Applied for Social Security retirement Dec 20 - will benefits start on time for April 1st date?

You should be fine! I applied in October for a January start date and had a similar experience. SSA typically processes retirement applications without needing additional documentation if your work history is straightforward and you've worked in covered employment. The two progress bars likely mean they've received your application and are processing it. To answer your questions: 1. Yes, payments will likely begin on schedule for your April 1st start date (though actually paid in May since SS pays a month behind) 2. If there are delays, they will backpay to your chosen start date 3. Completely normal not to hear anything during processing - silence is usually good news If you're at FRA, you don't need to worry about earnings limits either. I'd suggest checking your account once a week, but otherwise try not to stress!

dont worry bout it, my husband applied last summer and we didnt hear NOTHING for like 2 months then suddenly the money showed up in our account lol. As long as u see it processing on the website ur good to go

The SSA is IMPOSSIBLE to deal with!! My application took 4 months and then they screwed up my payment amount. Then when I tried calling to fix it I spent HOURS on hold only to get disconnected EVERY TIME!! The website is useless for actually resolving problems too. The whole system is designed to make you give up!!

I'm a retired SSA claims specialist, and I can tell you that your timeline is perfectly normal. Applications filed 3-4 months before benefit start date give SSA plenty of processing time. The lack of contact is actually a good sign - it means they likely have all the information they need. A few technical points: 1. Since you're claiming at exactly FRA (67), you'll receive 100% of your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) 2. Your first payment will arrive on the second Wednesday of May (payment schedule is based on birth date) 3. Direct deposit is standard, so ensure your banking details are correct in your mySocialSecurity account 4. If you're still working, there's no earnings test limit at FRA If nothing changes on your account by early March, you might want to call just to verify everything is on track.

I went through exactly the same thing last year! Applied in September for January start, had 2 bars for the longest time, and was freaking out by December because I hadn't heard ANYTHING. Then suddenly mid-December the third bar filled and I got a letter confirming everything. First payment showed up in February (they pay a month behind). One thing that confused me - I thought I'd be getting paid on the 1st of the month, but actually they pay on different Wednesdays depending on your birth date. Totally caught me off guard!

my sister got her ss started last month and it only took 6 weeks from when she applied till money showed up so your probably fine

BTW r u getting SSI or SSDI or regular retirement? cuz they all work different

One important thing to remember: Social Security benefits are paid the month after they're due. So your April benefit will be paid in May, May's benefit in June, etc. This catches a lot of new retirees by surprise with their budget planning. And as others mentioned, your payment date is determined by your birth date: - Born 1st-10th: Paid on second Wednesday - Born 11th-20th: Paid on third Wednesday - Born 21st-31st: Paid on fourth Wednesday If you applied for benefits prior to May 1997, you get paid on the 3rd of each month instead.

my husband died last year and Im still fighting with them to get my survivors benefits! they keep saying im missing paperwork but wont tell me what! this retirement stuff seems so much easier than what im going through!!! consider yourself lucky!!!