Will Social Security call from official number for my spouse benefit top-off appointment?

When I had my retirement benefits phone appointment last month, they called from a completely different number than what's listed for my local office. It showed up as "No Caller ID" on my phone. So I'd recommend temporarily turning off your call blocking feature during your scheduled appointment window. The rep told me they're using various systems while working remotely, so there's no consistent number they call from.

SSA NEVER CALLS FROM THE OFFICIAL NUMBER!!!! They use all kinds of random numbers and sometimes it even shows as "PRIVATE CALLER" which is super frustrating!!!! I missed my first appointment because of this exact issue and had to wait ANOTHER 6 WEEKS to get a new appointment. The system is completely broken!!! Why can't they just use a consistent number so we know it's them???? So annoying!!!

I had a phone appointment for my spousal benefits last year, and the call came from the national 800 number. But I've heard from others that sometimes they call from blocked or private numbers, especially if the claims specialist is working remotely. Your best bet is to temporarily disable any call filtering features during your appointment window. Also, make sure your voicemail is set up properly just in case. If they leave a voicemail, they'll usually give you a direct number to call them back. For the spousal top-up benefit application, make sure you have your spouse's SSN and date of birth handy, plus your marriage certificate information. They'll need verification of all that before processing your application for the higher benefit amount.

I had this same problem last year! My phone blocks unknown callers and I missed TWO appointments with Social Security before I figured out what was happening. So frustrating! For my third appointment I just turned off all call blocking for the entire day.

I've used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to Social Security when I had trouble with appointments. They got me connected to an agent in about 15 minutes when I had been trying for days. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU For your current situation though, I would suggest calling SSA directly the day before your appointment to confirm and ask what number they'll be calling from. Sometimes they can note your file with the best number to reach you.

when i had my ssdi phone appt they called from a weird area code i didnt recognize but i answered anyway and it was them so just answer everything during your appointment time thats what i did

One more thing regarding your spousal top-off benefits - make sure you understand that if you're under your Full Retirement Age (FRA), the amount will be reduced. The 50% of your spouse's benefit is only if you claim at your FRA. Each month early results in a permanent reduction. Also, if you're still working, be aware of the earnings limit ($22,320 in 2025 for those under FRA). Exceeding this could reduce your benefits temporarily until you reach FRA. As for the phone call issue, another option is to call the SSA yourself at the appointment time if they haven't called within 15 minutes. Sometimes they can transfer you to the person who's supposed to be calling you.

BTW the worst part is even if you miss their call, good luck getting through to reschedule!!!! The phone system is IMPOSSIBLE!!! I spent 4 hours on hold last time before being disconnected!!! The whole system needs to be overhauled!!!