Social Security finally processed my application after 73 days - surprised about payment schedule based on birth date

Yes, Social Security has used a staggered payment schedule since 1997 to distribute the workload. Here's how it works: • If your birthday is 1st-10th: You receive payment on the second Wednesday • If your birthday is 11th-20th: You receive payment on the third Wednesday • If your birthday is 21st-31st: You receive payment on the fourth Wednesday The only exception is if you started receiving benefits before May 1997 - those folks still get paid on the 3rd of each month. The 73-day processing time is actually faster than what many people are experiencing right now. The Buffalo office must be catching up on their backlog!

my claim took 112 days!!!! submitted in october and didnt hear ANYTHING until february. they dont care about us senior citizens at all. and yeah the payment schedule is weird. im on 4th wednesday. atleast you can plan for it now that you know

The payment schedule can definitely catch people off guard if you're not familiar with it. I find it helpful to mark the payment dates on my calendar for the entire year so I can plan accordingly. The SSA publishes the exact payment calendar for each year on their website. Regarding your application time - 73 days is actually pretty standard these days. The published average processing time for retirement claims is 60-90 days, though it can vary significantly by office and complexity of your claim. The good news is that once you're in the system, the payments are reliable and follow that consistent schedule.

If anyone is struggling to reach SSA about claim status or other issues, I recently used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me bypass the endless hold times. They somehow get you through to a live SSA agent much faster. They have a video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU I was skeptical at first but it actually worked when I was trying to check on my application status. Saved me hours of frustration.

@commentabove Regarding backpay - yes, Social Security will pay retroactively from your entitlement date, which depends on when you applied and your age. If you applied after reaching full retirement age, benefits can be paid for up to 6 months retroactively. If you're exactly at your FRA when applying, your entitlement date is typically the month you applied. They'll include any back payments you're eligible for in your first payment or sometimes as a separate payment shortly after. Your award letter should detail the payment schedule and any retroactive amounts.

Anybody know if direct deposit comes early sometimes? Like if the wednesday falls on a holiday?

My mom just turned 70 and got her first SS check and it was MUCH higher than she expected!! They added all those delayed retirement credits which really added up since she waited past her FRA. Check those statements carefully!

btw that 73 days felt long to you but my sister waited almost 6 MONTHS for her disability claim (SSDI) to go through. SS retirement is WAY faster than disability. just be thankful you werent applying for that!!

I actually had to adjust all my automatic bill payments when I found out about the payment schedule. Most of my utilities were set to draft on the 5th of each month assuming my SS would arrive on the 1st. Had to change everything to the day after my scheduled payment date. Bit of a hassle but worth it to avoid potential overdrafts.