Social Security FRA confusion - can I still claim at 66 & 8 months in 2025 or did rules change?
I'm completely baffled by conflicting information about my Full Retirement Age (FRA). I'm currently 65 years and 7 months old, born in August 1959. I've been planning to file for my retirement benefits when I reach 66 years and 8 months in April 2026. But yesterday, my brother-in-law (who just started collecting) told me that Social Security changed the rules for 2025/2026, and that people my age now need to be 66 years and 10 months old to reach FRA. This is making me panic because I've already given notice at my job based on my original timeline! When I log into my MySocialSecurity account, it still shows I can start collecting my full benefit at 66 years and 8 months. Does anyone know if I'm grandfathered in under the old rules? Or is my SSA account just not updated yet? And should I go ahead and submit my application 3 months before my planned start date to make sure I get my first check on May 1st? Any help would be so appreciated!
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NebulaNomad
Your brother-in-law is incorrect. The Full Retirement Age (FRA) is based on your year of birth, not the year you apply. For people born in 1959, FRA is 66 years and 10 months. For people born in 1960 or later, FRA is 67. These rules haven't changed recently - they were established back in 1983 with the Social Security Amendments. The MySocialSecurity account is showing you accurate information based on YOUR birth year. You should apply 3 months before you want benefits to begin to ensure timely processing.
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Natasha Ivanova
•Wait, I'm confused. You're saying my FRA IS 66 years and 10 months? But my account is showing 66 and 8 months. So does that mean my account is wrong? I swear it says 66 and 8 months. I'm going to check again right now.
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Javier Garcia
My cousin thought the same thing but it turned out he was looking at an old printout from years ago! Check the date on whatever document youre looking at. The FRA has been on this schedule forever, nothing changed in 2025.
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Natasha Ivanova
•I'm looking directly at my online account, not an old document. I'm going to double-check my birth year is entered correctly. Maybe there's an error in their system?
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Emma Taylor
Let me clear this up. For people born in 1959, the Full Retirement Age is indeed 66 years and 10 months. Here's the official chart: 1943-1954: 66 years 1955: 66 and 2 months 1956: 66 and 4 months 1957: 66 and 6 months 1958: 66 and 8 months 1959: 66 and 10 months 1960 and later: 67 years If your MySocialSecurity account shows 66 and 8 months, there could be an error with your birth year in their system. I recommend calling the SSA directly to verify your information and correct any errors before you apply. This will prevent delays in processing your application.
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Malik Robinson
•This is right! I remember when my aunt had a similar issue - turns out they had her birth year wrong by one year in the system. Took FOREVER to fix 😩
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Isabella Silva
Oh no, don't panic yet! Check your birth year in MySocialSecurity account. If it shows 1958 instead of 1959, that would explain why it's showing FRA as 66 and 8 months instead of 66 and 10 months. My husband had this exact issue - his birth year was incorrect in their system and it showed the wrong FRA. He had to submit his birth certificate to get it corrected. The good news is you can still apply 3 months before your FRA, whatever it actually is.
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Natasha Ivanova
•Thank you! I just checked and you're absolutely right - somehow my birth year is showing as 1958 instead of 1959 in their system. No wonder I was getting the wrong FRA information. Now I need to figure out how to correct this.
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Ravi Choudhury
THE SSA MAKES THESE "ERRORS" ALL THE TIME!!!!! I WOULDN'T BE SURPRISED if they did this on purpose to get people to claim early and save the government $$$. When I tried to fix my record it took SIX CALLS and they kept disconnecting me. Total nightmare. Better start calling NOW if you want this fixed anytime this year!!!!
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Malik Robinson
•Ugh the phone system is the worst! I waited 2.5 hours last month just to get disconnected right when someone finally answered 🙄
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CosmosCaptain
I had the exact same issue with my birth year being wrong. I tried calling SSA for THREE WEEKS and couldn't get through. Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a real person at SSA in about 20 minutes. Cost a bit but saved me hours of frustration. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. The agent at SSA was able to update my birth year while I was on the phone, and my FRA immediately updated in my online account.
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Natasha Ivanova
•Thank you for this suggestion! I just tried calling the regular number and got disconnected twice. I'll check out that service because I really need to get this fixed ASAP.
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Isabella Silva
Once you get your birth year corrected, don't forget that you'll need to adjust your retirement plans by 2 months. If you were planning to retire at your FRA thinking it was 66+8, you'll now need to wait until 66+10 to get your full benefit amount. If you still need to retire at 66+8, you can, but your benefit will be reduced by about 1% (approximately 0.556% per month for the 2 months before your FRA).
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Natasha Ivanova
•That's really helpful information. I might need to talk to my employer about extending my end date by two months. Fortunately, I have some savings I can use if needed, but I'd prefer to get my full benefit amount.
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Javier Garcia
My brother retired 2 months before his FRA and he said the reduction wasn't that bad actually! Like $37 less per month or something. Might be worth it if you already gave notice at work!
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Emma Taylor
•The exact reduction would depend on the benefit amount. For every month before FRA, benefits are reduced by 5/9 of 1% for the first 36 months and 5/12 of 1% for additional months. So for 2 months early, it would be approximately a 1.1% reduction. On a $2,000 monthly benefit, that's about $22 less per month, or $264 per year, for life (excluding COLA increases).
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NebulaNomad
For what it's worth, you should apply 3 months before you want benefits to begin, regardless of whether that's at your FRA or slightly before. So if you decide to start benefits at 66+8 (slightly early) or wait until 66+10 (your actual FRA), in either case you should apply 3 months before your intended start date. The application process is the same.
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Natasha Ivanova
•Thank you for clarifying the timing. After thinking about it, I'll probably wait until my actual FRA at 66+10. The permanent reduction, even though small, adds up over time. I appreciate everyone's help in figuring this out!
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