Backdating Social Security at age 70 - when would I get the 6 months of retroactive payments?

Yes, you can backdate up to 6 months as long as you're past your Full Retirement Age (FRA). If you file in December 2024 and request backdating to June 2024, you'll typically receive the 6-month lump sum payment about 2-4 weeks after your application is processed. This would likely be sometime in January 2025, separate from your first regular monthly payment. Just be aware that by backdating, those months will be paid at a slightly lower rate than your age-70 maximum. The retroactive months will be paid at the benefit level you would have received in those months (which is less than the age-70 amount).

when i turned 70 last year they told me i could only backdate 4 months not 6... maybe check on that

I backdated mine when I applied and I received my lump sum payment BEFORE my regular monthly payments started. They deposited the backpay about 3 weeks after my application was approved. But don't count on that money coming quickly - it took them almost 2 months to process my application!

To add to what others have said: backdating can affect other benefits and potentially your tax situation. Each month you backdate reduces your maximum benefit amount. At 70, you'd be giving up some of the delayed retirement credits you earned. The retroactive lump sum is usually processed separately from monthly benefits and often arrives within 60 days of application approval, though recent processing times have been longer. Here's my suggestion: when you file, specifically tell them you want to backdate the maximum 6 months. They won't automatically do this - you must request it. The lump sum will be taxable income in the year you receive it, so if you apply in December but receive it in January, it would count toward your 2025 taxes.

I TRIED FOR MONTHS to reach someone at SSA to discuss backdating options when I filed last year!! Every time I called, I was on hold for HOURS and then got disconnected!!! Finally gave up and just visited my local office but had to wait 3 weeks for an appointment and they were CLOSED when I got there due to "staffing issues" - the whole system is BROKEN!!!

make sure u know that backdate payments are at the rate at that time not ur full age 70 rate... my husband got confused about this and was disappointed when the lump sum was less than he expected

also remeber they will take taxes out of that lump sum if you have withholding on your SS

One thing no one has mentioned yet is that if you're planning to file in December for January payments, you should submit your application as early in December as possible. Applications submitted late in the month sometimes don't get processed in time for the following month's payment cycle, which could delay everything by a month. And regarding your original question about the timing of retroactive payments - they're typically processed separately from your ongoing monthly benefits. In my experience, about 80% of retroactive payments arrive within 4-6 weeks after application approval, but I've seen some take up to 3 months depending on processing backlogs.

After reading through all the comments, I want to clarify something important: SSA doesn't actually issue January payments until early February. Social Security benefits are paid in the month following the month for which they are due. So your January benefit would arrive in February, February's in March, etc. So your timeline would likely be: - Apply in December 2024 - Retroactive payment for June-November 2024 would likely arrive in January 2025 - First regular monthly payment (for January 2025) would arrive in February 2025 Just wanted to make sure you have the correct payment schedule in mind when planning your finances.