Social Security approval letter missing ex-spouse benefits - Do they come separately?

yes they often do come separately!! I got my own benefit letter first then about 2 weeks later got another letter with the spousal portion. dont worry yet but keep trying to call them to confirm.

This is a common situation with divorced spouse benefits. What typically happens is SSA processes your own retirement benefit first, then they separately calculate and add the excess spousal benefit (the technical term is the "spousal top-up"). The two benefits are administered in different parts of their system, which is why you got the letter for your own benefit first. You should receive the second determination within 30 days. If you don't, you'll want to contact SSA directly. Make sure you have your ex-husband's SSN when you call, as they'll need to verify his record to discuss this aspect of your claim.

The SAME EXACT THING happened to me last year!!! I was TOLD one amount that included my ex's record and then got a letter with ONLY my amount! I freaked out and called and called and nobody could help!!! After SIX WEEKS I finally got another letter with the combined amount. SSA is SO DISORGANIZED it's ridiculous!!! They should tell people this will happen!

I experienced something similar with survivor benefits after my husband passed. First letter showed just my retirement, second letter came about 3 weeks later with the higher combined amount. What confused me was the second letter didn't specifically say it included survivor benefits - it just showed the new higher amount as my "monthly benefit" with a short explanation about qualifying for the higher benefit based on my spouse's record. One thing to know: when you get the combined payment, it will show as one deposit, not separate payments. The monthly benefit statement online will eventually update to show the breakdown.

they mess up all the time too. my sister got the wrong amount for 8 months before they fixed it. keep calling!!

I help people navigate Social Security issues, and this is completely normal. Here's what's happening: 1. Your own retirement benefit (based on your work record) is processed first 2. The divorced spouse benefit requires additional verification steps 3. Once both are approved, you'll receive the higher of either your own benefit or up to 50% of your ex's benefit (if you're at Full Retirement Age) Since you mentioned a "top off," it sounds like your own benefit is higher than half of his, but his record provides some additional amount. This is called the "excess spousal benefit" and is the difference between your benefit and half of his. If you need to reach SSA quickly to confirm this, I'd recommend trying Claimyr (claimyr.com). They have a service that gets you connected to a live SSA agent without the usual hold times. I used it when I had a similar issue with delayed payments. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU

did u apply online or in person? seems like in-person applications get processed faster with fewer issues like this

Just wanted to follow up - did you receive your second letter yet? It's been about a week since your post.

That's great news that you got confirmation! The 8am trick is definitely worth remembering for anyone else trying to reach SSA. It sounds like everything is on track and you should see that second letter soon. Once you get it, make sure the total monthly amount matches what the rep originally quoted you ($2,350). If there's still a discrepancy, you'll at least have both letters to reference when you call back. Keep us posted on how it works out!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm going through a similar situation right now - just got my own retirement benefit letter but was told during my interview that I'd qualify for divorced spouse benefits too. Reading everyone's experiences here has really put my mind at ease knowing that separate letters are normal. The 8am calling tip is brilliant - I've been trying to get through for days with no luck. Thanks to everyone who shared their timelines and what to expect. It's so reassuring to know this community exists for navigating these confusing SSA processes!

I'm new to this community but wanted to share my recent experience since it's so similar! I just went through this exact same situation last month. Got my first letter with just my retirement benefit ($1,645), then exactly 18 days later received the second letter with the combined amount ($2,120) that included my ex-spouse benefits. The second letter had a line that said something like "your benefit has been adjusted to include benefits based on another person's record" but didn't explicitly say "divorced spouse benefits." The key thing that helped me was keeping detailed notes from my original interview - I wrote down exactly what the rep told me about the expected amount, which made it easier to verify everything was correct when the second letter arrived. Hang in there - it sounds like you're right on track based on what the phone rep confirmed!

I'm new to this community but wanted to jump in since I'm dealing with a very similar situation right now! I filed for my own retirement benefits and divorced spouse benefits about 6 weeks ago, and just got my first letter yesterday showing only my retirement amount ($1,520). Reading through all these experiences has been incredibly reassuring - I was starting to panic that something went wrong with my application. The fact that so many of you received separate letters with different timelines (from 9 days to 6 weeks!) helps me understand this is just how their system works. I'm definitely going to try the 8am calling strategy if I don't see a second letter in the next couple of weeks. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and timelines - this thread is exactly what I needed to find today!

I'm new to this community and just wanted to say how incredibly helpful this entire thread has been! I'm currently waiting for my divorced spouse benefits determination after receiving my own retirement letter three weeks ago. Reading everyone's different timelines and experiences has really helped calm my nerves - I was convinced something had gone wrong since I hadn't heard anything yet. The range from 9 days to 6 weeks for the second letter shows there's no standard timeline, which is both frustrating and reassuring at the same time. I'm definitely bookmarking the 8am calling strategy for future reference. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their experiences and specific details about what the letters looked like - it's made such a difference in understanding what to expect from this confusing process!

I'm new to this community but this thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm currently in a similar situation - just received my retirement benefit approval letter last week ($1,620) but during my phone interview the representative clearly stated I'd be getting around $2,100 because I qualify for divorced spouse benefits from my ex-husband's record. Like many of you, I was initially worried when the letter didn't mention the additional amount. Reading through everyone's experiences and timelines has been so reassuring - it's clear that SSA's two-letter process is standard, even though they don't really explain this to applicants upfront. I'm going to wait another week or two before trying the 8am calling strategy, but it's comforting to know that's an option if needed. Thank you to everyone who shared their specific timelines and what their letters looked like - this community knowledge is invaluable for navigating SSA's confusing processes!

I'm new to this community and this thread has been such a lifesaver! I'm going through the exact same situation right now - got my retirement benefit letter two weeks ago showing $1,735, but my SSA rep told me during the interview I'd be getting around $2,150 with divorced spouse benefits included. I was starting to panic thinking they forgot about the spousal portion, but reading everyone's experiences here has been incredibly reassuring. The range of timelines people have shared (9 days to 6 weeks) really shows how variable their processing can be. I'm especially grateful for the 8am calling tip and the advice about keeping detailed notes from interviews - wish I had done that better! It's frustrating that SSA doesn't explain this two-letter process upfront, but at least this community fills in those knowledge gaps. Thank you all for sharing your specific experiences and timelines - it makes such a difference knowing we're not alone in navigating these confusing processes!

I'm new to this community and just wanted to say how incredibly helpful this entire discussion has been! I'm currently in a very similar situation - filed for retirement and divorced spouse benefits about a month ago, and received my first letter last week showing just my retirement amount ($1,580). The SSA rep during my phone interview had told me to expect around $2,020 total with the spousal benefits included. Like so many others here, I was starting to worry that something went wrong when that higher amount wasn't in my approval letter. Reading through everyone's experiences and timelines has been such a relief - it's clear that this two-letter process is completely standard, even though SSA doesn't bother explaining it to applicants! The range of timelines shared here (from 9 days to 6 weeks for the second letter) really helps set realistic expectations. I'm definitely going to try that 8am calling strategy if I don't see my second letter in the next couple weeks. Thank you to everyone who shared their specific amounts, timelines, and what their letters actually said - this community knowledge is absolutely invaluable for navigating SSA's confusing and poorly communicated processes!