Social Security application timing at 70 - will my birthday affect payment date?

You've got it mostly right. You can apply up to 4 months before you want benefits to begin. Since you're turning 70 in February, you would apply in October/November to start benefits in February. Your first payment for February would arrive in March, since Social Security pays a month behind. And yes, waiting until 70 maximizes your retirement benefit amount with the delayed retirement credits. As for your actual birth date - it doesn't affect when your monthly payments start, but it does determine WHICH DAY of each month you'll receive payments going forward. Since you were born on the 2nd, you'll receive payments on the second Wednesday of each month. SSA payment schedule works like this: - Born 1st-10th: Second Wednesday - Born 11th-20th: Third Wednesday - Born 21st-31st: Fourth Wednesday

I went through this exact process last year when I turned 70! Yes, you should apply 3 months before - but I'd recommend going ahead and applying 4 months early just to be safe. The SSA can be REALLY slow sometimes processing paperwork. My cousin applied just 2 months before and his first payment was delayed by almost 6 weeks because they were backlogged!! One thing nobody told me - make sure you have certified copies of ALL your documents ready (birth certificate, marriage certificate if applicable, etc.) because if they need to verify anything and you don't have the right documents, it can cause major delays. I had to order a new birth certificate and it took FOREVER.

I applied online and it was pretty straightforward except for uploading the documents - that part was confusing. But I've heard going to the office in person can take HOURS of waiting. Some of my friends had to go multiple times because they didn't bring the right stuff the first time!

The SSA website says applying at 70 is easy but its NOT!! I applied 3 months b4 turning 70 but didnt get payment on time cuz they needed more info but never told me!! Had to call them 5 TIMES and got disconnected every time. Finally got thru after waiting 2 HOURS on hold. Such a nightmare dealing with SS.

I think there's some confusion in this thread about how the payment schedule works. Your date of birth determines which payment schedule you're on, but EVERYONE receives their first payment the month after benefits begin, regardless of birth date. So if your benefits start February 1st, your first payment will arrive in March. Also important - you should know that your benefit amount at 70 is 32% higher than it would have been at your full retirement age (assuming you were born between 1943-1954 with an FRA of 66). Each year you delayed past FRA earned you 8% in delayed retirement credits, which is a significant boost to your lifetime income.

Thank you everyone for all the helpful information! I think I'll go ahead and submit my application next week (4 months early as suggested) just to be safe. I've checked and I do have my certified birth certificate and all my other documents ready. One last question - if I've been working full-time up until now, do I need to provide any special information about my most recent earnings? I want to make sure those get calculated into my benefit amount.

My husband messed this up last year - he thought he needed to wait until AFTER his 70th bday to apply. Turns out you want your benefits to START the month you turn 70, which means applying 3-4 months BEFORE. He lost about $4200 by waiting too long!! So youre smart to be checking on this ahead of time.

One more tip since you mentioned you've been working full-time: If your recent earnings years are higher than some of your earlier working years, those higher earnings years will replace lower earning years in the calculation of your benefit. SSA uses your highest 35 years of earnings (indexed for inflation) to calculate your benefit. This can give your final benefit amount a nice boost if you've been earning more in recent years.

Just wanted to add one more consideration for your timing - since you're planning to apply in November for February benefits, make sure you're prepared for the "earnings test" question during the application process. Even though you're past full retirement age and the earnings test doesn't apply to you at 70, the SSA application will still ask about your expected earnings for the year you start benefits. Since you've been working full-time through 2024 and potentially into early 2025, just have those earnings figures ready. It won't reduce your benefits, but having accurate numbers helps avoid any follow-up questions that could slow down processing. Also, don't forget that once you start receiving Social Security, you'll need to report those benefits on your tax return - something to keep in mind for next year's tax planning!

Just to clarify on the delayed retirement credit calculation that @Amara Eze asked about - you earn delayed retirement credits monthly, not just for full years! So if you waited until 69 years and 8 months, you still earned credits for those extra 8 months beyond your full retirement age. The 8% annual increase breaks down to about 0.67% per month, so you didn't miss out on much by not waiting the full extra 4 months. The difference would have been roughly 2.67% of your benefit amount, which might not have been worth the additional wait depending on your situation. @Carmen Ruiz - sounds like you have a solid plan in place! Getting that application submitted 4 months early is definitely the smart approach.

Great thread with lots of helpful information! I just wanted to add one more practical tip for @Carmen Ruiz - when you do submit your application in November, make sure to keep a record of your confirmation number and take screenshots of every page you complete. The SSA online system can sometimes have glitches, and having that documentation can save you a lot of headaches if you need to follow up. Also, after you submit, you should receive an email confirmation within 24-48 hours. If you don't get that confirmation email, definitely call to make sure your application went through properly. I've seen people think they submitted successfully only to find out weeks later that something went wrong with the submission. One last thing - even though you're applying early, you might want to set a calendar reminder for about 6 weeks before your 70th birthday to check on the status of your application. That gives you enough time to address any issues before your benefit start date. The MySocialSecurity portal will show your application status, and you can also see when your first payment is scheduled once everything is processed.

