When does Social Security pay first retirement benefit after February application?
Just submitted my retirement application online yesterday. I turned 67 last month and decided to finally pull the trigger on claiming my Social Security benefits starting this month (February). The confirmation page said my application was received, but didn't give me any clear timeline. When can I expect to see my first payment hit my bank account? Do they pay for partial months? I just want to make sure I can budget correctly for the next few weeks. Thanks!
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Isabella Santos
Social Security pays benefits for the month before, so your February benefit would arrive in March. They pay on the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th Wednesday of the month, depending on your birth date: - If born on the 1st-10th: Second Wednesday - If born on the 11th-20th: Third Wednesday - If born on the 21st-31st: Fourth Wednesday Since you said you just applied, you might not get your first payment on the regular schedule. It could take up to 90 days to process your application, though often it's faster.
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Malik Davis
•Thank you for explaining that! So since my birthday is on the 17th, I'd normally get paid on the third Wednesday? But it sounds like the first payment might be delayed because of processing time?
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Ravi Gupta
Don't be surprised if your application takes longer than expected. SSA is SEVERELY understaffed right now! I waited 4 months for my first check despite being told it would take 4-6 weeks. The biggest issue was trying to call them to check on status - spent hours on hold only to get disconnected. Completely frustrating!!!
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GalacticGuru
•Same thing happened to my mom!! She applied in October and didn't get paid until February. Super annoying and they never explained why.
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Malik Davis
Oh no, that's concerning! I was really counting on getting that money in March. Is there any way to speed up the process? Should I try calling them to make sure everything's moving along?
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Freya Pedersen
•Calling SSA is a nightmare these days, but I found a service called Claimyr that gets you through to an agent without the endless waiting. Worth every penny when I needed to check my application status. Just go to claimyr.com and check out their demo video at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. They called me back as soon as an agent was available, so I didn't waste my whole day on hold.
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Omar Fawaz
I used SS's 'Check Your Application Status' feature on mySSA account online. No need to call in most cases, just login and you can see exactly where things stand. That worked fine for me when I filed last year.
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Malik Davis
•I didn't know about that feature! Just checked my account but it only shows 'pending' with no details. I guess that means it's still being processed?
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Chloe Anderson
my dad got his first payment 6 weeks after applying and it included back pay for the partial month. they prorate it from the date you're eligible i think? not sure tho
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Isabella Santos
•Social Security doesn't actually prorate payments. You get a full month's benefit or nothing for that month. And they pay a month behind (February benefits paid in March). There's no partial month payments in retirement benefits.
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Diego Vargas
Anyone know if they'll automatically set up the direct deposit?? I just applied too and I put my banking info in the application but I'm worried they might mess it up and mail a check instead. The local office is impossible to get through to!
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Omar Fawaz
•If you entered your direct deposit information in your application, they should use that. You can verify it's set up correctly by checking your mySSA account online. Look under 'Benefits & Payments' section.
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Isabella Santos
One more thing to keep in mind - since this is your first payment, don't forget about Medicare premiums if you've enrolled. They'll automatically deduct your Part B premium (currently $174.70 for most people in 2025) from your Social Security payment. Sometimes people are surprised when their first check is less than expected because of this.
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Malik Davis
•Great point! Yes, I did sign up for Medicare when I turned 65. I've been paying the premiums separately, so it'll be nice to have them automatically deducted instead. I've calculated my expected benefit to be around $2,675, so with the Medicare premium it should be about $2,500.
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GalacticGuru
Congrats on retiring! Hope you get your payment quickly!
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