Can filing for Social Security at a specific time of year increase benefits? Transitioning from disability in February

There's no specific month or time of year that increases your benefit amount. Your Social Security retirement benefit is calculated based on your lifetime earnings record, specifically your highest 35 years of earnings adjusted for inflation. The only timing that affects your benefit amount is your age when you start collecting. If you start at age 60, you'll get about 70% of your full retirement age benefit (which would be at age 67 for you). Every month you wait increases your benefit slightly. For your March start date - yes, you should apply now. SSA recommends applying 3-4 months before you want benefits to begin. The application process can take time, and this gives them enough runway to process everything so your payments start when you need them.

Just to add some practical info to what's already been shared - make sure you gather all your documents before applying. You'll need your birth certificate, marriage certificate if you're applying for spousal benefits, your most recent W-2 or tax return, and military discharge papers if applicable. Also, while there's no "best month" to apply that increases benefits, there IS a COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment) that typically takes effect in January each year. For 2025, it's projected to be around 2.5%. But this doesn't mean you should wait until January to file - it means anyone already receiving benefits gets the increase automatically in January. Since you're coming off state disability, make sure you check if you might qualify for SSDI (disability) rather than early retirement. SSDI benefits are generally higher than taking early retirement.

DONT TRUST WHAT THEY TELL YOU OVER THE PHONE!!!! I filed for my SS last year and the first agent told me one benefit amount, then I called back to confirm something else and the second agent said it would be almost $400 less per month!!!! Neither one was right in the end. The actual amount I got was somewhere in between. The whole system is a MESS and they can't even give you accurate information about YOUR OWN MONEY. Make sure you get EVERYTHING in writing and screenshot everything online in case they try to change things later.

my cousin toldme that if u file in oct u get more $ bc of how they calculate the quarters or something but i think thats wrong based on what im reading here

When my husband retired 3 years ago, we had the same question. What we found was that while there's no "best month" to apply, there CAN be timing considerations related to Medicare. If you're 65 or older, the month you apply for Social Security can impact your Medicare enrollment period. But since you're only 60, that's not an issue for you yet. Also, I just wanted to share something personal - my husband took early retirement at 62 due to health issues too. We sometimes wonder if we made the right choice financially, but the relief of having steady income when he couldn't work anymore was worth it for our peace of mind. Sometimes the mental health benefit outweighs the financial calculations!

When I filed last year, I applied in November for benefits to start in January. The whole process took about 45 days from application to approval, then another 3 weeks before I got my first payment. So definitely apply now if you need March payments. One thing no one mentioned - if you've been on state disability, it's possible you have a gap in your earnings record for those periods. That could slightly affect your benefit calculation if those would have been among your highest-earning years. When you apply, make sure to check your earnings record on the SSA site for accuracy.

has anyone else noticed the SS calculator on there website gives different amounts every time u use it?? i tried 3 times and got 3 different amounts

Thank you all for the helpful responses! I've learned there's no "magic month" to file that increases benefits, but I should apply now for March benefits to give SSA enough processing time. I'm going to check my earnings record first, then submit my application. I appreciate the tip about Claimyr too - might use that if I run into problems reaching someone at SSA. I'll update once I get everything submitted!