One important detail that hasn't been mentioned yet - when you apply online, the system will ask you to select your "retirement date" which is actually when you want your benefits to BEGIN, not when you submit the application. Since you're turning 70 in February, you'll want to select February 1st as your retirement date when filling out the application in November. This trips up a lot of people because they think the retirement date should be when they actually stop working, but for Social Security purposes, it's when you want payments to start. Also, make sure you have your most recent Social Security Statement handy when you apply - it will have your estimated benefit amount and earnings history that you'll need to reference during the application process. You can access your latest statement anytime at ssa.gov by creating a MySocialSecurity account if you don't already have one. Having all this information organized beforehand will make the online application much smoother!

I just want to echo what everyone else has said - you're being really smart by planning this out carefully! I made the mistake of waiting until just 2 months before my 70th birthday to apply, and while it worked out okay, I was stressed the entire time wondering if my first payment would be delayed. One thing I learned that might help you: when you're gathering all those documents everyone mentioned, also make sure you have your spouse's information ready if you're married (even if they're not applying). The system asks for spouse details regardless, and not having that info can slow things down. Also, if you've ever been married before, you might need those divorce/death certificates too. The online application took me about 45 minutes to complete, but I had everything organized beforehand. The MySocialSecurity portal is actually pretty user-friendly once you get started. Good luck with your application - sounds like you'll be all set!

This has been such a comprehensive and helpful discussion! As someone who just went through this process myself (turned 70 last month), I want to emphasize how crucial it is to double-check your earnings record before applying. I discovered that my employer from 2019 had incorrectly reported my earnings - they were about $8,000 lower than what I actually earned that year. Since Social Security uses your highest 35 years of earnings, fixing that error increased my monthly benefit by about $45. It took about 6 weeks to get it corrected, so definitely check your MySocialSecurity account earnings history well before you apply. You can dispute any errors online, but you'll need documentation like W-2s or tax returns to support your claim. Also, don't forget that once you start receiving benefits, you can still work without any earnings penalty since you're over full retirement age. Some people don't realize this and think they have to completely stop working when they file for Social Security. You've got great advice here from everyone - applying 4 months early in November is definitely the way to go!

This thread has been incredibly informative! I wanted to add one more timing consideration that helped me when I applied last year. Since you're planning to apply in November for February benefits, be aware that the SSA processing times can sometimes slow down during the holiday season in November/December due to reduced staffing. To account for this, I'd actually recommend submitting your application in early to mid-October rather than waiting until November. That gives you an extra buffer for any holiday-related delays while still being within that 4-month early application window everyone has recommended. Also, once you do submit, you can track your application status through the MySocialSecurity portal, but don't panic if it shows "in process" for several weeks - that's totally normal. The key milestone to watch for is when it changes to "approved" and shows your scheduled payment date. You've gotten fantastic advice here, and it sounds like you're going to have a smooth application process. The fact that you're planning this far ahead puts you way ahead of most people who wait until the last minute!

As someone who works in retirement planning, I want to emphasize one crucial point that hasn't been mentioned yet - make sure you understand the difference between your "benefit begin date" and your "entitlement date" when you apply. Your benefit begin date is February 1st (when payments start), but your entitlement date is actually January 1st since you reach age 70 in February. This distinction matters for tax purposes and can affect how your benefits are calculated if you have any earnings in January 2025. Also, since you mentioned maximizing your benefit, remember that your delayed retirement credits stop accruing once you reach 70, so there's no financial advantage to waiting beyond your 70th birthday month. You've made the right decision to start benefits in February - waiting any longer would just mean leaving money on the table. One final tip: when you do apply in October (as @Carmen Reyes wisely suggested), pay close attention to the direct deposit setup section. Double-check your routing and account numbers multiple times, because any errors there can cause significant delays in receiving your first payment. Good luck with your application!

This has been such an incredibly thorough and helpful discussion! As someone who's about to go through this same process (I turn 70 in April), I've learned so much from reading everyone's experiences and advice. @Carmen Ruiz, it sounds like you have an excellent plan now - applying in early October, having all your documents ready, checking your earnings history for errors, and being prepared for the direct deposit setup. One small thing I'd add: when you do submit your application, consider taking a photo of your computer screen showing the confirmation page in addition to screenshots, just as a backup in case the screenshots don't save properly. I'm curious - has anyone here had experience with how Social Security handles the transition if you're still getting employer health insurance when you start benefits? I know Medicare eligibility starts at 65 regardless, but I'm wondering if there are any coordination issues to be aware of when you're starting Social Security at 70 while potentially still on an employer plan. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this thread should be bookmarked by anyone approaching 70!