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

Thanks for explaining! So if my 67 years and 2 months falls on September 18th, I would be considered to have reached my FRA for the entire month of September? And then I'd get my first payment in October that covers September?

This is correct. If you're born on the 1st through the 2nd of the month, Social Security pays your benefit for the previous month. So in that specific case, you reach FRA a month earlier than your actual birth month.

I had the same problem. Called like 5 times and waited HOURS just to get different answers each time. I finally gave up trying to get through on the phone and just went to my local office and waited all day, but at least got a clear answer from someone who knew what they were talking about.

This is so helpful, thank you! My birthday is actually on the 22nd, so I'll get paid on the 4th Wednesday. I was confused about whether I'd be eligible for the whole month or just from my birthday onward. Sounds like I get the whole month, which is great!

I had the same horrible experience trying to call SSA about my FRA question. After getting disconnected twice, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me connected to an agent in about 20 minutes instead of the usual 2+ hour wait. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - saved me a ton of frustration when I needed to confirm my exact payment start date.

wait so we get paid for the ENTIRE month even if our birthday is like the 29th??? that seems weird but good i guess??

That's a really good point about filing 4 months in advance. I was planning to wait until the month before my birthday to apply, but I'll definitely start the process earlier now. Thank you!

You're absolutely right. Payment dates are staggered based on birth date: - Birth date 1st-10th: Second Wednesday of the month - Birth date 11th-20th: Third Wednesday of the month - Birth date 21st-31st: Fourth Wednesday of the month This is important to know for budgeting purposes once benefits start!

This is exactly the kind of clear explanation I was hoping for! Thank you for breaking down the difference between "month of entitlement" vs "payment month" - that's where I was getting confused. I kept seeing references to benefits being paid for the "previous month" and couldn't figure out how that worked with my exact FRA date. So just to make sure I understand correctly: if my FRA date is September 18th, then September is my month of entitlement (I'm eligible for the full month even though I only reach FRA on the 18th), and I'll receive my first payment in October covering that September benefit. And since my birthday is on the 22nd, I'll get paid on the 4th Wednesday of October. I really appreciate the warning about not applying before my actual FRA date even if it's in the same month - that's definitely something I could have messed up!

@Cameron Black You ve'got it exactly right! That s'a perfect understanding of how it works. Just one small clarification - make sure when you apply that you specify your benefit start date as September your (month of entitlement ,)not October your (payment month .)The SSA application will ask when you want benefits to begin, and you want to say September even though you won t'receive the payment until October. This ensures you get credit for the full month of September when you reach FRA on the 18th. Also, since you re'planning ahead, you might want to set up direct deposit before your first payment if you haven t'already. It makes the whole process smoother!

Thank you so much for sharing your real experience @Mikayla Davison! It's really reassuring to hear from someone who just went through this exact process. I was definitely getting anxious about the timing and whether I might mess something up with the application. Your point about creating the my Social Security account online first is great advice - I hadn't thought to do that yet but it sounds like it would give me peace of mind to see my exact FRA date and estimated benefits before I apply. The way you explained the "benefits paid for the previous month" concept really clicked for me too. Getting paid IN December FOR November makes so much more sense than how I was thinking about it before. I think I was overcomplicating it in my head. Quick question - when you applied 3 months before your FRA, did you have any issues with the processing time, or did everything go smoothly? I'm planning to apply around that same timeframe but want to make sure I'm not cutting it too close.

@Mikayla Davison This is incredibly helpful to hear from someone who just went through this! I m'in almost the exact same situation - my FRA is 67 years and 2 months falling on September 18th. Your timeline breakdown makes so much sense. I really appreciate the tip about creating the my Social Security account online first. I keep putting that off but it sounds like it would answer a lot of my questions about exact dates and benefit amounts. Did you find the online application process pretty user-friendly? I m'always worried about messing up something important on government forms. Also, I m'curious - when you were getting close to your November FRA date, did you get any kind of confirmation or notification from SSA about your benefits starting? Or did you just wait for that first December payment to show up? I m'the type of person who likes to know exactly what s'happening when, so any insight about what to expect would be great!

@Mikayla Davison Thank you so much for sharing your experience! This is exactly what I needed to hear. I m'in a very similar situation - my FRA is 67 years and 2 months on September 18th, so your timeline really helps me understand what to expect. I hadn t'thought about setting up the my Social Security account online first, but that sounds like a smart move to see my exact dates and benefit estimates before applying. Did you find the online application straightforward? I m'always nervous about filling out important government forms and want to make sure I don t'make any mistakes. One question - did you receive any kind of confirmation from SSA as you approached your FRA date, or did you just wait for that first payment to arrive in December? I like to know exactly what s'happening when, so I m'wondering what kind of communication to expect once I ve'applied. Really appreciate you taking the time to share your real-world experience with this process!

Thanks for the tip about calling early in the morning @Oscar O'Neil! I've been dreading having to call SSA because everyone talks about those horrible wait times, but 45 minutes sounds much more manageable than 2+ hours. I'll definitely try the 8 AM approach if I need to call. Your point about applying 3-4 months before the FRA month (not the exact date) is really helpful - I was thinking about timing it closer to my actual September 18th date, but applying in May or June makes much more sense for processing time. I definitely don't want to risk any delays with my first payment. I keep hearing about the my Social Security account from everyone in this thread, so I really need to stop procrastinating and set that up! It sounds like it would answer most of my questions and give me peace of mind about the exact dates and timeline. Did you have any surprises or unexpected issues during your application process, or did everything go pretty smoothly once you applied in that 3-4 month window?

@Oscar O'Neil That's great advice about calling at 8 AM! I've been putting off calling SSA because I keep hearing horror stories about 3+ hour wait times, but 45 minutes is definitely doable. I'll try that timing if I need to speak with someone directly. Your clarification about applying 3-4 months before the FRA *month* rather than the exact date is really important - I was planning to wait until August to apply for my September 18th FRA, but now I realize I should probably start the process in June or July to be safe. I definitely don't want any processing delays to mess up my first payment timing. I'm also convinced I need to finally set up that my Social Security account everyone keeps mentioning. It sounds like having access to see my exact dates and track application status would eliminate a lot of the anxiety I'm having about this whole process. One quick question - when you applied in that 3-4 month window, did you specify your benefit start date as the month of your FRA, or did the application automatically figure that out based on your birth date? I want to make sure I don't accidentally request benefits to start before I'm actually eligible.

@James Martinez Welcome to the community! You ve'summarized everything perfectly - that s'exactly how it works. As someone who was just as confused as you were when I started reading about this, I can confirm that this thread has been incredibly valuable. Your summary is spot-on, especially point #6 about the 1st/2nd birth date exception - that s'one of those details that can really trip people up if they don t'know about it. And you re'absolutely right about learning more here in 10 minutes than hours on the SSA website. The real-world experiences people have shared make all the difference in understanding how this actually works in practice. Since you re'approaching your own FRA, I d'definitely echo what others have said about setting up that my Social Security account online sooner rather than later. It really does help to see your exact dates and estimated benefits laid out clearly. And if you do need to call SSA, try that 8 AM trick @Oscar O Neil'mentioned - it seems to be the magic hour for shorter wait times! Good luck with your application process when the time comes. This community seems like a great resource for any questions that come up along the way.