Social Security FRA on March 8th - will I get my first SS check in March or April 2025?
I'm turning my full retirement age on March 8th, 2025 (according to my Social Security statement). I'm confused about when my first retirement payment will actually arrive. Does reaching FRA on March 8th mean my first check comes in March, or do I have to wait until April? Does SS consider me at full retirement age for the whole month of March, or just from the 8th onward? I've tried calling SSA three times this week but keep getting the dreaded busy signal. Anyone know how this works with partial months?
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Lucas Bey
Social Security pays benefits for the month prior, so you'll actually receive your first payment in April 2025, which covers March 2025 (your first month of eligibility). Social Security considers you to have attained your age for the entire month in which your birthday occurs. So even though your FRA is March 8th, you're considered at FRA for the whole month of March.
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Charlotte Jones
•Thank you! So just to confirm - even though I'm FRA for all of March, I still won't get paid until April? That seems strange that they would delay it a whole month.
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Harper Thompson
i got my first check the month after my birthday month. turned 67 in September last year, first payment came in October. they pay a month behind.
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Caleb Stark
•This is correct. Social Security benefits are paid in the month following the month for which they are due. It's not really a delay - it's just how their payment system works. They need to verify eligibility for the entire month before issuing payment.
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Jade O'Malley
Just wanted to add that the day of the month you receive your payment depends on your birth date too! If you were born on the 8th, you'll probably get your payment on the second Wednesday of each month. They stagger payments throughout the month based on birth dates to manage their payment processing: - 1st-10th: Second Wednesday - 11th-20th: Third Wednesday - 21st-31st: Fourth Wednesday So expect your first payment on the second Wednesday of April 2025!
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Charlotte Jones
•Thank you for that additional info! At least now I know exactly when to expect it. I was worried I might miss my payment if I didn't know when to look for it.
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Hunter Edmunds
My FRA was in the middle of the month too. The SSA counts you as being at full retirement age for the WHOLE month, which is actually a good thing. But you definitely don't get paid until the following month. That's just how their system works.
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Ella Lewis
•The whole "month of attainment" rule is actually a benefit to us! If they only counted from your actual birthday, you'd get a partial month's benefit. This way you get the full month even though you weren't technically FRA for the first week.
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Andrew Pinnock
So frustrating trying to reach SSA!!! I spent DAYS trying to get through to ask something similar when I was applying last year. Endless busy signals or disconnects after waiting 2+ hours. I finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to a real agent in under 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Ended up being worth it to finally get my questions answered by an actual SSA person instead of guessing.
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Charlotte Jones
•Thanks for mentioning this! I've been beyond frustrated with the phone system. I'll check out that video - at this point I just need to talk to someone to confirm all this info.
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Harper Thompson
make sure u have direct deposit setup!!! they dont mail checks anymore unless u specifically request it. i almost missed my first payment cuz i thought theyd send a check but they were waiting for my banking info
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Charlotte Jones
•Good point! I did set up direct deposit when I applied online, but I should probably double-check that they have the correct information.
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Ella Lewis
One other thing to know - if you're still working when you reach FRA, the earnings test doesn't apply for the remaining months of that year once you hit FRA. So if you're working in January and February 2025, you might have benefits withheld for those months if you're over the earnings limit. But starting March (your FRA month), the earnings test disappears completely regardless of how much you earn for the rest of 2025.
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Charlotte Jones
•I had no idea! I am still working part-time and was worried about the earnings limit. This is really helpful to know that it goes away completely starting in March.
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Caleb Stark
To summarize everything correctly: 1. You reach FRA on March 8, 2025 2. SSA considers you at FRA for the entire month of March 3. March 2025 is your first month of entitlement 4. You'll receive your first payment in April 2025 (for March) 5. Payment will likely arrive on the second Wednesday of April 6. Earnings limits disappear starting March 2025 This is standard procedure for all Social Security retirement benefits.
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Charlotte Jones
•Thank you for laying it all out so clearly! This is exactly what I needed to know to plan my finances for next year.
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Victoria Charity
Don't forget to create your my Social Security account online if you haven't already! You can track your application status, view your payment history once payments start, and update your direct deposit information all through the portal. It's much easier than trying to call, and you can access it 24/7. Just go to ssa.gov and look for "Sign In or Create an Account." You'll need to verify your identity, but it's worth having everything at your fingertips, especially when those first payments start coming in April.
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Elijah Jackson
•This is great advice! I actually already have my online account set up from when I was checking my earnings record, but I didn't realize I could track payment history there too. That will be so much more convenient than waiting for paper statements. Thanks for the reminder!
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