Spousal offset application stuck at step 2 but moved to Kansas City office - normal process?

Omg the EXACT thing happened with my husband's application!! It sat at our local office in Phoenix for like 10 days then suddenly Kansas City had it. I freaked out!! But I think it's totally normal - some applications get sent to processing centers because local offices are too busy. His took 23 days total to get approved but it eventually came through.

This is actually normal processing for many spousal applications. Local offices conduct the interview but then many cases get routed to Processing Centers (like Kansas City) for technical review, especially if there are any offset calculations involved. The National Processing Centers handle high-volume and specialized cases. The timeline varies significantly depending on complexity. Simple spousal benefits might be approved quickly, but if you have any special circumstances (government pension, foreign work, complex earnings history), it requires additional review. Those cases typically take 3-4 weeks, sometimes longer.

mine sat at step 2 for 31 days!!!!! then jumped to step 3 and was approved the next day. system makes no sense. some ppl get approved fast others wait forever.

My spousal benefits took forever too! I tried calling the 800 number daily for a status update and never got through - endless busy signals or disconnects. Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an agent who explained my case was flagged for WEP review because of my previous county employment. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - saved me so much frustration and I could finally get answers about why mine was taking longer than my friends' applications.

The application transfer to a Processing Center is completely normal. Here's what's happening behind the scenes: 1. Your local office verified your identity, relationship, and basic eligibility during the interview 2. Since you're applying for spousal benefits with possible offset calculations (assuming your own record is involved), it requires specialized processing 3. Kansas City is one of 5 Processing Centers that handle more complex cases Timeline variance is common - cases without offset calculation might be approved faster (your friends' cases). If you have any Government Pension Offset (GPO) or Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) considerations, those take longer. Average processing time for offset calculations is 20-30 days currently.

@LostAndConfused - Yes, that's likely related to GPO (Government Pension Offset). If your husband receives a pension from work not covered by Social Security (like many state government positions), his Social Security spousal benefits can be reduced by 2/3 of his government pension amount. This sometimes results in a $0 payment if the offset is large enough. The SSA should have explained this during the interview, but unfortunately, they sometimes miss covering this important detail. You can request reconsideration if you believe there was an error in the calculation.

DONT WORRY!!! My wifes claim for spousal benefits got sent to the processing center in Queens after our local office had it. Took about 4 weeks total but everything turned out fine. Some SSA rep told me they send applications to wherever has the shortest backlog at the moment. Its just how they distribute workload.

anyone know if we can check what step we're on without logging into the ssa account? my mom doesn't have a computer and wants to know where her application is at

the whole system is a mess. my application disappeared completely from the tracker for 2 weeks then suddenly i got a deposit. never even got an approval letter!

Based on what you've shared, I'll offer some perspective on realistic timeframes: 1. Simple spousal claims (no offset): 7-14 days 2. Spousal claims with pension offset calculations: 21-30 days 3. Complex cases with multiple factors: 30-45 days Since your application moved to a Processing Center and it may involve pension offset calculations, you're looking at category 2 or 3. I'd recommend waiting until you're at day 25 before becoming concerned. One important note: if you check your application status online, it won't show detailed progress once it's at the Processing Center - just that it's under review. This is why it appears "stuck" at step 2.

I'm going through something similar right now! Filed my spousal application 3 weeks ago and it's been bouncing between offices too. Started at my local office in Tampa, then moved to Birmingham Processing Center, and now it's showing Atlanta. I was panicking thinking something was wrong but after reading everyone's experiences here, it seems like this office-hopping is just how they manage their workload. The uncertainty is definitely the hardest part - I keep checking the tracker multiple times a day even though I know it probably won't change. At least now I have a better idea of realistic timelines. Sounds like anything under 30 days for cases with complications is actually pretty normal. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!