Can my husband file for Social Security retirement at FRA in January but request November payment date?
My husband turns 67 (his full retirement age) at the end of January 2025 and plans to continue working. We're in the middle of filling out his Social Security retirement application online and confused about the start date options. Since he's already earned about $80k this year, would he be able to request a November 1st start date for his benefits? Or does he have to use January 1st because that's closer to his birthday? I know there's that retroactive 6-month rule, but does that apply if he's still working? The online form isn't clear about this at all! We want to maximize his benefits but don't want to cause problems with his application.
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Natasha Petrova
Yes, he CAN request November 1st as his start date even though he turns FRA in January. The 6-month retroactive rule applies once you reach full retirement age, regardless of whether you're still working. Since he'll be at FRA when he files, earnings won't affect his benefits for those months. However, be aware that taking the retroactive benefits means accepting the slightly lower monthly amount permanently (as if he'd filed at 66 and 8 months instead of 67).
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Oliver Becker
•Thank you! That makes sense about the permanent reduction. Do you know roughly how much less per month we'd be looking at if he takes the November start date versus waiting until January? Is it worth getting those extra two months of payments?
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Javier Hernandez
he cant do november cus hes not 67 yet in november. gotta wait till the birthday month i think
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Emma Davis
•Actually, that's not correct. Once someone reaches their Full Retirement Age (FRA), they can request up to 6 months of retroactive benefits. Since the husband will be at FRA when he files in January, he can request a start date as early as July 2024. However, each month of retroactive benefits permanently reduces the monthly benefit amount slightly (about 0.5% per month). The earnings test doesn't apply once FRA is reached, so his work income won't affect these benefits.
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LunarLegend
When I filed last year, I decided NOT to take the retroactive benefits because my financial advisor calculated I'd lose nearly $40 PER MONTH FOR LIFE by starting just 4 months earlier!!! That adds up to THOUSANDS over retirement. Ask SSA to calculate EXACTLY how much less he'll get monthly before deciding if those 2 extra payments are worth it. I waited and I'm glad I did.
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Oliver Becker
•Oh wow, I hadn't considered how much it could add up over time. I'll definitely ask them to calculate the exact difference. Thank you for sharing your experience!
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Malik Jackson
Something similar with my husband. He decided to wait until exactly FRA. Less hassle and cleaner application. SSA didn't even tell him about retroactive option until we specifically asked.
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Isabella Oliveira
I'd recommend calling SSA directly to discuss this specific situation. With his earnings and the retroactive benefits question, it's worth speaking to an agent. I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) last month when trying to sort out a similar issue - they got me through to a real SSA agent in about 20 minutes instead of waiting for hours or getting disconnected. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. The agent was able to walk me through exactly how much my benefit would be reduced with different filing dates, which made the decision much clearer.
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Oliver Becker
•Thank you for the suggestion! I've tried calling SSA directly twice now and got disconnected both times after waiting forever. I'll check out that service - getting specific numbers about the reduction would really help us make this decision.
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Ravi Patel
my nephew works for SS and says always wait till ur actual FRA month to file unless u really need the money now. something about actuarial calculations favoring the later date even if by just a month or 2.
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Natasha Petrova
•Your nephew is right about the actuarial calculations. Each month of retroactive benefits reduces the monthly amount by approximately 0.5%. While this sounds small, over a 20+ year retirement, that can add up to thousands of dollars. The break-even point (where waiting for the higher amount pays off) is typically around 10-12 years for most people.
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Emma Davis
To add some specific numbers to this discussion: If your husband's PIA (Primary Insurance Amount) at 67 is $3,000 for example, taking benefits 2 months early (November instead of January) would reduce it by about 1% to approximately $2,970 per month. That's $30 less every month for life. However, he would receive two extra payments of $2,970 (about $5,940 total). The break-even point would be around 198 months (16.5 years). If he lives longer than that, waiting until January would provide more lifetime benefits. Also remember that any future COLAs will be calculated on the lower base amount if he takes retroactive benefits. As others have suggested, getting the exact calculations from SSA for your specific situation is the best approach.
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Oliver Becker
•Thank you so much for doing that math! That really puts it in perspective. Since his family tends to be pretty long-lived (his parents both made it to their mid-90s), it probably makes more sense to wait for the January start date. I appreciate everyone's help with this decision!
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