my neighbor works at our local ss office and she says they sometimes do this when theres system maintenance scheduled for the normal payment dates too. not just holidays

OF COURSE they never BOTHER to tell us about \

my sister started hers 3 months b4 her FRA and regrets it so much now! shes 73 and that reduction adds up over time. just wait the 6 months if u can afford to

One important thing everyone's missing: if you do claim early and lose some benefits to the earnings test, Social Security will recalculate your benefit when you reach FRA to give you credit for the months they withheld benefits. This partially offsets the reduction for claiming early. For example, if you claimed 6 months early but lost 2 months to the earnings test, at FRA they would recalculate your benefit as if you'd only claimed 4 months early. It doesn't make you whole, but it helps.

To figure out which option makes more sense financially: 1. For the earnings test route: SSA will adjust your reduction factor at FRA to account for months benefits were withheld, which typically results in a 5-8% increase from your current reduced benefit. 2. For withdrawal: You'd restart with a fresh calculation at your new claiming age. The difference between 62 and 66 is about 25% in monthly benefits. 3. Consider how long you'll live. The breakeven point is usually around 10-12 years after your FRA. The SSA has calculators on their website, or you could speak with a benefits specialist who can run personalized numbers for your situation.

One more thing to consider - if you withdraw your application and reapply later, be aware of Medicare enrollment periods. If you'll be 65 soon, you typically need to sign up during your Initial Enrollment Period to avoid late penalties, even if you're not taking Social Security yet. This is a separate consideration from your benefit amount.

just to add my 2 cents i got super confused about this 2. called ssa like 10 times nobody picked up. Whn i finally got thru the lady told me same thing everybody here is saying - if FRA is in the month u get whole month benefit. no partial.

One more tip that might help you - make sure all your direct deposit information is correct in your MySocialSecurity account! I had an issue where my first payment was delayed because I had an old bank account listed. Better to check now than have problems when your first payment is supposed to arrive.

I didn't get any backpay but I'm on SSI not regular Social Security. Do SSI recipients get this too or is it just for retirement and SSDI folks?

Thanks everyone for the explanations! I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who was confused by this random deposit. Just as an update - I called my local SSA office this morning (got lucky and got through), and they confirmed it was indeed the COLA backpay. They also said they're still processing these for many people, so don't worry if you haven't received yours yet.

To address your original question directly: You won't receive "extra" money on top of your retirement. Instead, if approved for disability, your benefit will increase to remove the early retirement reduction penalty. Here's how it works: 1. You took retirement at 62, which reduced your benefit by approximately 30% from your full retirement age amount 2. If approved for SSDI, they'll adjust your payment to what you would receive at full retirement age 3. When you reach full retirement age, your benefit will automatically convert to retirement benefits (same amount) This is why it's actually called "disability insurance benefits" rather than SSDI when you're already receiving retirement. The maximum retroactive benefits would be 12 months prior to application (or your retirement start date if that's more recent).

Regarding your medical conditions: The SSA evaluates the combined impact of all your conditions. This is important in your case with osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, and PTSD. While one condition might not qualify you, their combined effect on your ability to work often does. For your PTSD documentation, make sure you're seeing a mental health professional regularly who can document how it affects your concentration, ability to handle workplace stress, and interact with others. These functional limitations, when combined with your physical limitations, strengthen your case significantly. Also, at 62, you benefit from special rules that make it easier to qualify for disability as you approach retirement age. The Medical-Vocational Guidelines (the "Grid Rules") are more favorable for applicants over 55, especially with physical limitations that prevent past work.

make sure u check ur Medicare Part B is being taking out of ur SS check after u start getting it or theyll send u bills for it!

Wait I'm confused... don't you HAVE to apply for SS at your full retirement age even if you don't want the money yet? I thought there was some rule about that. Are you saying you haven't applied AT ALL until now at 70?? I think you might have messed up...

My aunt took her husbands SS right at 60 becuz she needed money and regrets it now. She gets way less than if she waited till her FRA. Just saying think carefully about when u claim!!!

One more thing to consider as you plan: Keep track of your own earnings. If you continue working, your own benefit may grow. You should request a Social Security statement annually to monitor both your potential retirement benefit AND your potential survivor benefit. This helps you optimize your claiming strategy as you approach age 60-62. Also, survivor benefits and retirement benefits have different rules. You can claim survivor benefits as early as 60 (or 50 if disabled), but your own retirement benefit can't be claimed until 62. This creates those strategic claiming opportunities others have mentioned.

my mom had this happen and she got a letter about 3 weeks later but honestly it was super confusing so she ended up having to call again anyway. something about work deductions and future adjustments. good luck!

One more thing to consider - any benefits withheld due to the earnings test aren't lost forever. When you reach Full Retirement Age, SSA will recalculate your benefit amount to credit you for months when benefits were withheld. This results in a permanent increase to your monthly benefit amount after FRA. So while it feels like you're losing money now, you do get some of it back later in the form of higher monthly payments.

After reading more details on the bill, I want to clarify something important: The proposed formula would give you credit for your non-covered earnings (your nursing job) but would still result in a proportionally reduced benefit. The good news is that the arbitrary WEP reduction would be replaced with a formula that treats everyone fairly based on their actual earnings history. But since your covered earnings were minimal, your increase would be at the lower end of the range. If you can access your SSA earnings record, I could give you a better estimate of the potential increase.

With earnings figures like that, I can give you a rough estimate. Under the proposed proportional formula, they would calculate your benefit as if all earnings were covered, then multiply by the proportion of covered to total earnings. With $58,500 covered out of $1,458,500 total (4% covered), your benefit would be approximately 4% of what you'd get if all earnings were covered. That's actually close to what you're getting now, so your increase might be modest - perhaps 10-15%. The people who benefit most from the reform are those with substantial covered earnings (10+ years) alongside their non-covered work.