I went through this exact same confusion last year! The key thing to remember is that there's a difference between your birthday month and when you can actually start receiving benefits at full retirement age. Since you turned 67 in March 2025 and were born in March 1958, your Full Retirement Age was actually reached in November 2024 (66 years and 8 months for your birth year). This means you've been eligible for full benefits for several months now! When you finish your online application, make sure to request benefits starting from the earliest possible date - this should get you retroactive payments back to November 2024. You won't face any reduction since you're well past your FRA, and SSA can provide up to 6 months of back benefits. Don't let the anxiety stop you from finishing that application. You're not going to accidentally get reduced benefits at this point, and every month you delay just means potentially leaving money on the table. The hardest part is just completing the paperwork!

I work at a local SSA field office and see this confusion all the time! Just to confirm what others have said - if you turned 67 in March 2025, you were born in 1958, which means your FRA was actually November 2024 (not March 2025). The good news is you can definitely get retroactive benefits! When you complete your online application, there will be a section asking about your preferred benefit start date. You can either select "earliest possible entitlement date" or specifically choose November 2024. Either way, you'll get the maximum 6 months of back pay. One tip from someone who processes these applications daily: make sure you have your bank account information ready for direct deposit setup. Also, don't worry too much about "messing up" the application - since you're well past FRA, there's really no way to accidentally reduce your benefits at this point. The online system does time out frequently, so save your progress often using the "Save and Exit" button. If you continue having technical issues, our local offices can help you complete it in person, though calling ahead is recommended due to wait times. You're not losing money by the day at this point since retroactive benefits are capped at 6 months anyway. Just focus on getting that application submitted!

Thank you all so much for the helpful responses! Based on everything here, I think my best option is to: 1. Get the exact benefit amounts for both of us 2. Use that Claimyr service to actually speak with someone at SSA about our specific situation 3. Probably delay taking any benefits until at least my FRA (67) if not 70, since my benefit would be significantly higher than any spousal benefit I'm disappointed that I can't use the strategy I was hoping for, but I'm glad I asked before making a mistake! This forum has been so much more helpful than the confusing SSA website.

Just wanted to add one more consideration that I don't see mentioned yet - make sure to factor in taxes when you're doing your calculations! SSDI benefits can be taxable depending on your total household income, and so can retirement benefits. Since you're still working and presumably have other income sources, taking benefits early could push you into a higher tax bracket or make more of your benefits taxable. A tax professional who specializes in retirement planning might be worth consulting before you make your final decision. Also, if you do decide to wait until 70, remember that you MUST start taking benefits by April 1st of the year after you turn 70 - there's no advantage to waiting beyond that point, and you could actually lose benefits if you delay too long.

Hi everyone! I'm brand new to this community but had to jump in because I literally just experienced this exact same thing last month. My SSA verification letter showed $1,756 but my actual deposit was $1,755. I was applying for a home equity line of credit and when I brought up the $1 discrepancy, the loan processor immediately said "Oh right, that's the Social Security rounding issue - we have a standard procedure for this." She explained that their underwriting team sees it so frequently they don't even flag it anymore as long as the difference is just a dollar or two. It's incredibly reassuring to read through all these responses and see how universal this SSA quirk really is! Whether it's mortgages, car loans, rentals, or banking, it seems like every financial institution already knows about this rounding vs truncation difference. Your foreign bank should definitely be familiar with it too, but having a simple explanation ready is always wise. Thanks for posting this - it's been really helpful to see everyone confirming this is just normal SSA practice!

Hi everyone! I'm new to this community but wanted to share my experience since I just dealt with this exact same situation a couple weeks ago. My SSA verification letter showed $1,967 but my actual monthly deposit was $1,966. I was refinancing my mortgage and when I mentioned the $1 difference to my loan officer, she immediately said "Oh that's completely normal with Social Security - we see that discrepancy constantly because their verification letters round up while the actual payments truncate any cents." She told me their processing team is so familiar with this SSA quirk that they have it documented in their standard procedures. It's really reassuring to read through all these responses and see how widespread this issue is! From what everyone's sharing here about mortgages, car loans, rentals, and banking, it's clear that financial institutions across the board already know about this rounding versus payment difference. Your foreign bank should definitely understand too, especially since this seems to be such a well-known aspect of Social Security documentation. Having a simple explanation ready is smart advice though. Good luck with your international account setup!

Welcome to the community! As a newcomer, I wanted to share some encouragement after reading through all these helpful responses. Your situation is actually more common than you might think - many seniors find themselves in that frustrating "gap" where their Social Security is just slightly above certain benefit thresholds. What really stands out to me from everyone's advice is that even if SSI doesn't work out due to the income limits, you have several other promising options that could provide real financial relief. The Medicare Savings Program alone could save you over $2,000 annually, and the Extra Help program for prescription drugs could save thousands more. Combined with the benefits counseling services that can help identify local programs you might not know about, you could see a significant improvement in your financial situation. I'm impressed by how proactive you're being in seeking out information and resources. The fact that you're already successfully receiving SNAP benefits shows you have the skills to navigate these systems. Don't let the complexity discourage you - take it one application at a time, and remember that even small wins (like saving on Medicare premiums) can add up to major relief in your monthly budget. Keep us posted on how your applications go - your experience could help other seniors in similar situations!

Welcome to the community! I'm new here but wanted to share some resources that might help. Even though your $1,142 Social Security puts you right at the edge of SSI eligibility, there are actually several pathways worth exploring. First, I'd recommend calling 211 (or visiting 211.org) - it's a free service that connects you with local assistance programs in your area. They often know about county-specific programs for seniors that aren't widely advertised. Also, since you mentioned you don't drive anymore, check if your county has a Senior Ride program or medical transport vouchers. Many Florida counties offer free or low-cost transportation specifically for seniors going to medical appointments or essential errands like grocery shopping and banking. One thing I learned from helping my grandmother is that timing can matter with these applications. If you have any months where your expenses are unusually high (like if you need dental work or have to replace appliances), your net available income might dip enough to qualify for certain programs during those specific months. The community here has given you excellent advice about the Medicare Savings Programs and benefits counseling - those should definitely be your first priority since they have the best chance of approval and biggest financial impact. Good luck with everything!

Congratulations on your retirement! Just wanted to add one more consideration that might be relevant to your situation. Since you mentioned depreciation recapture of about $92,000, make sure your tax preparer properly categorizes this on your return. While depreciation recapture is generally treated as capital gains (which doesn't count toward the earnings test), there can be some nuances depending on how your business was structured and whether any portion might be considered ordinary income. Also, when you do apply in January 2025, make sure to have all your 2024 tax documents ready. The SSA will want to see your final W-2 and tax return to verify your actual earned income for the earnings test calculation. Since you're planning to use Claimyr to speak with an agent, you might also ask them about the special monthly earnings test that can sometimes apply in your first year of retirement - it might provide some additional flexibility if your circumstances change. Good luck with your retirement planning!

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is Medicare considerations. Since you're planning to retire at 62, you won't be eligible for Medicare until 65. If your business provided health insurance, make sure you have a plan for coverage during those 3 years. You might be eligible for COBRA from your business (if it had enough employees), or you'll need to look into ACA marketplace plans. This is especially important since you're planning to delay Social Security until 2025 - you want to make sure your healthcare costs are factored into your retirement budget. The good news is that your 2024 high income year shouldn't affect Medicare premiums since those are based on income from 2 years prior.