As someone who just went through this process myself, I can definitely relate to your anxiety about the timing! I was born in July 1958 as well and had the same concerns about accidentally getting reduced benefits. I ended up applying online in early December 2024 for my March 2025 FRA start date. The online application was actually much more straightforward than I expected. When you get to the section about when you want your benefits to begin, it's very clear - you can select the exact month and year. I chose March 2025 and the system even had a confirmation screen that showed my selection. One thing that really helped ease my mind was calling the SSA number (1-800-772-1213) about a week after I submitted my online application, just to confirm they had received it and that my benefit start date was correctly recorded as March 2025. Yes, the wait time was long (about an hour and a half), but the representative was very helpful and confirmed everything was processed correctly. The key is just being very deliberate about that benefit start date selection. The system is designed to prevent the exact mistake you're worried about - it won't automatically start your benefits early just because you applied early. Take your time with that section of the application and double-check your selection before submitting. You're smart to plan ahead and ask these questions now. Applying in December will give you plenty of time for processing without any stress about delays affecting your first payment.

I'm in almost the exact same boat as you! Born in July 1958 with FRA of 66 and 8 months, planning to retire right before my FRA in March 2025. I've been reading through all these responses and they've been incredibly reassuring. What really stands out to me is how many people with our exact situation have gone through this successfully. The consensus seems clear: apply 3-4 months ahead (so November or December 2024), be very deliberate about selecting March 2025 as your benefit start date in the online application, and document everything. I love the practical tips people have shared - taking screenshots of your benefit start date selection, setting up your online Social Security account beforehand to track application status, and even calling after submission to confirm everything was recorded correctly despite the wait times. The fact that multiple SSA insiders and recent applicants have confirmed the online system has clear safeguards against accidentally starting benefits early really puts my mind at ease. It sounds like as long as we're careful with that benefit start date selection, we can't go wrong with the timing. Thanks for starting this thread - it's been incredibly valuable for those of us navigating this exact situation!

Everyone keeps talking about "reduced benefits" before FRA but no one mentioned exactly HOW reduced. For someone with an FRA of 66 and 8 months, taking benefits just 4 months early (in May instead of September) would result in a reduction of about 2.2% from your full benefit amount. That's PERMANENT - meaning for the rest of your life, your benefit would be 97.8% of what it could have been. Whether that trade-off is worth it depends on your financial situation. Just something to consider!

Just wanted to add one more important detail that might help with your planning - when you do apply (whether it's for September benefits or earlier), make sure to have all your documents ready ahead of time. You'll need your birth certificate, W-2 forms or tax returns, and bank account information for direct deposit. The application process itself can take a few weeks to process, so don't wait until the last minute! I applied about 2 months before I wanted my benefits to start and it worked out perfectly timing-wise. Also, once you start receiving benefits, you'll get a letter each year showing your payment schedule for the upcoming year, which really helps with budgeting.

As someone who's been through the SSA maze myself, I'd definitely recommend scheduling that in-person appointment! The automated messages you're getting are just their standard processing notifications - they don't really tell you anything useful about your actual SSI eligibility. The reality is that with your husband's military retirement and VA disability income totaling $5,600/month, you're likely over the SSI income limits (which are around $1,415/month for couples in 2025). But it's still worth getting an official determination so you know for sure. One thing to keep in mind: when your husband does claim his Social Security at 62 in 2028, your spousal benefit will be based on his reduced amount since he's claiming before full retirement age. Given that you already have his military pension and VA disability for income, you might want to crunch the numbers on whether it makes sense for him to wait until his full retirement age (probably 67) to maximize both of your lifetime benefits. Also, don't forget about TRICARE for Life when he turns 65 - that plus Medicare will give you excellent healthcare coverage even if you have to wait a bit longer for it. Hang in there!

