Confusion with spousal benefits - received my SS benefit letter but no spousal excess mentioned despite deemed filing rule

This is a common issue with the way SSA processes spousal benefits! When you apply for retirement benefits, the deemed filing rule SHOULD apply, but sometimes the system doesn't automatically recognize and process the spousal component. Here's what's happening: SSA likely needs to verify your marriage details with both you AND your husband before processing the spousal excess amount. That's why they scheduled separate appointments - they need to speak with both of you to confirm details. The verification letter only shows your retirement benefit on your own record because that's the only part that's been processed so far. Once they verify everything, you should receive a modified amount that includes the spousal excess (reduced for early filing, as you noted). The separate appointments are completely normal in these situations.

i had almost the exact same thing happen!!! husband got benefits then when i applied they TOTALLY forgot to add spousal even tho i checked the box on the application. took 3 calls and them swearing up and down nothing was wrong before i finally got someone who knew what they were doing. the problem was that my record and husbands record wernt properly linked in there system. eventually got fixed but took like 2 months. and YES they did backpay from original filing date.

The issue you're experiencing stems from how SSA processes different benefit types. Deemed filing does apply in your situation, but it works differently than most people expect. When you file for retirement benefits, SSA automatically considers eligibility for spousal benefits, but they process them separately in their system. Regarding why your husband received an appointment notification: SSA typically needs to verify information with both spouses because they're accessing his earnings record to calculate your spousal benefits. They need his authorization since they're using his information. Your spousal excess will be calculated as approximately 50% of your husband's Primary Insurance Amount (his FRA benefit) minus your own full retirement benefit, then reduced for early filing. Since you filed at 66 and your FRA is 66 and 6 months (for someone born in 1959), you'll see about a 3.3% reduction in the spousal portion. Important: Make sure to attend both appointments, as they need information from both of you to properly process the spousal component. Once processed, your benefits will be adjusted retroactively to your filing date.

This EXACT thing happened to me last year! First they sent me just my retirement, then 3 months later they "discovered" I was entitled to spousal benefits too!!! The SSA is completely BROKEN these days. They can't even follow their own rules about deemed filing! They're supposed to automatically check for all benefits but their computer systems don't talk to each other properly. I had to fight for THREE MONTHS to get the additional spousal amount and backpay. Don't miss either of those appointments!!! The separate appointments thing is because they're stuck in the 1980s with their processing systems. Good luck!!

I've been dealing with this exact situation helping my mom. After months of frustration trying to get through to anyone helpful at SSA, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got us through to an actual SSA agent in under 10 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. The agent we reached was able to see that mom's spousal benefits hadn't been properly processed despite deemed filing and fixed it on the spot. For your situation, I'd recommend calling before your scheduled appointments to see if you can get it resolved sooner. The separate appointments thing is definitely normal though - they need info from both of you.

To address your specific question about deemed filing - yes, it absolutely applies in your situation, but there's a procedural aspect that's important to understand. Deemed filing means that when you apply for either retirement or spousal benefits, you're deemed to have filed for both. However, SSA still needs to process each benefit type, and they often handle your own retirement benefit first, followed by the spousal component. What likely happened is that your application was correctly filed under deemed filing rules, but the spousal portion is still in processing. The separate appointments suggest they need additional information or verification before finalizing the spousal calculation. After both appointments, you should receive an updated award letter showing: 1. Your reduced retirement benefit ($1,450) 2. Plus your reduced spousal excess (approximately 50% of husband's PIA minus your PIA, further reduced for early filing) All benefits will be paid retroactively to your initial filing date once processed.

Thank you all for these helpful responses! I feel much better knowing this is a common issue with how SSA processes things. I'll definitely make sure both my husband and I attend our scheduled appointments. I might try calling them before then using that service someone mentioned because waiting another month is frustrating. It's ridiculous that their systems don't automatically handle this when deemed filing is supposed to be the rule. At least I know now I should eventually get the spousal excess with backpay to my filing date. I'll update after our appointments to let everyone know how it goes.

the appointment thing is totally normal. my wife and I went through this last year. they need info from both of you because they're checking his records too. just make sure you both answer the phone when they call!

