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Social Security Spouse and Ex-Spouse Benefits

How To Sign Up For A Benefit For A Spouse Or Ex-Spouse

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You can sign up in person or on the phone. You can call the Social Security toll-free number, 800.772.1213 to apply for benefits over the telephone or to make an appointment to visit any Social Security office to apply in person.

We recommend that you apply in person. If you will receive benefits, you are entitled to them from the date you apply. If you apply in person, you will receive a receipt which has the date on it so you have proof if there is a later question. Also, if you apply in person you can become a person, rather than a number. If you How To Make A Friend At Social Security, it is likely that the Social Security person will help you complete any questions you're not sure about and help you obtain documentation you may not have.

Documentation

Depending on your circumstances, you will need the documents listed below. Don't delay applying for benefits because you don't have all the information. If you don't have a document you need, Social Security can usually help you get it.

The types of documents Social Security may need are based on the information you provide. They may include:

  • Your birth certificate or other proof of birth.
  • Your Naturalization papers.
  • Your U.S. Military discharge paper(s).
  • Your W-2 form(s) and/or self-employment tax returns for last year.

 

Information Social Security will need no matter what your specific situation is, includes:

  • Your financial institution's name and routing transit number (or copy of a deposit slip or voided check with the account information on it) and your bank account number. This information is requested so that your benefits can be deposited electronically into your account (See Alternative Ways To Receive Social Security Benefits).
  • The amount you earned last year and the amount you expect to earn this year (between September and December). Social Security may also ask how much you expect to earn next year.
  • The name and address of each employer for the last three years.
  • The beginning and ending dates for each period of U.S. military service you may have served in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, National Guard, Coast Guard, Public Health Service, or Coast & Geodetic Survey.
  • If you have ever had a Social Security number.
  • Your date and place of birth.
  • Your bank or een married, the name, Social Security number and date of birth of your current and/or any prior spouse, the date and place of each marriage and, if appropriate, the date and place the marriage ended.

You can request a copy of your Social Security Statement online at https://secure.ssa.gov/apps6z/isss/main.html or call 800.772.1213 or visit your local Social Security office to ask for a Form SSA-7004 (Request for Personal Earnings and Benefit Estimate Statement). You'll receive the statement in the mail in about 4 - 6 weeks. Make sure the earnings listed for each year are accurate, especially the years after 1977 and any years you served in the U.S. military.


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