Can I collect Social Security at beginning of year I turn 70 or must I wait until actual birth month?

The short answer is that you have to wait until you actually turn 70 to get your maximum benefit. Social Security doesn't have a "year you become eligible" rule for age 70 - it's based on your actual birth month. When you turn 70 in September 2023, your first payment would be for September but would arrive in October (SS pays a month behind). Each month you delay beyond your Full Retirement Age (which would have been around 66 for your birth year) adds about 2/3 of 1% to your benefit amount, up to age 70. If you filed in January 2023, you'd only get the delayed credits you've earned up to that point (around 66 + 7 years), not the full delayed retirement credits for waiting until 70.

I turned 70 last year and trust me you gotta wait till your birthday month. They're super strict about this. I tried asking about getting it in January of my 70th year and the SSA lady just laughed at me lol

Actually, I believe you can apply up to 4 months BEFORE you turn 70 and specify that you want benefits to begin the month you turn 70. So you could apply in May 2023 and request benefits to start September 2023. This way everything is processed and ready to go when you hit 70. The official SSA website states: "You can apply up to four months before you want your retirement benefits to start." Just make sure when you apply that you clearly specify you want benefits to START in your birth month to get the full delayed retirement credits!

I want to clarify something important here: there's a difference between APPLYING for benefits and RECEIVING benefits. Yes, you need to wait until age 70 to get your maximum delayed retirement credits (DRCs). Each month you delay past your Full Retirement Age (66 years for someone born in 1953) adds 2/3 of 1% to your benefit amount, up to age 70. But as someone mentioned, you can (and should) APPLY for benefits 3-4 months before you want to receive them. This gives SSA time to process your application so payments can start promptly. For example: - You turn 70 in September 2023 - You should apply around May/June 2023 - Specify September 2023 as your benefit start date - First payment will arrive in October 2023 (for September) There is NO provision for starting benefits in January of the year you turn 70. That would mean missing out on 8 months of delayed retirement credits you've worked hard to earn!

somethng else to no is social security pays a month BEHIND so even when u turn 70 in september the first check comes in OCTOBER!! nobody told me that and i was counting on that money

Has anyone tried calling the SSA directly about this? I've been trying to get through for weeks about my own issue (different situation) and cannot get a human on the phone. Forever on hold then disconnected. So frustrating!!!!

i waited till 70 too! congrats on holding out for maximum $$$! i did the math and as long as i live past 82 i come out ahead vs taking at 62 so fingers crossed lol

One more thing to consider - if you're still working in 2023, waiting until your birthday month to claim means fewer months where your earnings might affect the earnings test. Though at 70, the earnings test no longer applies anyway, so this is more FYI for others reading who might be claiming earlier.

Just wanted to add that you should also consider setting up direct deposit when you apply! When I turned 70 last year, I made sure to have my banking info ready during the application process. It makes receiving that first payment much smoother - no waiting for a check in the mail. You can set this up online through your my Social Security account or when you call to apply. Also, don't forget you'll need to report this income on your taxes next year, so keep good records of when payments start and amounts received.

Just to reinforce what others have said - you absolutely cannot start collecting in January of your 70th year. I made this same mistake in my planning! The delayed retirement credits accrue monthly, so claiming 8 months early would cost you significantly. I'd also recommend checking your most recent Social Security statement (available on ssa.gov) to see your projected benefit amount at age 70. This will help you plan your budget more accurately. The statement shows estimates for claiming at 62, full retirement age, and 70, so you can see exactly how much you're gaining by waiting those extra months. One last tip: when you do apply in May/June, make sure to ask about Medicare Part B if you're not already enrolled. Some people delay Part B while still working, but you'll want to coordinate the timing to avoid any late enrollment penalties.

I went through this exact same situation two years ago! The key thing to remember is that delayed retirement credits stop accruing the month you turn 70 - there's no benefit to waiting beyond your 70th birthday month. Since you're turning 70 in September 2023, that's when you want your benefits to start. I'd recommend applying online at ssa.gov in May or June 2023 and clearly specify September as your benefit start date. The online application is pretty straightforward and you can save your progress if you need to gather documents. One thing I wish someone had told me - make sure you have a my Social Security account set up before you apply. You can upload required documents directly through the portal, and it's much faster than mailing everything in. Also, if you have any questions during the application process, you can call the SSA helpline early in the morning (around 8 AM) when wait times are shorter. Good luck with your retirement planning! Waiting until 70 was definitely the right financial move for maximizing your monthly benefit.

