2 months ago I applied for social security and received a call the next day. Once i heard I was approved, my wife for spouse benefits to coincide with my start date (8/10)-its been over 2 months and she hasn't heard anything. The SS web site says her application is still processing. Is her delay in hearing about her application seem right to you? Anything we can do to speed it up? Thanks PS-Your Get What's Yours Book was very helpful

Hi,

There's really no standard processing time for claims filed with Social Security. In some cases it can take less than a week for a claim to be processed, and in other cases it takes several months. It just depends on the circumstances of the case. There's generally nothing you can do to speed up the processing other than submitting any required evidence in a timely manner.

In your wife's case, if her initial month of entitlement is August (which is the payment issued in September) then she may want to try calling Social Security to check on the status of her claim. Social Security representatives can often tell from a claim's location how soon the claim will be processed. You may also want to consider using our maximization software to make sure that you and your wife are choosing your best possible filing strategy.

Best, Jerry