation two years ago! The phone wait times are absolutely brutal - I feel your pain. I ended up successfully applying online for ex-spouse benefits and it was much easier than I expected. Here's what worked for me: Go to ssa.gov and start the retirement application. When it asks about previous marriages, select yes and provide your ex's information (name, DOB, and SSN if you have it - but name and DOB should work). The system will automatically consider both your own record and spousal benefits and pay whichever is higher. For the documents, I scanned my marriage certificate and divorce decree as clear PDFs and uploaded them during the application. You don't need every page of the divorce decree - just the pages that show the marriage dates, divorce date, and final judgment. One thing that really helped me was doing the application late at night (around 10-11 PM) when their servers seemed less busy. The whole process took about an hour including uploading documents. I got confirmation within a week and my first payment about a month later. Don't stress too much about the early filing reduction - sometimes getting money now is more important than maximizing future payments. You're the only one who knows your situation best!

I just went through this process myself about 6 months ago and wanted to share what worked for me! The online application definitely works for ex-spouse benefits, but here are some tips that made it smoother: 1. Make sure you have your ex's full legal name exactly as it appears on official documents - middle names, suffixes, etc. The SSA system is picky about exact matches. 2. You don't need to notify your ex that you're applying. The SSA handles everything behind the scenes and your ex won't even know unless they specifically ask SSA about their record. 3. For the document uploads, I found it helpful to call them "clear and legible scans" - use a scanning app on your phone rather than just taking photos. The contrast needs to be really good or they'll reject them. 4. One thing I wish someone had told me: you can actually start the application, save it, and come back to finish it later if you need to gather more documents. Don't feel pressured to complete everything in one sitting. The whole process took about 3 weeks from application to first payment for me. The reduction at 62 was worth it in my case since I needed the income. Hang in there - the online system really does work once you get past the initial hurdles!