When to apply for Social Security if retiring at 65 - first payment timeline confusion

Social Security benefits are paid in the month following the month they're due for. So if your wife's benefit start date is April 1st, 2026, she'll receive her first payment in May 2026 (on the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th Wednesday of May, depending on her birth date). It's also important to know that SSA recommends applying about 3-4 months before you want benefits to begin. So if she wants April 2026 to be her first benefit month, she should apply around December 2025 or January 2026. One last thing - if she's turning 65, that's actually below her Full Retirement Age (FRA), which would be 67 for someone born in 1961. Starting benefits at 65 means she'll receive permanently reduced benefits - about 13.3% less than her full amount. Has she considered this in her retirement planning?

my husband got SS last year and it was SUPER confusing!!! he applied in january but didnt get first payment till march... they never explained why. make sure you check her my social security account online every week after applying because sometimes they dont tell you if theres problems!!

I just went through this whole process. Here's what happens: if your wife's birthday is end of March 2026 and she applies for benefits to start April 1st 2026, she'd get her first payment in May 2026. The May payment covers April benefits. It's always one month behind. Also heads up - they pay according to birth date: - Born 1st-10th: payment on 2nd Wednesday - Born 11th-20th: payment on 3rd Wednesday - Born 21st-31st: payment on 4th Wednesday And yep - should apply 3-4 months before she wants benefits to start.

Just wanted to add that if your wife is turning 65, make sure she's also signing up for Medicare! That's separate from Social Security retirement benefits and the initial enrollment period is 3 months before her 65th birthday month through 3 months after. Missing that window can cause permanent penalties on Medicare Part B premiums.

Have you tried calling the Social Security office directly? I had a similar question last year and was on hold for HOURS trying to get through. After three disconnected calls, I found this service called Claimyr that got me through to a live SSA agent in under 20 minutes! You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - I was skeptical but it actually worked and saved me so much frustration. The agent I spoke with explained exactly when my first payment would arrive and answered all my other questions.

One thing nobody mentioned yet - SS benefits are paid for the PREVIOUS month. So April benefits are paid in May. BUT there's a quirk - you're not eligible for a benefit for the first month unless you're eligible for the ENTIRE month. Since your wife's bday is at end of March, she turns 65 during March, meaning she's not 65 for the entire month of March. So March can't be her first month of benefits, April would be her first eligible month, paid in May.

I HATE how the SSA makes this so complicated!!! When I retired last year at 66 I got NO PAYMENT the first month I thought I would! They never explain this clearly on their website or when you apply! And then good luck getting anyone on the phone! I spent TWO WHOLE DAYS trying to reach someone! By the time I finally got through I was so annoyed I could barely be civil! Why can't they just TELL PEOPLE upfront that your first payment comes A MONTH AFTER your benefit start date???

wait isnt 65 early for SS now?? i thought full age was like 67 or something? my sister took it at 65 last year and said she got less money than waiting

Thanks everyone for the helpful information! So to summarize what I've learned: If my wife turns 65 in late March 2026 and wants to start benefits in April 2026, we should: 1. Apply around December 2025 or January 2026 (3-4 months before) 2. Understand her first payment will arrive in May 2026 (for April benefits) 3. Be aware she's taking benefits before her Full Retirement Age (67), so they'll be reduced 4. Keep track of her earnings if she works part-time to stay under limits 5. Make sure to also apply for Medicare during her initial enrollment period This has been really helpful for our planning. We'll definitely be budgeting for that one-month gap now that we understand the payment schedule better.

Just wanted to add one more thing about the earnings limit that might help with planning - the earnings test only applies to wages/self-employment income, not to other retirement income like 401k withdrawals, pensions, or investment income. So if your wife has other sources of retirement income besides her part-time work, those won't count toward the $21,240-ish limit (whatever it ends up being in 2026). This can make a big difference in how much she can actually earn from work while collecting benefits!

One more tip that might help with your transition planning - you can actually start the Social Security application process online at ssa.gov, which can save you time compared to calling or visiting an office. The online application will walk you through all the questions and let you choose your benefit start date. You can also create a "my Social Security" account if you haven't already to track the application status and get benefit estimates. Since you're planning to apply in December 2025/January 2026, having everything set up online beforehand will make the process much smoother. Good luck with your wife's retirement planning!

Just went through this exact same situation with my husband last year! One thing that really helped us was setting up automatic transfers from our savings to checking to cover that first month gap. Since you know she won't get her first SS payment until May 2026 even though benefits start in April, you can plan ahead financially. We moved one month's worth of "expected SS income" from savings about 6 weeks before his first benefit month just to smooth out our cash flow. Also, make sure to keep all the paperwork from her application - we needed to reference the confirmation numbers a few times when checking status online. The whole process went much smoother than we expected once we understood the timeline!

One thing that helped me when I started collecting benefits was to download the SSA's mobile app too. It lets you check your payment status and account info on the go, which was really convenient during those first few months when I was constantly wondering if everything was processing correctly. Also, if your wife is planning to work part-time after starting benefits, she might want to consider having her employer withhold federal taxes from her Social Security payments (you can request this on Form W-4V). Up to 85% of SS benefits can be taxable depending on your combined income, and it's easier to have it withheld than to owe a big tax bill at the end of the year. The combination of part-time work income plus Social Security can sometimes push people into a higher tax bracket than they expect.