Social Security retirement claim stuck at step 2 after 70th birthday - exceeding 30-day processing time
I submitted my SS retirement application back in mid-January targeting benefits to start April 2025 (when I hit 70). The MySocialSecurity website has been showing my claim stuck at step 2 of processing for weeks now. The SSA website clearly states it should take about 30 days to process retirement claims, but I'm already several days beyond that timeframe. My application is assigned to the Phoenix office according to the portal. I'm getting anxious since I've carefully planned my finances around receiving these benefits on time, and the delay is concerning. Does anyone know how much longer I should expect to wait before taking action? Should I call them or just keep waiting? And will they notify me by mail or email when it's finally approved? This waiting game is making me nervous!
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Dmitry Kuznetsov
Don't worry too much yet. While the SSA website says 30 days, the reality is often different. My retirement application took about 45 days to process last year. The system shows step 2 until everything is basically done, then it jumps to approved. As for notification, you'll receive an official award letter in the mail, but if you check your MySocialSecurity account regularly, you'll likely see it update there first. I'd give it another 2 weeks before following up.
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Sofia Hernandez
•Thanks, that's somewhat reassuring. Did your payment arrive on time even with the processing delay? That's my biggest worry - I've planned my finances around this timeline.
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Ava Thompson
My husband's application took nearly 8 WEEKS to process when he applied last year!!! The 30 day thing is a JOKE. When we called after 5 weeks they just said "it's in process" and couldn't tell us anything else. The whole system is broken. You'll eventually get a letter in the mail, but don't hold your breath waiting for it to be quick or efficient.
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Miguel Ramos
•Same here it took forever and then when they finally processed it there was a mistake with my payment amount!! Had to wait another month to get that fixed.
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Zainab Ibrahim
The processing times can definitely vary based on the workload at your specific field office. For delayed applications, I'd recommend waiting until you're at least 2 weeks beyond the 30-day estimate before taking action. When you do follow up, be prepared with your confirmation number and application date. A few things that might be affecting your timeline: - April 2025 is still a couple months away, so there may be lower priority for your claim - If there were any earnings records that need verification, that can add time - The Phoenix office might be experiencing higher volume than normal You will receive formal notification by mail with your award letter, which will detail your payment amount and schedule. Your MySocialSecurity account will typically update before the letter arrives.
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Sofia Hernandez
•Thank you for the detailed explanation. I hadn't considered that the April start date might make my application lower priority. That makes sense.
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StarSailor
I just went through this! Try calling the SSA directly about your application status. I spent 3 hours trying to get through last month and kept getting disconnected. I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an agent in under 10 minutes. Totally worth it for peace of mind. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU
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Connor O'Brien
•does that actually work? i've been trying to reach ssa for days about my disability application
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Yara Sabbagh
Im in a similar situation applied in November 2024 for my benefits to start in January 2025 when I turned 66 and 8 months (my FRA) and just finally got approved last week! So about 75 days total for me. The system kept showing step 2 until suddenly one day it changed to approved. They backdated everything so I got all the payments I was supposed to get. One thing to check is if you set up direct deposit correctly that can delay things if theres any issues with that.
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Sofia Hernandez
•75 days! That's much longer than I expected. Good point about the direct deposit - I did set that up and triple-checked the account info, so hopefully that's not causing any issues.
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Zainab Ibrahim
One additional note - although your benefits are set to start in April when you turn 70, you won't actually receive your first payment until May (they're paid one month in arrears). Just wanted to make sure you're accounting for that in your financial planning.
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Sofia Hernandez
•Thanks for pointing that out! I was aware of the one-month delay in payment. I've been planning for the May deposit date.
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Yara Sabbagh
Quick update on my situation - they sent the approval letter about 5 days after the status changed online. So keep checking your online account thats probably how youll find out first.
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Dmitry Kuznetsov
•That's been my experience too. The online account updates faster than mail notifications.
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Miguel Ramos
whats FRA mean? keep seeing that mentioned
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Zainab Ibrahim
•FRA stands for Full Retirement Age - it's when you're eligible for 100% of your benefit amount. It's between 66-67 depending on your birth year. The original poster is waiting until 70, which means they'll get a 24-32% increase over their FRA amount due to delayed retirement credits.
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Sofia Hernandez
Thank you all for your responses! I'm feeling much better now knowing this delay isn't unusual. I'll give it another couple weeks before following up. It sounds like I should keep checking my online account daily and not just wait for a letter. Really appreciate all the insights!
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