When exactly does Social Security retirement start at FRA of 67 - on birthdate or beginning/end of month?

Social Security benefits are always paid for the previous month. So if your exact FRA is June 15th (for example), you would be eligible for your full benefits starting that day, but your first payment would come in July (for the month of June). However, there's an important rule you should know: Social Security pays benefits for full months only. The SSA considers you to have attained your age for the entire month if your birthday falls on the 1st or 2nd of the month. For everyone else, you're considered to reach your FRA in the month of your birthday.

When I retired last year at my FRA (66 and 6 months), my benefits actually started the MONTH BEFORE my birthday because I was born on the 3rd! Something about a special rule when you're born in the first few days of the month. You might want to double check your specific situation with the SSA directly.

the way it works is super confusing!!!!! i got different answers from 3 different ss agents when i called!!!! one said i had to wait till AFTER my birthday, another said it was the whole month of my birthday, and the third said something about the way payments work on a schedule based on birthdays or something???? makes NO SENSE

Let me clarify how this works with actual SS regulations: 1. You reach your exact FRA on your birth date (in your case, when you're exactly 67 years and 2 months old) 2. Benefits are paid in the month FOLLOWING the month for which they are due 3. If you were born on the 1st or 2nd of the month, you're considered to have attained that age the month before 4. Payment dates are determined by your birth date: if born on 1st-10th, payment on 2nd Wednesday; 11th-20th, payment on 3rd Wednesday; 21st-31st, payment on 4th Wednesday So assuming your birth date isn't on the 1st or 2nd, you'll reach FRA in the month of your birthday, become eligible for benefits that month, and receive your first payment the following month.

Have you tried calling the SSA directly? I find that's always faster than trying to figure it out online. Although I must admit the wait times are RIDICULOUS these days. Last time I called I was on hold for over 2 hours and then got disconnected!

I just went through this! My FRA was 66 and 10 months and fell on February 14th. I got my first payment in March (for February). The whole month of February counted even though I only hit my FRA mid-month. What confused me was that I thought I'd get prorated benefits or something for the first part of February, but nope - you get the whole month once you hit FRA that month.

Here's the exact policy from the Social Security Administration: - If you retire at your FRA, benefits begin the month you reach FRA - Benefits are paid the month following the month they are due - For those born on the 1st or 2nd, they're considered to have attained their age the month before - There's no proration - you either qualify for the full month or you don't Another important point: if you file your application less than 4 months before you want benefits to start, your start date might be delayed. I recommend filing up to 4 months before you want benefits to begin to ensure timely processing.

DONT FORGET that even after you reach your FRA, the actual payment date depends on your birth date! My husband and I both reached FRA in the same month but got paid on different weeks because our birthdays fall in different parts of the month. Something like 1st-10th get paid on 2nd Wednesday, etc. Check the SSA payment calendar.