Social Security spousal benefits documentation - do I email marriage certificate or visit office in person?
I finally convinced my wife to apply for spousal benefits on my Social Security record (took me years!). We have a phone appointment scheduled next week, and the confirmation email mentions we need proof of marriage. This is where I'm confused - will they just have me scan and email our marriage certificate during/after the call? Or are we going to end up having to drive 45 minutes to the nearest SS office anyway? I'm 72, been collecting since 68, and my wife is 67 but never worked enough quarters on her own. Trying to prepare everything properly before this call so we don't have to reschedule. Anyone gone through the spousal benefit application process recently?
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Isaiah Sanders
When my husband applied for spousal benefits last year, we were able to upload the marriage certificate through the my Social Security account portal. They gave us instructions during the phone appointment. Make sure to have a good quality digital copy (both sides if there's anything on the back) ready before your call. The SSA agent will tell you exactly how to submit it.
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Fidel Carson
•That's really helpful, thanks! I didn't realize I could upload it through the portal. Do you happen to remember what file format they wanted? I can scan to PDF or JPEG.
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Xan Dae
they made me go to the office when i applyed for my wifes spousal. said they needed to see original document not a copy. wasted 3 hours sitting there!!!!
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Fiona Gallagher
•When was this? I think they changed their procedures during COVID. Now they accept scanned documents for most things.
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Xan Dae
•last octobr. maybe it depends on your local office or something?
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Thais Soares
Congrats on getting your wife to finally apply! My husband was the same way, kept putting it off for years. For the marriage certificate, they actually gave us three options: upload through the portal, mail a copy (not the original!), or bring to the office. We chose to upload and it worked fine.
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Nalani Liu
I went through this exact thing in January. The phone rep told me I could upload the marriage certificate, but then the system wouldn't accept the file for some reason. I called and called for weeks but couldn't get through to anyone. Ended up having to go to the office anyway and wait for HOURS. The whole process took almost 3 months before my wife saw her first payment. The SSA system is completely broken!!
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Axel Bourke
•If you're having trouble reaching SSA by phone, check out Claimyr (claimyr.com). They have a service that gets you connected to a live SSA agent usually within 15-20 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours or getting disconnected. Saved me a ton of time when I was dealing with document issues for my disability review. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU
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Aidan Percy
Has anyone here dealt with submitting a foreign marriage certificate? My wife and I got married in Mexico 25 years ago, and I'm wondering if we'll need to get it translated or anything special for her spousal benefits application next month.
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Isaiah Sanders
•Yes, you'll need an official translation if it's not in English. SSA requires certified translations for all foreign documents. They'll also want to see your wife's immigration documents showing legal status, so have those ready too.
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Fiona Gallagher
Just to clarify a common misunderstanding: when applying for spousal benefits, they not only need proof of marriage but also want to confirm the marriage is still valid. So if either of you had any previous marriages, bring divorce decrees or death certificates for those too. The representative should tell you during your call what documentation is needed and how to submit it. In my experience, they're very helpful with walking you through the process step by step.
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Fidel Carson
•Thanks! This is our only marriage for both of us, so hopefully that keeps things simpler. Good to know they'll explain everything during the call.
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Xan Dae
dose she get 50% of ur benifet or is it less? my wife only got like 35% and we dont understand why
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Fiona Gallagher
•The spousal benefit is up to 50% of the worker's full retirement age benefit amount, but it gets reduced if the spouse claims before their own full retirement age. Also, if your wife qualified for any benefits on her own record, that gets paid first, then they add enough spousal benefits to reach the higher amount. That might explain the difference you're seeing.
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Isaiah Sanders
To answer your original question more definitively: You will NOT need to take the original marriage certificate to the office. SSA has been accepting digital submissions for proof of marriage since 2021 as part of their pandemic procedures, and they've kept those policies in place. During your phone appointment, they'll send you a secure link where you can upload the document, or they might have you upload it through your my Social Security account. Only in rare cases (like suspected fraud or extremely poor document quality) would they request in-person verification now.
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Fidel Carson
•Perfect! That's exactly what I needed to know. I'll scan it at high resolution before our appointment just to be safe. Really appreciate everyone's help here.
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