Social Security spousal benefits for green card holder - online application possible?

Your wife will need to apply for spousal benefits in person at your local SSA office. Non-citizens with lawful permanent resident status CAN receive spousal benefits, but the online application system isn't set up to properly handle these more complex situations. For her appointment, she should bring: - Her permanent resident card (green card) - Social Security card - Birth certificate (with certified translation if not in English) - Marriage certificate - Your Social Security number (since you're the primary beneficiary) - Her passport Make the appointment ASAP as some offices are still backed up from the pandemic. You can apply for your retirement benefits online immediately - you don't need to wait for her appointment.

congrats on retiring! my wife is also a green card holder and got her spousal benefits last year. she had to go in person tho, the online system rejected her application when she tried.

Be prepared for a loooong wait to get an appointment at SSA these days. When I tried helping my mom with her benefits last month, they said the next available appointment was SIX WEEKS out! And if you call their 800 number, you'll be on hold foreverrrr. The whole system is broken since COVID.

Just to add some important information: Your wife can qualify for spousal benefits even without having her own 10 years of work credits, but as a permanent resident, she must meet additional requirements: 1. She must have been in the U.S. lawfully for 5 years 2. Her green card must be current and valid Since you mentioned she's been a permanent resident for about 20 years, she clearly meets these requirements. The good news is that as your spouse of over 30 years, she's eligible for up to 50% of your full retirement age benefit amount. Also, you should consider the timing of your applications. If you file at your full retirement age (which sounds like you're doing), you'll receive 100% of your benefit. If you were to delay until 70, you'd get 132% of your full benefit, but this wouldn't increase her spousal benefit. Finally, once you've filed your online application, I recommend printing the confirmation page and having your wife bring that to her in-person appointment as well.

wait, so does the wife need to have been married 10 years or have worked 10 years? my english isn't great and I'm confused because my situation is similar...

My wife had similar situation. Green card holder for 15+ yrs. SSA office gave us so much trouble even with all documents!!! Kept asking for more proof of status for no reason. Took THREE visits to finally get approved. Bring EVERY document you have and INSIST on speaking to supervisor if they give you trouble. System is designed to make immigrants struggle!!!

hey just remembered something important - make sure your wife's name on her green card EXACTLY matches her SS card and marriage certificate. my wife's middle name was abbreviated on one document and SSA made us fix that before proceeding. what a headache!

One final recommendation - when you make the appointment for your wife, specifically ask for someone who specializes in non-citizen benefit claims. Not all SSA representatives are equally familiar with these rules, and seeing a specialist can save you a lot of time and confusion. Also, if your wife has ever used other names (maiden name, different spellings, etc.), bring documentation showing the name progression. SSA needs to establish a clear identity trail.

Just wanted to add one more thing about timing - since you're turning 67 next month, make sure you apply for your benefits in the month you turn 67 or the month before to avoid any delays in payments. Social Security doesn't pay retroactively beyond 6 months, so timing matters! For your wife's spousal benefits, she can't receive them until you're actually receiving your retirement benefits, so her application timing should be coordinated with when your payments start. The SSA office will help coordinate this during her appointment. Also, if she's currently working and earning income, there might be earnings limits to consider for spousal benefits if she's under her full retirement age. But given the 20+ year marriage and her permanent resident status, you're both in a good position for this to work out smoothly once you get through the appointment process. Good luck with everything - retirement benefits can seem overwhelming but you're asking all the right questions!

I went through a very similar process with my spouse who is also a green card holder. A few additional tips based on our experience: 1. When you call SSA to schedule your wife's appointment, try calling first thing in the morning (8 AM local time) - the wait times are usually shorter then. 2. Consider bringing a letter from your wife's previous employers showing her work history, even though she doesn't have 40 quarters. Sometimes this helps establish her identity and work authorization history. 3. If your wife has ever renewed her green card, bring both the old and new cards if you still have them. This shows continuous legal status. 4. One thing that caught us off guard - they asked for proof of your marriage being "valid" for the entire duration. Since you've been married 32 years, you might want to bring some additional evidence like joint tax returns from different years, joint bank statements, or property deeds showing both names. The whole process took about 6 weeks from appointment to first payment for us, but it was worth the wait. Your wife's long-term permanent resident status should make this much smoother than some of the horror stories you hear about. Best of luck!