Confused about Social Security FRA - should I select April or May 2025 as start month at 66 and 8 months?
I'm turning 66 and 8 months in April 2025 (born September 1958) and trying to submit my retirement benefits application online. I'm stuck on which month to select for my first payment. The system is asking me to choose when I want benefits to start, but I'm confused about whether I should pick April (when I actually reach 66+8mo) or May (the month after). I don't want to accidentally apply early and get a reduced amount, but also don't want to miss a payment I'm entitled to. I've read so many conflicting things about payment months versus eligibility months. Does anyone know the correct answer? The SSA website just confused me more!
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Ethan Anderson
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.
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Ava Kim
•Thank you! That makes so much more sense now. So even though I won't get the actual money until May, I need to select April as my start month so I don't miss that month's benefit. I was worried I'd accidentally be applying early if I chose April.
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Layla Mendes
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 $$$
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Ava Kim
•Thanks for confirming! Did you have any issues with your application? I'm getting anxious about making mistakes on this form.
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Lucas Notre-Dame
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.
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Ava Kim
•This is SO helpful! I didn't realize the payment schedule was based on birth date. Is there anything else I should know about the application process that might not be obvious?
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Aria Park
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
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Lucas Notre-Dame
•This isn't quite accurate for this situation. The 6-month retroactive benefits only apply if you're already past your FRA when applying. The original poster hasn't reached their FRA yet (will reach it in April 2025), so retroactive benefits wouldn't apply in this case. But it's good information for those who are already beyond their FRA when they apply!
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Noah Ali
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!
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Ava Kim
•I've been having the same problem trying to call! I'll definitely check out that service if I need to talk to someone. Did you find the agent helpful when you finally got through?
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Noah Ali
•Yes, very helpful. The agent walked me through several questions I had about the application. Much better than trying to figure it out from the website. They confirmed exactly when my first payment would arrive too, which gave me peace of mind.
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Chloe Boulanger
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!
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Ava Kim
•Oh goodness, you're right! I made a typo in my post. I was born in September 1958, not August. Thank you for catching that - shows how nervous I am about getting all these details right!
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James Martinez
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
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Ethan Anderson
•Early filing and FRA filing have the same rule for entitlement month, but there's often confusion in how it's explained. For ANY filing age (early, FRA, or delayed), you become entitled to benefits in the month you reach that age, and payment comes the following month. The SSA rep probably meant you'd receive the payment the month after reaching your chosen retirement age, not that you should select a later entitlement month.
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Layla Mendes
btw don't forget to sign up for medicare too if u haven't already!!!! totally separate system from SS benifits
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Ava Kim
•Thanks for the reminder! I did enroll in Medicare when I turned 65 last year, so I'm all set there. It's definitely confusing that they're separate systems!
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Aria Park
did u check ur earning record first? My sister had missing years and it took FOREVER to fix and delayed her payments
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Ava Kim
•I did check it a few months ago and it looked accurate, thankfully! But that's a good reminder for me to double-check before I submit the final application.
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