Social Security maximum benefit - start date confusion for January birthday turning 70

You should request January 2025 as your start month. Social Security pays for the month you turn 70, not after. The payment for January would arrive in February. If you wait until February, you won't get any additional increase - just one less payment!

congrats on making it to 70! my dad made the mistake of asking for the next month and missed out on $$$. definitely ask for january benefits.

I'm confused about this too! My financial advisor told me benefits always start the month AFTER you reach full retirement age or 70. But now I'm seeing different answers here? Can someone explain why?

When I turned 70 last year the lady at Social Security told me I should choose the first day of the month I turn 70. So in your case that would be January 1, 2025. The way she explained it to me, you get all delayed retirement credits up to age 70, not a day more.

I faced EXACTLY this situation when turning 70 in 2023. I had a January 22nd birthday. I specifically asked for January as my start month, but the SSA representative I spoke with insisted I should pick February since I wasn't 70 for the full month of January. This was WRONG advice! I had to fight with three different representatives to get it corrected. According to SSA's own rules, the month you turn 70 is when you max out your delayed retirement credits - doesn't matter if your birthday is the 1st or the 31st. I wasted hours on hold trying to get through to someone who knew the correct policy. If you're struggling to reach someone at SSA, check out this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com). They got me connected to an agent in under 15 minutes when I'd been trying for days. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Saved me from missing out on that January payment!

One more important point: make sure you apply for your benefits 3-4 months BEFORE you want them to start. So if you want January 2025 benefits, apply in September or October 2024. This gives SSA time to process everything so your payments start on time.

My birthday is actually january 15 and I turned 70 in 2022 and let me tell you Social Security makes everything so complicated!!!!! I got so confused with all the different dates and ended up applying late and then they gave me 6 months of backpay which was nice but the taxes were a NIGHTMARE the next year so definitely apply early like others are saying!!!!

To summarize for anyone who finds this thread later: 1. If you turn 70 on January 30, 2025, request January 2025 as your benefit start month 2. You'll receive your maximum DRCs (Delayed Retirement Credits) as of January 3. The actual payment for January will arrive in February 2025 4. Apply 3-4 months before you want benefits to begin (so September/October 2024) 5. There's no advantage to selecting February - you'd just lose a month of payments This applies to anyone turning 70, regardless of what day of the month your birthday falls on. You're eligible for benefits for the whole month you turn 70, even if your birthday is on the last day of that month.

Just wanted to add another perspective as someone who went through this process recently. I turned 70 in March 2024 and initially made the mistake of thinking I needed to wait until April to get my "full" delayed retirement credits. After reading posts like this one, I called SSA and was able to correct my application to start in March instead. The representative confirmed that delayed retirement credits max out at age 70, not after age 70. So even though I felt like I was "cutting it close" by starting benefits the same month I turned 70, that's actually the optimal strategy. Don't second-guess yourself - January 2025 is definitely the right choice for your situation!

I'm approaching a similar situation with a February birthday and this thread has been incredibly helpful! One thing I'd add is that you might want to double-check your Social Security statement online at ssa.gov to make sure your earnings record is accurate before you apply. I discovered a missing year of earnings that would have reduced my benefit amount. It took about 3 months to get it corrected, so definitely factor that into your timeline. Also, if you're married, don't forget to consider the timing implications for spousal benefits too - sometimes coordinating both applications can maximize your household benefits. Good luck with your application!

This is such a helpful thread! I'm actually in a very similar boat - turning 70 in November 2025 and have been stressing about the timing. Reading through everyone's experiences has been incredibly reassuring. It sounds like the key takeaway is that delayed retirement credits stop accumulating at age 70, so there's literally no benefit to waiting beyond the month you turn 70. I was worried I might be "leaving money on the table" by starting benefits immediately when I turn 70, but now I understand that waiting longer would actually cost me money! Planning to apply this summer to make sure everything is processed in time. Thanks to everyone who shared their real-world experiences - it's so much more helpful than trying to decipher the official SSA website!

As someone who just went through this exact process last year with a January 28th birthday, I can confirm what everyone is saying - definitely choose January 2025 as your start month! I was initially hesitant because it felt "too early" somehow, but my benefits specialist at SSA explained it perfectly: delayed retirement credits accumulate up TO age 70, not BEYOND age 70. So the moment you hit 70 in January, you've maxed out your credits regardless of what day your birthday falls on. I ended up getting my first payment (for January) in February, and it was the full amount with all delayed credits applied. Don't overthink it - January is absolutely the right choice and you'll be glad you didn't wait an extra month for no additional benefit!

I'm dealing with a similar situation but with a twist - I turn 70 in January 2026 and I'm currently receiving spousal benefits. Do I need to do anything special to switch from spousal benefits to my own retirement benefits when I hit 70? I'm assuming my own benefits will be higher at that point with all the delayed retirement credits, but I want to make sure there isn't some automatic conversion I need to be aware of. Should I still apply 3-4 months in advance even though I'm already in the SSA system receiving spousal benefits? This thread has been so helpful for understanding the timing, but I'm wondering if being on spousal benefits changes the process at all.