Confusion about deceased spouse's previous marriage on my Social Security widow's benefits application - is this an error?

The 10-year rule they're referring to applies to divorced spouse benefits, not to how they record marriage history. Technically, your Application Summary contains incorrect information since your husband was previously married. I would call SSA to have them correct this for accuracy purposes. Incorrect information on your application, even if seemingly minor, could potentially cause problems or delays later.

My mom went through something similar last year. The SSA made a mistake on her application too but about something else. It didn't end up mattering in her case but better safe than sorry I guess.

The rep you spoke to made a HUGE ERROR!! I can't believe they would just write down false information! The 10-year marriage rule is ONLY for divorced spouse benefits, NOT for recording accurate information!!! This could definitely come back to bite you later. Call them IMMEDIATELY and get this fixed before your claim gets denied because of THEIR mistake!!!

when my husband died last year, i had so many problems with social security. they kept losing my paperwork and telling me different things each time i called. took almost 4 months to get my benefits started.

I dealt with this exact situation when applying for survivor benefits. The representative was actually taking a shortcut in their paperwork. The system requires them to enter detailed information about previous marriages only if they lasted 10+ years (because of the divorced spouse benefit rules). For shorter marriages, some representatives simply mark "no previous marriages" to skip that section rather than entering all the details of marriages that won't affect benefits. That said, this is technically incorrect and I did request a correction on my application. It didn't delay my benefits at all - they just added a note to my file with the correct information. I think it's worth correcting for accuracy, but it shouldn't affect your eligibility for widow's benefits.

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wait does anyone know if the 10 year rule applies to regular widows benefits too? asking for my aunt

To add some clarity here: The Application Summary should technically be factually correct about all marriages. However, the reason the representative didn't record the previous marriage is because it doesn't impact your benefit calculation or eligibility. Only marriages lasting 10+ years matter for divorced spouse benefits. For your widow benefits, only your marriage to the deceased matters (and that needs to have lasted at least 9 months in most cases). I still recommend getting it corrected for accuracy, but this won't affect your widow benefit eligibility or amount. When you call, mention specifically that you want to correct the marriage history on your Application Summary for accuracy purposes, but understand it doesn't affect your eligibility.

I work for a local nonprofit that helps seniors with benefits applications, and I see this type of recording error fairly often. The representatives sometimes use shortcuts in their documentation, especially when previous marriages don't affect benefit eligibility. While it's technically incorrect, it won't impact your widow's benefits since only your marriage to your deceased husband matters for those benefits. That said, I always recommend clients get these things corrected - it's better to have accurate records. When you call, you can mention that you're requesting a correction to ensure your application file is factually accurate. Most of the time they can update it with a simple phone call.