I went through something very similar when I applied for benefits last year! The deemed filing rule definitely applies to your situation, but SSA's processing can be frustratingly slow and disjointed. What you're experiencing is unfortunately pretty common - they process your own retirement benefit first, then handle the spousal component separately even though you filed for both under deemed filing. The fact that they scheduled separate appointments for both you and your husband is actually a good sign - it means they're actively working on processing your spousal benefits. They need to verify information from both of your records before they can calculate and add the spousal excess to your monthly payment. A few tips from my experience: 1) Keep all your confirmation emails for the appointments, 2) Have your marriage certificate handy if they ask for it, and 3) Don't be surprised if the process takes a few more weeks even after the appointments. The good news is that once everything is processed, you'll get backpay to your original filing date for the spousal portion. Your calculation sounds right - with your husband's higher benefit amount, you should definitely qualify for spousal excess even with the early filing reduction. Hang in there, it will get sorted out!

I'm going through almost the exact same situation right now! Applied for my benefits at 64 last month, got my award letter showing just my own retirement benefit, and no mention of spousal benefits despite my husband collecting his since last year. The SSA representative I spoke with initially said there was "no record" of me applying for spousal benefits either, which was so frustrating since I thought deemed filing meant it was automatic. What's really helpful reading everyone's experiences here is knowing that the separate appointments are normal and that backpay will be included once they sort everything out. I was worried I'd lose money during the processing delay. It's reassuring to hear from so many people who went through this exact same process and eventually got it resolved. The system really does seem broken when something that's supposed to be automatic (deemed filing) requires multiple phone calls and appointments to actually work properly. But at least now I know what to expect and that persistence pays off. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it's made me feel much less anxious about the whole process!

I'm dealing with a similar situation right now and this thread has been incredibly helpful! I applied for my benefits at 66 last month (born in 1958, so FRA is 66 and 8 months). My husband has been collecting since he turned 70 last year at $4,200/month. I got my award letter showing just my own reduced benefit of $1,680/month with absolutely no mention of spousal benefits, even though I clearly qualify for spousal excess under deemed filing. What's really frustrating is that when I called SSA, they acted like I never applied for spousal benefits at all, just like what happened to you. I have an appointment scheduled for next week, but reading everyone's experiences here gives me confidence that this will eventually get resolved with backpay to my original filing date. It's honestly ridiculous that deemed filing - which is supposed to be automatic - requires so much follow-up and additional appointments to actually work properly. But I'm grateful for this community sharing their experiences because it's saved me a lot of anxiety knowing this is a common processing issue rather than something I did wrong in my application. I'll definitely update after my appointment to add to the collective knowledge here!

I'm currently going through this exact same situation and it's so frustrating! Applied for my benefits at 65 three weeks ago, my husband has been collecting his since he turned 70 last year ($3,800/month), and I got my award letter showing only my own retirement benefit with zero mention of spousal benefits. The SSA rep I spoke with said the same thing - "no record" of applying for spousal benefits even though I thought deemed filing made it automatic. What's been most helpful from reading everyone's experiences here is understanding that the separate appointments are actually normal processing procedure, not a sign that something went wrong. I was really worried about losing money during the delay, but knowing that backpay goes to the original filing date makes me feel much better about waiting for them to sort it out. It's honestly mind-boggling that something called "deemed filing" requires so much manual intervention and follow-up calls to actually work. But I'm grateful for this community - reading these real experiences has saved me so much stress and anxiety. I have my appointment next Tuesday, so I'll definitely update with how it goes to add to the knowledge base here!

