Thank you all so much for the great advice. I'm going to apply online tomorrow and make sure I'm clear about my work history and when I stopped working. I'll bring both my medical records from 2016 and my detailed employment history to make sure everything is documented properly. I'm also glad to know about the SSDI converting to retirement benefits at my FRA. I was getting confused about how those two programs interact. I'll update this thread once I've submitted my application in case it helps someone else in a similar situation!

Good luck with your application! As someone who works with disability claims, I'd add one more tip: when you fill out the application, be very specific about your last day of work and make sure it's consistent across all forms. SSA will cross-reference your application with your employer's records and any discrepancies can cause delays. Also, since you mentioned the agent wasn't clear during your call, consider requesting a confirmation letter or email about what was discussed. Documentation helps if there are any misunderstandings later in the process. The online application is definitely the way to go - you can save your progress and review everything before submitting. Just make sure you have your medical providers' contact information handy since you'll need to list all doctors who have treated your condition since 2016. Hope everything goes smoothly for you!

I just went through this exact process last year and wanted to share some additional insights! The one-month delay is definitely standard - your February payment will be for January benefits. One thing that really helped me was calling my bank ahead of time to let them know I'd be receiving Social Security direct deposits starting in February. Some banks flag large new recurring deposits as suspicious activity, so giving them a heads up prevented any holds on my first payment. Also, since you're planning for January expenses, consider that your final paycheck from work might have different tax withholdings if HR knows you're retiring - I got a slightly larger final check than expected which helped bridge that gap. The SSA timing is frustrating but once you get into the rhythm it becomes predictable. Good luck with your retirement!

I'm going through the exact same situation right now - hitting FRA in December and planning to start benefits in January 2025! This thread has been incredibly helpful. I had no idea about the one-month delay and was also planning on that first payment arriving in January for my budget. It's really frustrating that SSA doesn't make this timing clearer during the application process. I've been reading through everyone's experiences and it sounds like this catches a lot of new retirees off guard. I'm definitely going to need to adjust my financial planning for those first few weeks of January now. Has anyone found any official SSA documentation that clearly explains this payment timing? I'd love to have something in writing to reference when I'm doing my final budget planning.

Regarding your question about the reduction for claiming spousal benefits early: The reduction is approximately 25/36 of 1 percent for each month before your FRA, up to 36 months, and 5/12 of 1 percent for each additional month. With your FRA at 66 and 10 months, filing at exactly 65 means a reduction of about 10.56%. So instead of 50% of your husband's PIA, you'd receive about 44.7%. If your husband receives $2,750/month, his PIA is likely around $2,400-$2,500 (depending on when he started collecting). So your spousal benefit at FRA would be ~$1,200-$1,250, but at age 65 would be reduced to ~$1,075-$1,120. Is waiting 22 months worth approximately $125-$130 more per month? That's a personal decision, but mathematically it would take about 15 years of receiving the higher amount to make up for the 22 months of benefits you'd forgo by waiting.

One thing I'd add about the Medicare enrollment - don't forget about Part D (prescription drug coverage)! Even if you don't take many medications now, you'll face a late enrollment penalty if you don't sign up during your Initial Enrollment Period and decide you need it later. The penalty is 1% of the national base premium for each month you delay, and it's permanent. Also, if you have any current health insurance through your husband's employer or COBRA, make sure to coordinate the timing. You don't want a gap in coverage, but you also don't want to pay for overlapping coverage unnecessarily. Some employer plans work as secondary to Medicare once you're 65, others might terminate when you become Medicare eligible. The my Social Security online portal really is the easiest way to apply for both benefits simultaneously. You can even estimate your spousal benefit amounts using their calculators before you officially apply.

Whatever you do, make sure you ask specifically about how early filing affects the spousal portion!! My sister-in-law messed this up and is getting way less than she expected because she didn't understand how the reductions were applied.

I'm in a very similar situation - 63 and considering filing early while my husband is on SSDI. From what I've researched and heard from others, you definitely can receive both your own retirement benefit and potentially a spousal supplement from his SSDI record. The key thing to understand is that when you file for your own benefits before FRA, you're automatically considered to be filing for any spousal benefits you're eligible for too (this is called "deemed filing"). So SSA will calculate both and give you whichever combination results in the higher total payment. Based on your numbers ($1,380 own benefit vs. his $2,450 SSDI), it sounds like you might not qualify for much of a spousal supplement since your benefit is already fairly close to 50% of his. But definitely get the exact calculation from SSA because there are nuances with how they figure the Primary Insurance Amounts vs. actual payments. One tip: if you can't get through to SSA by phone (and trust me, it's nearly impossible), try going to your local office in person early in the morning. I found they were much more helpful face-to-face and could run all the scenarios for me on the spot. Good luck!

I'm going through the exact same situation right now! Filed in January for benefits starting April 2025, and my 2024 earnings aren't showing up online either. After reading everyone's experiences here, it sounds like the automatic adjustment is pretty reliable - just takes time. I'm budgeting conservatively based on my current benefit estimate and treating any future increase as a bonus. The peace of mind is worth more than stressing over the exact timing. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences, it really helps to know this is normal!

As someone who just started receiving benefits last year, I can confirm what others are saying about the automatic adjustment process. My 2023 earnings took about 6 months to get processed and added to my benefit calculation. The frustrating part is that there's really no way to speed it up - it's just a waiting game. But the good news is that when the adjustment finally came through, I received all the back pay from when my benefits started. Since you only have 28 years of earnings, that 2024 income will definitely help your calculation more than someone who already has 35+ years. I'd recommend keeping detailed records of your 2024 earnings just in case you need to provide documentation later, though in most cases the W-2 data flows through automatically. Hang in there - the system works, it's just painfully slow!