I really feel for your situation! As a military spouse myself, I know how isolating it can feel when the system doesn't seem designed for people who've sacrificed their own careers for service and caregiving. Based on what others have shared, your household income of $5,600/month unfortunately puts you well over the SSI limits. But here's something encouraging - spousal Social Security benefits are typically much better than SSI anyway! When your husband claims at 62, you could potentially get up to 50% of his benefit amount, which will likely be significantly more than the maximum SSI payment. That said, I'd echo what others have mentioned about considering whether he should wait past 62 to claim. Since you have his military retirement and VA disability providing a solid foundation, running the numbers on waiting until his full retirement age (probably 67) could mean substantially higher lifetime benefits for both of you. Also, don't overlook that you'll eventually have an amazing healthcare setup with Medicare + TRICARE for Life - that's honestly one of the best healthcare combinations you can have in retirement. The waiting is frustrating, but you're actually in a much better position than many people. Your husband's military service is going to provide you with multiple layers of financial security that most civilian couples don't have access to. Hang in there!

I went through this exact same situation two years ago! The phone wait times are absolutely brutal - I feel your pain. I ended up successfully applying online for ex-spouse benefits and it was much easier than I expected. Here's what worked for me: Go to ssa.gov and start the retirement application. When it asks about previous marriages, select yes and provide your ex's information (name, DOB, and SSN if you have it - but name and DOB should work). The system will automatically consider both your own record and spousal benefits and pay whichever is higher. For the documents, I scanned my marriage certificate and divorce decree as clear PDFs and uploaded them during the application. You don't need every page of the divorce decree - just the pages that show the marriage dates, divorce date, and final judgment. One thing that really helped me was doing the application late at night (around 10-11 PM) when their servers seemed less busy. The whole process took about an hour including uploading documents. I got confirmation within a week and my first payment about a month later. Don't stress too much about the early filing reduction - sometimes getting money now is more important than maximizing future payments. You're the only one who knows your situation best!

I just went through this process myself about 6 months ago and wanted to share what worked for me! The online application definitely works for ex-spouse benefits, but here are some tips that made it smoother: 1. Make sure you have your ex's full legal name exactly as it appears on official documents - middle names, suffixes, etc. The SSA system is picky about exact matches. 2. You don't need to notify your ex that you're applying. The SSA handles everything behind the scenes and your ex won't even know unless they specifically ask SSA about their record. 3. For the document uploads, I found it helpful to call them "clear and legible scans" - use a scanning app on your phone rather than just taking photos. The contrast needs to be really good or they'll reject them. 4. One thing I wish someone had told me: you can actually start the application, save it, and come back to finish it later if you need to gather more documents. Don't feel pressured to complete everything in one sitting. The whole process took about 3 weeks from application to first payment for me. The reduction at 62 was worth it in my case since I needed the income. Hang in there - the online system really does work once you get past the initial hurdles!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! As someone who's approaching retirement age myself, I had no idea how important it was to check your earnings record for errors. I just created my mySocialSecurity account after reading all these responses, and sure enough, I found a couple of years that look off. It's really reassuring to see how many people have successfully gone through the earnings correction process, even if it takes some patience and persistence. The specific tips about Form SSA-7008, certified mail, and getting IRS tax transcripts are exactly the kind of practical advice that makes this seem much less overwhelming. @Luca - congratulations on getting through to a helpful SSA representative! That $65-75 monthly difference really drives home why it's worth the effort. I think I'm going to start gathering my old tax documents this weekend to see if I need to file any corrections myself. Better to deal with this now rather than discover problems right when I'm ready to file for benefits. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this is exactly the kind of real-world guidance that's so valuable when dealing with government agencies!

This is such a valuable discussion! As someone who's new to understanding Social Security benefits, I had no idea that earnings record errors could have such a significant long-term impact on monthly payments. The fact that a $15,000 discrepancy could result in $65-75 less per month really puts things in perspective - that's potentially thousands of dollars over a retirement lifetime. What strikes me most is how proactive everyone needs to be in checking their own records. It seems like these errors don't get caught automatically, so it's really up to each individual to review their mySocialSecurity account regularly. The advice about checking annually makes a lot of sense. @Luca - I'm glad you were able to get through to a helpful representative and that the process seems manageable with the 5-month timeline you have. The step-by-step guidance everyone has provided here (Form SSA-7008, certified mail, including tax transcripts, etc.) creates a really clear roadmap for anyone facing similar issues. Thanks for sharing your experience and keeping us updated - it's exactly the kind of real-world information that helps demystify dealing with government agencies!