Social Security FRA calculation confusion - does my birthday on the 12th push my benefit start date to the next month?
I'm trying to plan my retirement for next year and I'm confused about how my Full Retirement Age (FRA) date actually works with my birthday. If my FRA is 67 and 4 months, and my birthday falls on the 17th of a month (let's say September 17th), would my actual FRA date be January 17th or February 1st? I've read SSA pays benefits for the previous month, so when would I actually get my first check? Would I file in January or February to start benefits at my exact FRA? Not using my real birthdate here, just trying to understand how the timing works with the payment schedule. The SSA website is confusing me more than helping!
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Sophia Long
Social Security benefits are always paid for the previous month, and they're paid on specific schedules based on your birthday. Your FRA would be in January (4 months after your birth month of September). However, since you get paid for the previous month, your first payment would come in February (for January's benefits). The day of the month doesn't push anything to the next month - it just determines which Wednesday of the month you get paid on. With a birthday on the 17th, you'd get paid on the third Wednesday of each month.
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Carter Holmes
•Thanks! So I'd need to file for benefits in January to start at my exact FRA? Does it matter if I file on January 1st or January 31st or anywhere in between? Will that affect which month I get my first payment?
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Angelica Smith
its confusing bc they dont explain it good. u can file 3 months b4 u want benefits to start. i think u can file in oct if ur FRA is january. but first check comes the month after u start benefits.
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Logan Greenburg
•You're close but not quite right. You can file up to 4 months before you want benefits to start, not 3 months. And you're right that the first check comes the month after, but that's because Social Security pays in arrears (for the previous month). To the OP: If your FRA is 67 and 4 months, and your birthday is September 17th, then your FRA would be January 17th. But Social Security doesn't prorate benefits - you get a full month or nothing. So any benefits starting in January would be paid in February.
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Charlotte Jones
I had EXACT same problem last year!!! My FRA was 66 and 10 months with April birthday. SSA website kept giving me different answers. I finally called and got through after TWO DAYS of trying. Kept getting busy signals or disconnected!!! They told me my FRA date was February (10 months after April) but the check would come in MARCH for February's benefit. Day of month doesn't change anything except WHICH DAY you get paid (based on birth date). Hope this helps!! The wait times to talk to SSA are RIDICULOUS!!!
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Lucas Bey
•I had this same frustration trying to call SSA about my retirement application. After getting disconnected four times, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a real SSA agent in under 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - saved me so much frustration. Worth considering if you need to call again for anything.
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Harper Thompson
Wait I'm confused now too. Do you get your FIRST check on your FRA date? Or the month after? I always thought it was ON your FRA date??
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Sophia Long
•No, you never get a check ON your FRA date. Social Security always pays benefits for the previous month. So if your benefits start in January (when you reach FRA), you'll receive your first payment in February. Remember also that SS deposits payments on the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th Wednesday of the month, depending on your birth date: - Birth date 1st-10th: Second Wednesday - Birth date 11th-20th: Third Wednesday - Birth date 21st-31st: Fourth Wednesday So with a birth date on the 17th, you'd get paid on the third Wednesday of February for January's benefits.
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Carter Holmes
So it sounds like I need to file in January if I want to start benefits at my FRA, and I'll get my first payment in February. Is there any advantage to filing right at the beginning of January versus later in the month? Will that change when I get my first payment?
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Caleb Stark
•Filing earlier in January versus later in January won't affect when you receive your first payment. As long as you file in January, your benefits will start in January and you'll receive your first payment in February (on the third Wednesday, since your birth date is on the 17th). However, it's actually best practice to file 2-3 months before your FRA month to give SSA time to process your application. So ideally, you would apply in October or November for January benefits. This doesn't mean your benefits start early - you just specify January as your benefit start month on the application. This gives them time to process everything so your payment arrives on schedule in February.
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Logan Greenburg
Social Security doesn't prorate benefits within a month. You become eligible for a full month of benefits in the first month you're eligible for the entire month. Since you reach your FRA on January 17th, you're not eligible for the entire month of January. Your first month of full benefits would be February, with payment in March. However, there's a special rule called the "first of the month" rule. If your birthday is on the 1st or 2nd of the month, you can get benefits for the previous month. But since your example uses the 17th, this wouldn't apply to you.
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Charlotte Jones
•WAIT WAIT WAIT! This is COMPLETELY WRONG!!!! I just went through this last year. You ARE eligible for the FULL MONTH of January even if your FRA falls on January 17th! SSA explained this to me when I called. You don't have to wait until February! You get January benefits (paid in February). Please don't spread misinformation!!!
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Sophia Long
To make sure we've got this clear for the original poster: If your FRA is 67 and 4 months and you were born on September 17th, your FRA is January 17th. You can file for benefits up to 4 months before January (as early as September) and specify January as your start month. Your benefits will start in January (the full month is credited to you even though your FRA is on the 17th), and your first payment will arrive in February on the third Wednesday. There's no advantage to waiting until January to file - in fact, filing 2-3 months early (while still specifying January as your start date) is recommended to avoid processing delays.
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Carter Holmes
•Thank you all so much! This was incredibly helpful. I understand now that I should: 1. File 2-3 months before January (October/November) 2. Specify January as my benefit start month 3. Expect my first payment in February (for January's benefits) 4. Get paid on the third Wednesday of each month Much clearer than anything I found on the SSA website!
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