I'm currently dealing with this exact same issue! Filed for my benefits at 66 last month (born in 1959 like you), my husband has been collecting since he turned 70 ($3,700/month), and I got my award letter showing just my reduced retirement benefit of $1,520/month with absolutely no mention of spousal benefits. When I called SSA, they gave me the same "no record of applying for spousal benefits" line even though I specifically noted it in my application and thought deemed filing made it automatic. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly reassuring - it sounds like this processing delay is unfortunately very common and that the separate appointments are actually a good sign that they're working on it. I have my appointment scheduled for next week and my husband got one too, which initially worried me but now I understand it's normal procedure. It's really frustrating that something called "deemed filing" requires so much manual follow-up, but I'm relieved to know from everyone here that backpay will go to the original filing date once it's all sorted out. This community has been so helpful - I was starting to panic that I'd somehow messed up my application! I'll definitely update after our appointments to add to the collective knowledge base here.

I'm currently experiencing this exact same frustrating situation! Filed for my benefits at 65 two weeks ago, my husband has been collecting his full benefits since turning 70 last year ($3,650/month), and my award letter shows only my own retirement benefit of $1,380/month with zero mention of spousal benefits despite me clearly qualifying under deemed filing rules. When I called SSA last week, I got the same infuriating "no record of spousal benefits application" response that so many others here have mentioned. It's absolutely mind-boggling that something called "deemed filing" - which is supposed to automatically consider all benefits you're eligible for - requires multiple phone calls, appointments, and months of follow-up to actually work properly. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly helpful and reassuring. I was starting to think I had somehow messed up my application, but it's clear this is a widespread systemic processing issue with how SSA handles spousal benefits. The fact that so many people eventually got it resolved with full backpay to their original filing date gives me hope. I have my appointment scheduled for next Thursday and now I know to expect a separate appointment for my husband too. Thanks to everyone who shared their stories - this community knowledge is worth more than anything on SSA's confusing website!

I'm dealing with this exact same frustrating situation right now! Filed for my benefits at 66 three weeks ago (born in 1959), my husband has been collecting since he turned 70 last year ($3,900/month), and I received my award letter showing only my reduced retirement benefit of $1,465/month with absolutely no mention of spousal benefits. When I called SSA, I got the same maddening "no record of spousal benefits application" response that everyone else here seems to be getting. It's incredibly frustrating that deemed filing - which is supposed to automatically consider all benefits you qualify for - apparently requires multiple phone calls and appointments to actually function properly. Reading through all these experiences has been both reassuring and infuriating. Reassuring because it's clear this is a widespread systemic processing issue rather than something I did wrong in my application. Infuriating because so many of us are dealing with the same broken process despite SSA's own rules about deemed filing. I have my appointment scheduled for next week and now I know to expect a separate one for my husband too. It's ridiculous that we have to jump through all these hoops for something that should be automatic, but at least I know from everyone's stories that persistence eventually pays off with full backpay. Thanks to this community for sharing these real experiences - it's been more helpful than anything I could find on SSA's confusing website!

I'm currently going through this exact same nightmare! Filed for my benefits at 66 last month (born in 1958, FRA is 66 and 8 months), my husband has been collecting since he turned 70 last year ($4,050/month), and I got my award letter showing only my reduced retirement benefit of $1,590/month with absolutely zero mention of spousal benefits. Called SSA twice and got the same ridiculous "no record of spousal benefits application" response both times, even though I specifically wrote about it in my application notes and thought deemed filing was supposed to be automatic! It's honestly unbelievable how broken their system is when so many of us are experiencing the identical processing failures. Reading everyone's stories here has been incredibly helpful and reassuring - I was starting to think I had somehow screwed up my application, but it's clear this is a widespread systemic issue with how SSA handles deemed filing. The fact that multiple people eventually got it resolved with full backpay to their original filing date gives me hope to keep pushing through this bureaucratic mess. I have my appointment scheduled for Friday and now I know to expect my husband to get one too. Thanks to everyone for sharing their real experiences - this community knowledge has been worth more than hours spent trying to decode SSA's confusing website! I'll definitely update after our appointments to add to the collective wisdom here.