I'm in a similar situation - turning 70 next year and have been planning around this timing question. After reading through all these responses, it's clear that you definitely need to wait until your actual birth month (September) to get the full delayed retirement credits. One thing I'd add is to make sure you understand exactly what your monthly benefit amount will be at 70 versus earlier ages. When I looked at my Social Security statement, the difference between claiming at my full retirement age versus waiting until 70 was about $800 per month - that's nearly $10,000 per year for the rest of my life! Also, if you haven't already, consider how this timing affects your overall retirement income strategy. Since you'll have a gap from January to September 2023 without Social Security income, make sure you have other funds available to bridge that period. I'm planning to use some of my 401k withdrawals during those months. The advice about applying 3-4 months early (May/June) but specifying September as your start date seems to be the consensus here, and that's exactly what I plan to do as well.

I'm also planning to wait until 70 and this thread has been incredibly helpful! One additional consideration that might be worth mentioning - if you have a spouse, make sure to factor in how your benefit timing affects spousal benefits and survivor benefits. My husband is a few years younger than me, and we learned that by maximizing my benefit (as the higher earner), we're also maximizing the potential survivor benefit he would receive. This made waiting until 70 even more worthwhile from a household planning perspective. Also, I'd recommend downloading and printing your Social Security statement before you apply. Having a hard copy with all your earnings history and benefit projections can be really helpful to reference during the application process, especially if you need to call with questions. The consensus here is clear - wait until September for your maximum benefit, apply 3-4 months early, and specify September as your start date. You've done the hard part by waiting this long, so don't leave money on the table by starting early!

I'm glad I found this thread! I'm turning 70 in November and have been wondering about the same timing question. Based on all the excellent advice here, it sounds like the process is: apply 3-4 months before your 70th birthday (so I'd apply in July/August), specify your birth month as the start date, and then receive your first payment the following month. One question I have - has anyone here had experience with how SSA handles the application if you're still working part-time when you turn 70? I know the earnings test doesn't apply at 70, but I wasn't sure if having employment income affects the application process at all. I'm planning to continue working a few hours a week for the social interaction, but want to make sure that doesn't complicate anything with starting benefits. Also, for those who have already gone through this process - did you find the online application straightforward, or did you run into any unexpected complications that newcomers should be aware of?

I just want to echo what everyone else has said and add one more piece of advice from my recent experience. You absolutely must wait until September (your actual 70th birthday month) to get the maximum delayed retirement credits - there's no shortcut or early start option. I went through this process last year and the online application at ssa.gov really is the way to go. When you apply in May/June, there's a specific question asking when you want your benefits to begin - make sure you select September 2023, not "as soon as possible" or any earlier date. One thing that helped me was calling SSA after I submitted my online application just to confirm they had the correct start date on file. The representative was able to pull up my application and verify everything looked right. This gave me peace of mind that I wouldn't accidentally start receiving benefits early and lose out on those final months of delayed credits. Also, don't forget to factor in taxes on your Social Security benefits when you're doing your budget planning. Depending on your other retirement income, up to 85% of your Social Security could be taxable. It caught me off guard that first year, so definitely worth running the numbers ahead of time!

I'm currently 69 and turning 70 in April, so this discussion has been incredibly valuable for my own planning! Reading through everyone's experiences, it's crystal clear that waiting until your actual birth month is the only way to get those full delayed retirement credits you've worked so hard for. One thing I wanted to add that I learned from my financial advisor - when you're planning that income bridge from January to September 2023, consider the tax implications of your withdrawal strategy. If you're pulling from traditional 401(k) or IRA accounts to cover those months, you might want to spread the withdrawals across both 2022 and 2023 to avoid pushing yourself into a higher tax bracket in either year. Also, I've been tracking my annual Social Security statements for the past few years, and it's amazing to see how those delayed retirement credits add up. Each year I wait past my full retirement age, my projected monthly benefit goes up by about 8%. For someone turning 70 in September, you're looking at about 32% more per month than you would have gotten at your full retirement age - that's huge! The application timing advice here is spot on: apply in May/June, specify September start date, set up direct deposit, and call to confirm everything is correct. Thanks to everyone for sharing their real experiences - it makes this process so much less stressful!