Social Security ex-spouse benefits without knowing his SSN - how to apply when I reach FRA?

You absolutely can claim on your ex-spouse's record without knowing his SSN! I help people with this situation frequently. Since you were married more than 10 years (the minimum requirement), you'll qualify as long as you've been divorced at least 2 years (which you have). When you apply, bring your marriage certificate and divorce decree to your appointment. SSA can locate his record with his name and date of birth. They won't notify him - this doesn't affect his benefits at all. At your FRA, you can get up to 50% of his FRA benefit amount if that's higher than your own benefit.

DONT LISTEN TO THE PERSON ABOVE!!!! My sister tried to get benefits on her ex and they ABSOLUTELY contacted him and it was a NIGHTMARE!!! They made her provide everything under the sun and then denied her anyway. The system is rigged against divorced women!!!

When I applied for my ex-spouse benefits, I just brought my marriage certificate and divorce papers like the first person said. My ex passed away so it was a little different (survivor benefits), but they never would have contacted him anyway. Good luck!

Do you know if hes already collecting? Because that matters too, I think. If he hasnt filed yet you might have to wait until he does? Not 100% on that part tho

Getting an appointment with SSA is the hardest part of this whole process! I tried for weeks to get through on their 800 number last year when helping my mom with something similar. I finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that gets you through to an agent quickly. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Saved me hours of frustration, and the SSA agent was able to schedule an in-person appointment for my mom to bring in her documents.

I went thru this last year. Quick tip: make sure ur marriage certificate is an official copy not a photocopy. They rejected mine first time and I had to go back to my home state to get another certified copy. Such a pain!!

Everyone's focused on the paperwork, but let me add something about the actual benefit calculation. When you file, you'll automatically get whatever's higher - your own benefit or the divorced spouse benefit (up to 50% of his FRA amount). BUT, if you file before your own FRA, you'll get a reduced amount of whichever benefit applies. That's why waiting until your full retirement age is smart if you can. Also, divorced spouse benefits don't earn delayed retirement credits, so there's no advantage to waiting past your FRA to file for those (unlike with your own benefit).

Just wondering but does anyone know if she can still get spousal benefits if her ex passes away? Would they convert to survivor benefits? My friend is in a similar situation.

btw they're going to ask for your bank account info for direct deposit so have that ready for your appointment!!

This is such valuable information! I'm in a similar situation - divorced after 18 years, approaching my FRA next year. One thing I'd add is that you might want to create a my Social Security account online at ssa.gov if you haven't already. You can see your benefit estimate there, which will help you compare your own benefit to what 50% of his might be. Also, when you do make that appointment, consider asking them to run both scenarios (your benefit vs. ex-spouse benefit) so you can see the exact numbers. Sometimes the difference isn't as much as people expect, but it's worth checking since you put in all those years of marriage!