I'm currently experiencing this exact same issue! Just filed for my benefits at 65 last month, my husband has been collecting since he turned 70 ($3,950/month), and I received my award letter showing only my own retirement benefit of $1,340/month with no mention whatsoever of spousal benefits despite clearly qualifying under deemed filing. When I called SSA last week, I got the same infuriating "no record of spousal benefits application" response that so many others here have described. I was starting to panic thinking I had somehow messed up my application, but reading through all these experiences has been incredibly reassuring - it's clearly a widespread systemic processing problem with how SSA handles deemed filing, not something we individually did wrong. What's most helpful from everyone's stories is understanding that the separate appointments are normal procedure and that backpay will go to the original filing date once everything gets sorted out. I have my appointment scheduled for next Wednesday and now I know to expect one for my husband too. It's honestly mind-boggling that something called "deemed filing" - which is supposed to automatically consider all benefits you're eligible for - consistently requires multiple phone calls, appointments, and months of follow-up to actually work properly. But this community sharing real experiences has been more valuable than anything I could find on SSA's website. I'll definitely update after our appointments to add to the collective knowledge here!

I'm going through this exact same situation right now! Filed for my benefits at 66 two weeks ago (born in 1959), my husband has been collecting since he turned 70 last year ($4,100/month), and I just received my award letter showing only my reduced retirement benefit of $1,425/month with absolutely no mention of spousal benefits. When I called SSA yesterday, I got that same frustrating "no record of spousal benefits application" response that everyone here seems to be getting, even though I specifically mentioned it in my application and thought deemed filing was automatic! Reading through all these experiences has been such a relief - I was starting to think I had somehow messed up my application, but it's clearly a widespread systemic issue with how SSA processes deemed filing. What's been most helpful from everyone's stories is understanding that the separate appointments are actually normal procedure (not a sign something went wrong) and that backpay goes to the original filing date once everything gets sorted out. I have my appointment scheduled for next Friday and now I expect my husband will get one too. It's honestly ridiculous that something called "deemed filing" - which is supposed to be AUTOMATIC - consistently requires multiple phone calls and appointments to actually work. But this community sharing real experiences has been more valuable than anything on SSA's confusing website. I'll definitely update after our appointments to add to the knowledge base here!

I'm currently dealing with this exact same frustrating situation! Filed for my benefits at 65 three weeks ago, my husband has been collecting since he turned 70 last year ($3,750/month), and I got my award letter showing only my reduced retirement benefit of $1,295/month with absolutely no mention of spousal benefits despite clearly qualifying under deemed filing. Called SSA twice and got that same maddening "no record of spousal benefits application" response both times, even though I specifically noted it in my application and assumed deemed filing made it automatic! Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly reassuring - I was really starting to panic that I had somehow screwed up my application, but it's obvious this is a widespread systemic processing issue. What's been most helpful from all these stories is understanding that the separate appointments are normal procedure and that backpay will go back to the original filing date once everything gets processed. I have my appointment scheduled for this Thursday and now I know to expect my husband to get one too. It's honestly unbelievable that something called "deemed filing" - which is literally supposed to be AUTOMATIC - consistently requires multiple phone calls, appointments, and months of follow-up to actually function. But this community sharing real experiences has been more valuable than hours spent trying to navigate SSA's confusing website! I'll definitely update after our appointments to help others going through this same bureaucratic nightmare.

I'm currently going through this exact same issue and it's incredibly frustrating! Filed for my benefits at 66 last month (born in 1959), my husband has been collecting since he turned 70 ($3,875/month), and I received my award letter showing only my reduced retirement benefit of $1,380/month with zero mention of spousal benefits despite clearly qualifying under deemed filing rules. When I called SSA last week, I got that same infuriating "no record of spousal benefits application" response that so many others here have described. I was starting to think I had somehow messed up my application, but reading through all these experiences has been such a relief - it's clearly a widespread systemic processing problem, not something we did wrong individually. What's been most reassuring from everyone's stories is learning that the separate appointments are actually normal procedure and that backpay will go back to the original filing date once everything gets processed. I have my appointment scheduled for next Tuesday and now I expect my husband will get one too. It's honestly shocking that something called "deemed filing" - which is supposed to be AUTOMATIC - consistently requires multiple phone calls and appointments to actually work properly. But this community sharing real experiences has been more valuable than anything I could find on SSA's website. I'll definitely update after our appointments to help others navigate this same bureaucratic mess!