Social Security at age 70 - starting on birthday (16th) vs. first of next month - will I lose benefits?
I'm turning 70 on July 16th later this year and trying to maximize my Social Security retirement benefits. I know delaying until 70 gives the maximum benefit, but I'm confused about the exact timing. If my birthday is on the 16th, should I request my benefits to start on my actual birthday or the first of the following month (August 1st)? If I choose August 1st, will I lose approximately 15 days of benefits? Does SSA prorate the benefit for partial months? I've tried calling my local office twice but keep getting disconnected after waiting for almost an hour. Any insights from those who've been through this would be greatly appreciated!
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Sophia Long
You dnt lose anything! SS pays for the entire month no matter what date. So if your bday is the 16th, you get paid for the whole month of July even though you were 69 for half of it. Thats how it worked for my husband anyway.
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Carter Holmes
•Really? That's a relief if true! I was so worried about missing out on those days. Did your husband apply before his birthday or wait until after?
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Angelica Smith
The previous comment is incorrect. Social Security retirement benefits are paid for the month FOLLOWING the month of entitlement. Your entitlement month would be July (the month you turn 70), so you would receive your first payment in August for July's benefits. You do NOT get partial month payments - it's always a full month. So if you apply for benefits to start the month you turn 70 (July), you'll get the full month benefit for July paid in August. If you wait and apply for benefits to start in August, you would lose a month's worth of benefits (not just 15 days). I recommend applying 3-4 months before you want benefits to begin. Since you want July, you should apply very soon if you haven't already.
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Carter Holmes
•Thank you for the clarification! I'm going to apply right away to make sure I get my July benefits. So just to be 100% clear - there's no advantage to waiting until August 1st, and I should request a July start date, correct?
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Logan Greenburg
Ugh Im SO frustrated with social security right now too!!! I turned 62 last week and tried to get retroactive benefits but theyr saying i cant go back 6 months because its retirement not disability???? This whole system is ridiculous and nobody answers the phones EVER.
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Charlotte Jones
•That's actually correct - retirement benefits can only be retroactive for up to 6 months and only for months you were already FRA or older. Since FRA is at least 66 now, at 62 you can't get any retroactive benefits. You should keep trying to reach them though to get everything sorted out.
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Lucas Bey
As others have mentioned, Social Security benefits are paid for the entire month of eligibility regardless of which day in the month you become eligible. You become eligible for your age 70 benefits in July (the month of your 70th birthday). One important clarification: You actually receive your July payment in August. SS pays benefits in the month following the month for which they are due. This means: 1. Apply for benefits to start in July (your 70th birthday month) 2. You'll receive your first payment in August (for July's benefits) 3. The payment will be for the full month of July, even though you turned 70 on the 16th If you accidentally request an August start date, you would indeed lose an entire month of benefits - not just 15 days. Remember to apply about 3-4 months before you want benefits to start.
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Carter Holmes
•Thank you for explaining this so clearly! I've been confused by the SSA website language about benefit start dates. I'll definitely apply for July as my start month. I appreciate everyone's help!
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Harper Thompson
After trying like 50 times to reach someone at SSA about my widows benefits, I finally found a service called Claimyr that got me through to an agent in 20 minutes! claimyr.com - they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Saved my sanity after being disconnected so many times. The agent was able to confirm everything about my start date and the retroactive payment.
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Carter Holmes
•Oh wow, I hadn't heard of this. I'll check it out because I've been disconnected twice already trying to get this sorted. I really need to speak to someone to make sure I'm not making a mistake with my application.
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Caleb Stark
I remember my neighbor was telling me his dad hit 70 and was getting the run around from SS. Tried to reach them for MONTHS and couldn't get through. Finally just went to the office but had to wait 4 hours!!!! Make sure u apply early cuz even when u get it right they can take forever to process!!!!!
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Sophia Long
•Same happened to my sister! She applied 2 weeks before her birthday and didn't get her first check for almost 3 months! They backdated it but still was super stressful for her.
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Charlotte Jones
One thing nobody has mentioned - make sure you check if you're eligible for 6 months of retroactive benefits after reaching FRA (Full Retirement Age). But be careful - this ONLY applies if you're past your FRA but haven't yet filed. At age 70, you could potentially get up to 6 months of retroactive benefits, but they would be at a slightly reduced rate compared to the age 70 amount. In your specific case, I would NOT recommend taking retroactive benefits since you've waited until 70 to maximize your benefit amount. Filing with July as your benefit month is the optimal choice.
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Angelica Smith
•This is an important point. To clarify further: retroactive benefits before age 70 would indeed be at a reduced rate. Since you've waited until 70 to maximize your benefit, requesting retroactive benefits would partially defeat the purpose of waiting. Each month before 70 would be calculated at a slightly lower rate. Stick with your July start date if maximizing your monthly benefit is your goal.
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