Social Security benefit start date confusion - FRA birthday on the 16th, do I select exact date or end of month?

Social Security benefits always start on the first day of a month, regardless of your birth date. Since you're reaching FRA on the 16th, you'll be eligible for a full month of benefits for September. However, the actual payment for September would come in October (SS pays a month behind). When you file, you'll select September as your benefit start month - not a specific day of the month. The online application doesn't actually let you pick a specific date, just the month.

The day doesnt matter at all!! SS pays by month not by day. my husband just went thru this last yr. his bday is on the 22nd and he got his full payment for that month. they dont divide it up by days or anything weird like that

WRONG INFORMATION ABOVE!!! If you're reaching FRA during a month, benefits actually start the NEXT month unless your birthday is on the 1st or 2nd of the month. I got caught by this and had to wait an extra month!!!! Check the SSA website!!!!

just want to say congrats on waiting till FRA! i filed early at 62 and really regret it now. my sister waited like you and gets almost $900 more per month than me! smart move.

When you apply online, you'll be asked which month you want benefits to begin, not which day. If you reach FRA in September, you can select September as your start month and you'll get the full month's benefit. The day of the month only matters for determining which MONTH you're eligible, not for prorating within a month. One thing to note: Social Security benefits are paid the month after they're due. So your September benefit would be paid in October. The payment date depends on your birth date - if you were born on the 16th, your payment date will be the third Wednesday of each month. Hope this helps!

Trying to call SSA to confirm this kind of specific question is almost impossible these days. I spent 3 hours on hold last month trying to verify something about my wife's spousal benefits. If you need to talk to someone at SSA quickly, I recently used a service called Claimyr that got me through to a representative in about 15 minutes instead of hours of waiting. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU or visit their website at claimyr.com. Made a huge difference for me when I needed a quick answer about my application.

My husband and I both applied for SS last year and the rep specifically told us that the computer system only lets you apply for benefits by MONTH, not by day. So don't worry about the exact date - just put September 2025 as your benefit start month. The system doesn't even give you an option to pick a specific day.

btw make sure u start the application process 3-4 months BEFORE ur FRA date!! don't wait until the actual month cuz processing takes time and u might have to wait longer for first payment

ugh my sister in law is going thru this right now. she filed online and somehow they messed up her start date and now shes fighting with them to fix it. make sure you print out EVERYTHING and save confirmation numbers!!!!

One last thing to add - when you file, you'll receive a letter confirming your benefit start month and estimated payment amount. Double-check that letter when it arrives to make sure the month is correct. If there's any error, contact SSA immediately to have it corrected. Much easier to fix it early than to try to get retroactive adjustments later.