Confused about Social Security spousal benefits from ex-husband - one check or two separate payments at FRA?

Social Security sends one payment, not two separate checks. The way divorced spouse benefits work is that you get the higher of either your own benefit OR up to 50% of your ex's benefit (assuming you're at FRA). They don't add them together. So if your sister's own benefit is $1,840, and half of her ex's would be $2,750, she should be receiving $2,750 total (assuming she's actually at FRA and they were married 10+ years, which you said they were). Something doesn't sound right here. She definitely needs to contact SSA.

Thank you so much for explaining! This is what she thought too, that she should get the higher amount as one payment. But the online application was really confusing - it made it seem like she was filing for both benefits. I'll tell her to call SSA right away to figure out what happened.

wait is she actually getting both?? my cousin got divorced and he gets two different deposits!!! one for his own work and one from his ex-wife's record since they were married 12 yrs. but he had to file 2 different applications he told me

Your cousin is mistaken or you misunderstood. SSA absolutely does NOT send two separate payments for retirement and divorced spouse benefits. They calculate the higher of the two and send one payment. The only exception might be if one payment is SSI and the other is retirement, which are different programs.

I went through this EXACT situation last year! The system is so confusing with ex-spouse benefits. When I applied for both my retirement and divorced spouse benefits (after 22 years of marriage), I also got a payment that was way less than expected. Turns out there was a processing delay with the divorced spouse portion. Your sister needs to call SSA IMMEDIATELY. It took me 3 weeks of calling daily to get through, and then another 6 weeks to get it resolved. When they finally processed the divorced spouse portion, they sent a separate payment for the back pay they owed me, but going forward it was just one combined check each month. Don't wait on this!

THREE WEEKS of calling?? That's ridiculous! The system is designed to wear people down so they just give up on what they're entitled to. I had to call 46 times in one day to reach someone about my survivor benefits last month. The hold music still haunts my dreams.

This is a common misunderstanding with Social Security divorced spouse benefits. Let me clarify how it works:1. At Full Retirement Age (FRA), you can receive either 100% of your own retirement benefit OR up to 50% of your ex-spouse's benefit, whichever is HIGHER. Not both.2. SSA will only pay one monthly benefit amount - the higher of the two calculations.3. The payment comes as a single direct deposit or check.4. If your sister's own benefit is $1,840 and half of her ex's benefit would be $2,750, she should be receiving $2,750 (assuming all eligibility requirements are met).It sounds like either:a) SSA hasn't processed the divorced spouse portion yet (very common)b) There's an offset happening due to a government pension (WEP/GPO)c) The ex-spouse's benefit amount she calculated is incorrectYour sister should contact SSA directly to clarify. This is definitely worth investigating.

Thank you for this detailed explanation! My sister doesn't have any government pension, so it's not the WEP/GPO issue. I'm thinking they just haven't processed the full claim yet. She's going to call tomorrow to check on it.

i had to deal with this social security nonsense when i filed for my ex husband benefit. the 1st payment was wrong too. took FOREVER to fix because u cant get thru on the phone. like ever!!!! so frustrating

I found a service called Claimyr that helped me get through to Social Security when I was dealing with an ex-spouse benefit issue last month. Saved me days of redialing. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU and their website is claimyr.com. It was the only way I actually got through to a real person at SSA after trying for weeks on my own.

The retirement benefit system is DELIBERATELY CONFUSING!!! I went through this same nightmare with my divorced spouse benefit. Turns out they were calculating using my ex's benefit at HIS age (he was only 64) rather than what he would get at full retirement age, which is what they're SUPPOSED to use even if he filed early! They shorted me $400/month for 7 months before I caught it! Make your sister double-check EVERYTHING they tell her!

Oh wow, that's scary! I didn't even think about them possibly calculating it wrong. My sister's ex is already 67 and collecting his benefits, but she'll definitely ask them to explain their calculation when she calls. Thanks for the warning!

tell ur sister to check her my social security account online too sometimes the letter explaining the calculation gets lost in mail but its on there

Good suggestion! She has an online account but hasn't checked if there's a letter there. I'll tell her to look right away.

One additional note: if your sister only recently reached FRA and filed this month, there's a possibility the divorced spouse portion is still being processed. SSA often pays the retirement benefit first, then adjusts the payment in the following month once they've verified all the information for the divorced spouse claim. If that's the case, she should receive the additional amount (the difference between her retirement benefit and the higher divorced spouse benefit) as retroactive pay in a separate payment, and then her regular monthly amount will be adjusted going forward. This is fairly common with divorced spouse claims as they require additional verification steps.

Yes, this is exactly what happened to me! The retirement part processed first, then the divorced spouse portion came through about 8 weeks later. They did pay the back amount owed, but it was incredibly stressful waiting and not knowing what was happening.

my neighbor said somethin about a divorce benefit delay bcuz they have to contact the ex spouse is that true??? that seems like a privacy violation

No, SSA doesn't contact your ex-spouse when you file for divorced spouse benefits. Your ex isn't notified and their benefits aren't affected. The delay is usually administrative - they need to verify your marriage records and confirm eligibility requirements.

Update: My sister called SSA this morning (took almost 2 hours to get through). The representative confirmed that they haven't fully processed her divorced spouse benefit yet! Apparently, they processed her retirement claim first and are still working on the divorced spouse portion. They said it could take another 4-6 weeks to process, but she will receive backpay for the difference once it's done. Thank you everyone for your help! This forum saved her a lot of anxiety.