Confused about Social Security FRA - should I select April or May 2025 as start month at 66 and 8 months?

Select April as your start month. Social Security benefits are paid in the month following the month of entitlement, so you'll actually receive your first payment in May, but it will be FOR April. Since you reach your full retirement age (FRA) of 66 and 8 months in April, you want that as your entitlement month. If you select May, you'd essentially be delaying a month unnecessarily.

i just went through this exact thing last month. definitely pick the month you hit your FRA (so April for you). you get paid the following month but thats just how SS works. pick may and you lose a whole months worth of $$$

One important clarification: Social Security pays benefits in the month AFTER you're entitled to them. So if April 2025 is when you reach your FRA of 66+8 months, and you select April as your start month: - April = entitlement month (when you've reached FRA) - May = when the payment for April arrives (usually 2nd, 3rd, or 4th Wednesday based on birth date) If you select May instead, you're essentially delaying your benefits by one month. This might be fine if you're considering a delayed retirement strategy for the increased monthly amount (8% per year increase until age 70), but if you want benefits as soon as you reach FRA, select April. Also note that Social Security benefit amounts are finalized about a week before month-end, so an April entitlement would be processed in late April and paid in May.

Everyone here is right abt april but nobody mentioned backpay! If ur already passed FRA you can get up to 6 months backpay! Worth asking about when u talk to them

I tried for WEEKS to reach someone at SSA to ask this exact question last year. Kept getting busy signals or disconnected after waiting for hours. Finally found a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an agent in under 20 minutes. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU showing how it works. The agent confirmed I should choose the month I reach FRA, exactly as others have said here. Good luck with your application!

Everyone here is giving you good advice about selecting April, but I just wanted to add that you should double-check your birth year. You mentioned being born in August 1958 but also said you'll be 66 and 8 months in April 2025. Those dates don't quite match up - if you were born in August 1958, you'd reach 66+8 months in April 2025 only if you were born in August 1958. Just want to make sure you're working with the correct FRA calculation!

When I filed last yr the lady at SSA told me to pick the month AFTER I hit my age number. But that was for early filing so maybe FRA is different? now im confused too lol

btw don't forget to sign up for medicare too if u haven't already!!!! totally separate system from SS benifits

did u check ur earning record first? My sister had missing years and it took FOREVER to fix and delayed her payments

Just to summarize what everyone's said since there's been some great advice here: definitely select April 2025 as your start month since that's when you reach your FRA of 66+8 months. You'll get your first payment in May (for the April entitlement), typically on the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th Wednesday depending on your birth date. The key thing to remember is that Social Security always pays benefits one month in arrears - so April benefits get paid in May, May benefits get paid in June, etc. If you selected May instead, you'd be giving up that first month's benefit for no reason. Good luck with your application!

As someone who just went through this process myself, I can confirm what everyone else is saying - definitely select April! I was in almost the exact same situation (born October 1958, reached FRA in June 2025) and was equally confused by the SSA website. The key insight that helped me was understanding that the "start month" is when you become ENTITLED to benefits, not when you receive the money. So April = entitlement month, May = payment month. I selected my FRA month and everything worked perfectly - got my first payment right on schedule the following month. The online application is actually pretty straightforward once you get past this initial confusion. You've got this!

I went through this same confusion when I applied for my benefits earlier this year! The consensus here is absolutely correct - select April as your start month. I was born in July 1958 and reached my FRA of 66+8 months in March 2025. I was terrified of making the wrong choice, but I selected March (my FRA month) and received my first payment in April exactly as expected. The SSA customer service rep I eventually reached confirmed that selecting your FRA month is the right move - you don't lose any money and you don't accidentally file early. The hardest part is just getting past that initial decision paralysis!

I just want to echo what everyone else has said - definitely choose April! I work at a local senior center and help folks with these applications all the time. The confusion you're experiencing is SO common, and honestly the SSA website could explain this much more clearly. Think of it this way: April is when you "earn" your first full retirement benefit, and May is when they mail it to you. It's like getting paid for work - you work in April, you get paid in May for that April work. If you pick May as your start month, you're essentially telling SSA "I don't want my April benefit," which would be leaving money on the table. You've got this - just pick April and you'll be all set!

I'm in a very similar situation - turning 66 and 8 months in June 2025 and have been putting off this application because I was so confused about the timing! Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful. It sounds like the unanimous advice is to select the month you reach FRA (April in your case), and the payment will automatically come the following month. I had no idea that Social Security always pays benefits one month in arrears - that explains so much of the confusion I've been having. Thanks for asking this question, it's saved me from making the same mistake of overthinking this decision!