To wrap things up for the original poster: During your April 1st phone appointment, you'll go through the actual application process. At that time, you'll be asked when you want your benefits to begin. Specify June 2025 (your FRA month). Applying in April for June benefits is completely fine and won't reduce your benefit amount as long as you select the correct benefit start month. I recommend taking detailed notes during the call, including the name of the representative you speak with. After the application is submitted, you'll receive a confirmation letter - review it carefully to ensure the benefit start date is shown correctly as June 2025.

I'm a bit late to this conversation, but I wanted to share my experience since I went through something very similar last year. When I called SSA to schedule my appointment, the representative used the term "enrollment date" which made me panic thinking I had accidentally enrolled early! Turns out it was just the date they logged my call in their system. During my actual appointment, I made it crystal clear that I wanted my benefits to start in my FRA month, and everything worked out perfectly. The representative even repeated back to me "So you want benefits to begin in [FRA month], is that correct?" before finalizing anything. One tip: When you have your April appointment, ask them to send you a written confirmation showing your selected benefit start date. That way you have documentation if there are any questions later. Good luck!

I'm a new retiree and went through this exact same confusion! My FRA was October 18th last year and I was so worried about the timing. Everyone here is absolutely right - you get the full month's benefit for May even though your FRA is on the 14th. One thing I wish someone had told me is to set up text alerts through your MySocialSecurity account so you get notified when your payment is processed. It gave me such peace of mind that first month to get the confirmation text a few days before the money actually hit my account. You're all set - May benefits will definitely arrive in June on that 3rd Wednesday! Congratulations on reaching this milestone!

I work as a Social Security claims representative and wanted to chime in to confirm what everyone is saying here - you absolutely will receive your full May benefit payment in June! The key thing to understand is that Social Security uses what we call the "deemed FRA rule" - when your FRA falls anywhere within a month, you're considered to have reached FRA on the first day of that month for benefit purposes. This means no reduction in benefits and you're entitled to the full monthly amount. Since you selected "earliest month possible without a permanent age-related reduction" on your application, everything is set up correctly. Your first payment will be your full May 2025 benefit, deposited on the third Wednesday of June 2025 (which would be June 18th). Just keep an eye on your MySocialSecurity account for any updates, and don't hesitate to call if you have any other questions closer to your payment date. Congratulations on your upcoming retirement!

Based on everything in this thread, here's what I recommend: 1. DON'T give up SSDI - the Medicare loss and inability to easily get back on if needed make this too risky 2. DO set up a benefits planning session with a Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) counselor - they're free and specifically trained on work incentives 3. DO look into Trial Work Period (9 months) and Extended Period of Eligibility (36 months) for maximum flexibility 4. DO request a detailed written explanation of how his survivor benefits were calculated, specifically asking about GPO adjustment if his father didn't pay into Social Security 5. If having trouble reaching the right SSA person, consider using a call service or contacting your congressional representative's office (they often have dedicated SSA liaisons) Good luck to you and your son!

I work as a disability advocate and want to emphasize one critical point that hasn't been fully addressed: your son should absolutely NOT give up his SSDI without getting a comprehensive written analysis first. Here's why this situation is more complex than it appears: The survivor benefit he's receiving may already be significantly reduced by the Government Pension Offset (GPO) because his father worked for the state. GPO reduces survivor benefits by 2/3 of the government pension amount. So if his father's monthly state pension was, say, $2,000, the survivor benefit would be reduced by about $1,333 - which might explain why it's only $780/month instead of a higher amount. Before making any decisions, request these specific documents from SSA: - Form SSA-1724 (Claim for Amounts Due in the Case of Deceased Beneficiary) - A detailed GPO calculation worksheet - Written explanation of what his survivor benefit would be if SSDI is terminated Also, contact your state's Disability Rights organization - they often have staff who specialize in Social Security work incentives and can provide free consultation. This is too important a decision to make without expert guidance. The Trial Work Period route mentioned by others is definitely the safer path to explore first.

Just to add one more point - if you do decide to apply for benefits based on your husband's record, you'll need to provide: 1) your marriage certificate, 2) both your Social Security numbers, and 3) his date of birth. If you don't have his SSN, SSA can usually find it with his name and date of birth. You don't need to communicate with him directly to apply for spousal benefits. SSA has this information in their system and can verify your relationship status when you apply.

I'm in a somewhat similar situation - married but separated for about 10 years now. One thing I learned when I went through this research last year is that you can actually receive spousal benefits even if your husband hasn't filed for his own benefits yet, as long as he's eligible to receive them (meaning he's at least 62). This is called "independently entitled" spousal benefits. Also, since you mentioned health concerns, you might want to look into whether you could qualify for Medicare early due to disability. If you can get on Medicare before 65, it might help with those health issues and potentially influence your decision about when to claim Social Security. The separation length really doesn't matter as long as you're still legally married. I know it feels weird after being apart so long, but legally you're still spouses with all the same benefit rights as any married couple.

One additional consideration - if you decide to keep working until May to maximize your benefit, remember you can actually file for benefits up to 4 months before you want them to start. So you could submit your application in January 2025 but specify May 2025 as your benefit start date. This gives SSA time to process everything so there's no delay in your payments once May arrives.

Just wanted to add that you should also consider checking your Social Security Statement online at ssa.gov/myaccount to see your projected benefit amounts at different claiming ages. This will give you the exact dollar figures for your situation rather than estimates. The statement shows your benefits at age 62, full retirement age, and age 70, so you can see precisely how much that 4-month difference would cost you monthly. It might help you make a more informed decision about whether to tough it out until May or not. Good luck with whatever you decide!