When exactly should I file for Social Security after working 1 year past FRA - specific date confusion
I reached my Full Retirement Age (FRA) on July 18, 2024, but decided to keep working to boost my Social Security benefits. My plan is to work exactly one extra year before claiming, but I'm confused about the exact filing date I should choose. If I want to retire after working precisely one additional year, should I file with SSA on July 18, 2025? Or should I go to the end of the month (July 31)? Or maybe even August 1st? I've heard benefits are calculated monthly but paid based on the previous month's eligibility. The cutoff dates are really confusing me! Does anyone know exactly how the timing works for maximum benefit when retiring after FRA? Thanks for helping with what feels like a simple question that I just can't figure out.
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Holly Lascelles
You'll want to apply for your benefits to start the FIRST day of a month, not on your birthday or any specific date during the month. Social Security pays benefits for the previous month (your August payment covers July). I suggest choosing August 1, 2025 as your start date if you want to work a full year past FRA. That way, you get credit for all of July 2025 work. Remember to apply 2-3 months before your chosen start date!
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Madison Tipne
•Thanks for the clear explanation! So if I understand correctly, applying for August 1, 2025 actually gives me credit for working the full month of July 2025? That's exactly what I needed to know.
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Malia Ponder
im in the EXACT same boat, hit FRA in april and still working. my sister told me you need to file ON THE EXACT ANNIVERSARY of FRA to get the full delay credit!!!! but when i checked the SS site it seemed like they pay by month not day?? so confused...
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Kyle Wallace
•Your sister is incorrect. Delayed retirement credits are calculated monthly, not daily. Social Security adds 2/3 of 1% to your benefit for each full month you delay after FRA (which equals 8% per year). You'll receive credit for any full month you delay, so filing on the 1st of a month maximizes your credits.
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Ryder Ross
Just wanted to say congrats on working past FRA! I did the same thing and earned about $300 more per month by delaying a year. Each month you delay past FRA gives you about a 0.67% increase. Benefits are paid the month after they're due, so July benefits come in August. Good decision to keep building that benefit!
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Gianni Serpent
There's a specific process to this. Social Security benefits are paid in the month following the month for which they are due. If you want to work exactly one year past your FRA, you should apply for benefits to begin on August 1, 2025. Apply online approximately 3 months before (early May 2025). This way you'll get credit for all work through July 2025, and your first payment would arrive in September 2025 (covering August). Remember that benefits increase by 8% annually (or 2/3 of 1% per month) that you delay past FRA, up to age 70. Make sure to check your earnings record on mySocialSecurity to verify all your income has been properly recorded before applying.
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Madison Tipne
•This is super helpful and detailed - exactly what I needed! Is there any advantage to applying for July 31 instead of August 1? Or does that just complicate things?
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Gianni Serpent
•There's no advantage to applying for July 31. Social Security pays benefits by month, not by day. If you apply with a July start date (any day in July), you'll miss out on delayed retirement credits for that month. Always choose the 1st of a month as your start date - it's cleaner administratively and maximizes your delayed retirement credits.
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Henry Delgado
When I retired, i didn't realize i was supposed to pick the first of the month and just put down my actual retirement date (17th)... wound up with same payment amount anyway. doesnt really matter what day of month u choose i think
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Holly Lascelles
•That's not quite right. While SSA pays for the entire month regardless of which day you choose, selecting the 1st of a month makes sure you get credit for the entire previous month of delayed retirement credits. Picking a mid-month date can potentially cause confusion in their system, even if it sometimes works out correctly.
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Olivia Kay
OMG trying to reach SSA to ask about this SAME QUESTION was a NIGHTMARE!!! I spent 3 hours on hold last month and then got disconnected!!! THREE TIMES this happened to me! So frustrating!!! I finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an agent in under 20 minutes instead of hours. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. The agent confirmed what others are saying here - apply for the 1st of the month AFTER you want to stop working. Saved me so much headache!
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Madison Tipne
•Thanks for the tip about Claimyr! I might need that when it's time to apply. Did the agent explain anything about how the payment timing works with the 1st of the month filing date?
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Olivia Kay
•Yes! The agent explained that if you file for benefits to start August 1, 2025, your first payment would arrive in September 2025 (covering August). The payment for a given month always comes the following month. And you get DRCs (delayed retirement credits) for every month you wait past FRA.
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Malia Ponder
wait im confused again... so if his FRA was 2/16/2024 and he works until 2/16/2025 thats a year right? but hes supposed to file for 3/1/2025?? thats more than a year!! is he losing money for February????
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Gianni Serpent
•Let me clarify: If his FRA was 2/16/2024 and he works until 2/16/2025, he should apply for benefits to start 3/1/2025. This way he gets credit for the entire month of February 2025. He's not losing money - he's actually maximizing his benefit by getting delayed retirement credits for the full month of February. Social Security calculates these credits by full months, not partial months.
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Ryder Ross
My husband faced the same question last year. Just want to add that when you apply online they actually help walk you through picking the right start date. The system asks when you want your benefits to begin and has information explaining how benefits are paid for each month. Super straightforward process once you get there!
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Sean Murphy
Just went through this exact situation last year! The key thing to remember is that Social Security benefits are calculated and paid by full months, not by specific dates. Since you reached FRA on July 18, 2024, if you want to work exactly one additional year, you should apply for benefits to start on August 1, 2025. This ensures you get full delayed retirement credit for July 2025. The application process is actually pretty user-friendly online - they walk you through selecting the right start date. I'd recommend applying about 3 months ahead of time (around May 2025) to avoid any processing delays. You'll get that nice 8% annual boost for each year you delay past FRA!
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Keisha Brown
•This is really reassuring to hear from someone who just went through it! Quick question - when you applied 3 months ahead, did you notice any issues with the timing or processing? I'm worried about applying too early and having something go wrong with the start date.
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