Social Security filing deadline to start benefits January 1st with February payment - avoiding earnings limit?
I'm planning to retire soon but I'm confused about the deadlines for filing for Social Security retirement benefits. If I want my benefits to officially start on January 1, 2025 (with first payment arriving in February), what's the absolute latest date I can submit my application? I'm turning 66 and 4 months this December (my FRA) and I'm still working part-time making about $3,800/month, but planning to stop completely on December 31st. I'm trying to avoid dealing with the monthly earnings test altogether by having benefits start in January. Is mid-December too late to apply? Has anyone done this timing successfully? I'm worried about processing delays pushing my start date into 2025 which would mess up my careful planning around the earnings limit.
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Paolo Romano
Social Security typically recommends filing 3 months before you want benefits to begin, but you CAN apply later. If you want a January 1 start date with first payment in February, I'd recommend applying no later than early December. Filing in mid-December is cutting it extremely close and risks pushing your start date to February (with first payment in March). I retired at FRA last year and filed just 5 weeks before my desired start date. SSA processed it in time, but they specifically told me I was taking a chance. Remember that even if you apply in December requesting a January start date, you'll need to specifically indicate January 1, 2025 as your desired benefits start date on the application.
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Keisha Jackson
•Thanks for the info! So it sounds like early December would be safer. Did you apply online or in person? I'm wondering which would be faster at that point.
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Amina Diop
I think you're cutting it WAY too close!!! My sister waited until 3 weeks before her retirement date and her benefits got pushed back a WHOLE MONTH because they couldn't process it fast enough!!! She was FURIOUS and had to scramble to cover her bills. The SSA website says 3 months is ideal but AT MINIMUM you should apply 6 weeks beforehand. Why risk it when you're so close? Just apply now and specify January 1 as your start date!
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Oliver Schmidt
•same thing happened to my neighbor. He waited til last minute and ended up with a febuary start date instead of january. the thing about social security is they are ALWAYS backed up with applications especially at end of year when everyone is trying to retire
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Natasha Volkov
The official SSA guidance is to apply 3-4 months before you want benefits to begin. However, your specific situation about avoiding the earnings test is smart planning. Here's what you need to know: 1. You're correct that if benefits start January 1, you completely avoid the monthly earnings test for December even though you're still working. 2. You must specify January 2025 as your benefit start month on the application. 3. For a January start date, I wouldn't file later than the first week of December. Even that is pushing it. 4. If you file online, the process can be slightly faster than in-person appointments. 5. Remember that even at FRA, the earnings test no longer applies regardless of when you start benefits. One note of caution: SSA processing times vary significantly by location and time of year. December is particularly busy with year-end retirements.
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Keisha Jackson
•Thank you for the detailed response! You're right that I'll be at FRA in December, but I was trying to avoid any complications with the earnings test calculations for December. I think I'll apply in early November just to be absolutely safe. Better early than late in this case.
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Javier Torres
I went through this exact situation last year! I wanted January 1st benefits (first payment in February) and waited until December 10th to apply. Big mistake! My application wasn't processed in time, and my benefits started February 1st instead. I lost a whole month of payments and had to deal with the earnings test for January when I was still working. I was so frustrated trying to reach someone at Social Security to fix it. Spent hours on hold, got disconnected repeatedly. Finally found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an SSA agent in about 20 minutes instead of waiting for hours. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU The agent explained that once the start date is set, they can't backdate it in this situation. My advice: apply NOW and clearly specify January 1, 2025 as your start date. Don't risk losing a month of benefits!
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Emma Wilson
•Never heard of that Claimyr thing before. Does it actually work? Seems kinda sketchy that you'd need a service just to talk to Social Security...
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Javier Torres
•It definitely worked for me. I was desperate after being on hold for 3+ hours and getting disconnected twice. The service just helps you skip the phone queue. The actual conversation is still directly with the SSA agent. But yeah, it's sad that we need services like this just to talk to a government agency we've paid into our whole lives.
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QuantumLeap
what about jsut going to the ssa office in person? thats what i did and got everything taken care of same day. online is confusing and phone never works
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Paolo Romano
•In-person appointments can work well, but the challenge is getting an appointment slot. In many locations, SSA offices are booked 4-6 weeks out for appointments, especially near the end of the year. If the original poster can get an appointment in November, that would be ideal, but waiting until December to try to schedule an in-person appointment could be risky.
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Amina Diop
WAIT!!! I just realized something important - are you SURE you need to worry about the earnings test??? If you're turning 66 and 4 months in December, that means you're at FULL RETIREMENT AGE and the earnings test DOESN'T APPLY ANYMORE!!! You can earn as much as you want without any reduction in benefits once you hit FRA!!! Double-check this, but I'm pretty sure you're worrying about nothing!
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Natasha Volkov
•You're absolutely right. Once the original poster reaches their full retirement age (FRA) of 66 and 4 months in December 2024, the earnings test no longer applies. They could start benefits in December and continue working with no reduction in benefits. However, there's still a month-of-entitlement rule that can be tricky. If they start benefits in December, they become entitled for December, and that month counts as a benefit month even though the payment for December isn't received until January. SSA looks at whether they were entitled to benefits for the month, not when the payment was received. But since they'll be at FRA in December, this is all moot - they can work and earn unlimited amounts without benefit reductions.
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Emma Wilson
My friend tried to do exactly what you're describing last year. Applied December 18th for January 1st start date. His application got stuck in processing, and they ended up making February 1st his start date. He called and complained but they said there was nothing they could do because they couldn't process it fast enough. Don't risk it!
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Paolo Romano
Just to clarify for everyone: The online application allows you to specify a benefit start date up to 4 months in the future. So if the original poster applies now (October 2024), they can specify January 2025 as their start month, and their first payment would arrive in February 2025. There's really no advantage to waiting until December to apply. Applying earlier gives SSA more processing time and reduces the risk of delays pushing the start date beyond January. Also, as others have correctly pointed out, once you reach your Full Retirement Age (FRA), the earnings test no longer applies at all. You can earn unlimited amounts without any benefit reduction.
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