Confused about which month to file for Social Security at FRA to get full benefits

The most important thing to know is that your FRA (Full Retirement Age) is determined by your birth year. For someone born in 1958, FRA is indeed 66 and 8 months. If you were born in March 1958, your FRA would be November 2024. You can actually apply up to 4 months before you want benefits to begin. So if you want your benefits to start exactly at your FRA, you could apply up to 4 months before your FRA month. When you apply, you'll specify which month you want benefits to begin. SSA doesn't automatically set it to your FRA - you need to tell them when you want to start. If you've already started an application, you can log back in and finish it, making sure to specify the correct month.

dont stress too much about this!! i filed like 3 months after my FRA (forgot about it lol) and they gave me 6 months of backpay automatically. as long as ur at or past FRA ur good to go

To clarify some misinformation here: If you were born in March 1958, your Full Retirement Age is 66 years and 8 months, which would be November 2024. Since it's now May 2025, you're already past your FRA. The good news: You can receive up to 6 months of retroactive benefits when filing after FRA. So if you file now in May 2025, you could potentially get retroactive benefits back to November 2024 (your FRA month). When you complete your application, there will be a specific question about when you want your benefits to begin. You can request the earliest possible date to maximize your retroactive payment. One important note: If you're still working, being past FRA means the earnings test no longer applies to you. You can earn any amount without reduction of benefits.

I just went through this exact situation in January. Turned 67 (my FRA) last July but didn't file until January this year. When I finally got through to SSA after calling for THREE DAYS straight, they explained I could get 6 months of back payments, but not the full period since my FRA. Have you tried calling them directly? I know it's nearly impossible to get through these days. I finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an agent in about 20 minutes instead of spending days calling. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Once I actually spoke with someone, they explained exactly which date to put on my application to maximize my retroactive benefits. Much easier than guessing online!

My sister went through this last yr. She said just make sure to check the box for "earliest possible entitlement" when u finish ur application. Then they automatically give u all the months they can going back from when u file. U don't have to specify exact date that way.

Thank you all for the helpful information! I'm going to finish my application this weekend and request the earliest possible entitlement date since I'm already past my FRA. It's a relief to know I can get up to 6 months of retroactive benefits. I might try that Claimyr service if I have trouble getting my questions answered when I finish the application. It sounds worth it to avoid days of frustration trying to get through on the phone. One last question - when I get the retroactive payment, will it be a separate lump sum or combined with my first regular payment?

i waited 8 months after my retirement age to file and only got 6 months back pay so thats definitely the limit no matter how long you wait just fyi

My husband and I both turned 67 last year and we filed at different times to test this exact thing! I filed exactly ON my birthday month, and he waited 5 months to file. Guess what? He got 5 months of back pay AND his regular payment started the same month as mine! The system makes NO SENSE. And don't get me started on the taxation of these benefits - we're being DOUBLE TAXED on money we already paid taxes on during our working years!!! The whole system needs an overhaul!!

I'm in a similar situation - turned 67 last month and just realized I might be overthinking this whole filing process! Reading through all these responses is really helpful. It sounds like the key takeaway is that since you're already past your FRA, you can file now and request the earliest possible entitlement date to get those 6 months of retroactive benefits. I've been putting off filing because I was scared of making a mistake, but it seems like the main thing is just to complete the application and be clear about wanting the earliest start date. The online application can be confusing, but at least we know we won't get a permanent reduction since we're past FRA. Has anyone here had issues with the online application timing out or losing progress? I started mine twice and both times it seemed to reset when I came back to finish it later.

I just went through this exact same situation a few months ago! I turned 67 in December 2024 but didn't file until March 2025 because I was so confused about the timing. Here's what I learned: Since you turned 67 in March 2025, that IS your FRA month. You're now 2 months past your FRA, so you can definitely file now and request retroactive benefits back to March. You won't get a reduction - you'll get your full benefit amount. When you log back into your application, there should be a section asking when you want benefits to begin. You can either specify "March 2025" or select something like "earliest possible date" to get the maximum retroactive payment. Don't stress about the one-month delay in payments - that's just how SSA processes things. Your March and April benefits would come as a lump sum, and then you'd start getting regular monthly payments. The key thing is just to finish that application! I was so anxious about messing it up, but once I actually completed it, the process was much smoother than I expected. You've got this!

I'm a bit confused reading through this thread - there seems to be some mixed information about birth years and FRA dates. If Cynthia turned 67 in March 2025, wouldn't that mean she was born in March 1958? And if someone is born in 1958, their FRA is 66 years and 8 months, not 67. This would mean Cynthia's FRA was actually November 2024 (66 years and 8 months after March 1958), so she's already been past her FRA for several months now. She should definitely be able to get the full 6 months of retroactive benefits if she files now. Can someone clarify this? I don't want Cynthia to get confused about her actual FRA date when completing her application. The birth year and FRA calculation is really important to get right for maximizing benefits.

I went through this exact same confusion last year! The key thing to remember is that there's a difference between your birthday month and when you can actually start receiving benefits at full retirement age. Since you turned 67 in March 2025 and were born in March 1958, your Full Retirement Age was actually reached in November 2024 (66 years and 8 months for your birth year). This means you've been eligible for full benefits for several months now! When you finish your online application, make sure to request benefits starting from the earliest possible date - this should get you retroactive payments back to November 2024. You won't face any reduction since you're well past your FRA, and SSA can provide up to 6 months of back benefits. Don't let the anxiety stop you from finishing that application. You're not going to accidentally get reduced benefits at this point, and every month you delay just means potentially leaving money on the table. The hardest part is just completing the paperwork!