Do I need ex-spouse's Social Security number to file for retirement benefits after 24 years divorced?

Good news - you don't need your ex-wife's SSN to file for your own retirement benefits! That information is only required if you're applying for spousal benefits on her record. The online application asks for information about all marriages, but you can simply indicate that you don't have her SSN. As long as you're only filing for your own retirement benefits based on your own work record, this won't delay your application processing. If you ever wanted to file for ex-spousal benefits (which you might be eligible for if her benefit amount is higher than yours), you'd only need to provide her name, date of birth, and approximate dates of marriage. The SSA can usually locate her record with just that information.

When I applied last year the same thing happened to me!!! I was married to my ex for 15 years (THANK GOD THAT'S OVER) and I haven't talked to him in DECADES. The online form kept giving me an error when I tried to submit without his SSN. I ended up having to CALL social security and wait on hold for 3 HOURS!! When I finally got through, they told me I could have just put all zeros in the SSN field and it would have gone through. Nobody tells you these things!!!! The whole system is designed to frustrate people!

If you're having trouble reaching someone at Social Security to help with this, I'd recommend using Claimyr. It got me through to a live person at SSA in under 20 minutes when I was dealing with a similar issue about my divorce records. Their service connects you with an agent without the typical hours-long wait. I used their video demo at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU to figure it out - super straightforward. The agent I spoke with confirmed I didn't need my ex's SSN for my own retirement benefits and helped me complete my application right then.

To provide some technical clarity: SSA Form 8 (Application for Retirement Insurance Benefits) does ask for marriage history, including ex-spouse SSNs, but this is primarily for two purposes: 1) determining if you qualify for higher benefits as an ex-spouse, and 2) fraud prevention to ensure multiple people aren't claiming on the same work record incorrectly. For your retirement claim on your own record, you can proceed without the ex-spouse's SSN. On the online application, when you reach that section, select "I do not know" when prompted for the SSN. The system will allow you to continue. However, I recommend you also provide as much other identifying information as you do have (her full name at time of marriage, date of birth if known, etc.) to facilitate any future comparisons of benefit amounts. The SSA can then determine if you might be eligible for higher benefits on her record without requiring her SSN from you.

my brother had same problem but with his secnd wife not first. he just put unknown and got his benefits fine. ss just wants to know you were married they dont actually need her number if your getting your own benefits. but they might if you try to claim off her record later but you probably wont need to do that if youre a man, women usually have lower benefits than men anyway.

After reading all this I'm confused 🤔 Can someone clarify - if you were married more than 10 yrs (which OP was), aren't you automatically checked for spousal benefits vs your own record to give you the higher amount? That's what I thought they did. So wouldn't they eventually need the ex's info to do that comparison?

Just applied for my benefits 3 months ago with similar situation. Honestly, the online system is glitchy AF. I tried entering "unknown" for my ex's SSN and the form wouldn't submit. Tried calling SSA like 20 times and couldn't get through. Finally drove to the local office and waited 3 hours to speak with someone who told me I could just write "unknown" on a paper application 🙄 Complete waste of time. The actual solution was creating a new online application from scratch and using 123-45-6789 as the SSN placeholder. Ridiculous system.

I'm just here to say that the Social Security Administration is THE WORST government agency to deal with!!! Their website looks like it was built in 1997, their phone lines are always busy, and their rules make NO SENSE. Why do they need marriage info from 24 YEARS AGO for someone applying for their OWN benefits?!?! It's just bureaucracy for the sake of bureaucracy. And don't get me started on their customer service...

One important additional point: if your ex-wife's benefit amount would potentially be higher than yours, you might want to make the effort to provide SSA with as much information as possible about her. As a divorced spouse (married >10 years), you're entitled to up to 50% of her PIA if that amount exceeds your own benefit, without affecting her benefits in any way. The difference could be substantial depending on your respective earnings histories. For example, if your monthly benefit would be $1,800 but 50% of hers would be $2,200, you'd be leaving $400 monthly on the table by not pursuing the ex-spousal benefit. SSA can usually locate her record with full name, approximate DOB, and marriage dates, but the process is more efficient with an SSN. Consider whether this potential benefit difference justifies additional effort to obtain her information.

After seeing all these responses about people struggling to reach someone at Social Security, I wanted to follow up. When I used Claimyr (claimyr.com), I spoke with an agent who explained that for ex-spouse benefits, they really just need the name and date of birth - the SSN makes their job easier but isn't strictly required. The agent can input notes in your file explaining the situation. That's what worked for me when I couldn't provide my ex's information.