When to apply for Social Security to start payments exactly at Full Retirement Age (66 and 10 months)?
I'm trying to figure out the exact timing for applying for my Social Security retirement benefits. My situation: - I turn 66 on March 31, 2025 - My Full Retirement Age is 66 and 10 months (which would be January 31, 2026) - I want my payments to start on March 1, 2026 (not earlier or later) I've heard conflicting advice about when to actually submit my application. Someone told me that I should apply one month before I want payments to begin because SSA "holds back" a month. But others have said I need to apply 3-4 months before. If I want my first payment to arrive on March 1, 2026 (or whenever the March payment date is based on my birthday), what is the correct date to submit my application? I don't want to mess this up and accidentally start my benefits before reaching my FRA since I'd lose some of my benefit amount permanently. Has anyone gone through this specific timing situation with starting at exactly their FRA?
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Mateo Rodriguez
Social Security benefits are paid the month after they're due. So if you want your first benefit to be for March 2026, that payment would arrive in April 2026. The general guidance is to apply 3-4 months before you want benefits to begin. So if you're targeting March 2026 as your first benefit month, you should apply around November-December 2025. You'll specify March 2026 as your benefit start month on the application, and that's what matters - not when you submit the application. Just make sure when filling out the application that you specifically select March 2026 as your start month.
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Nia Thompson
•Thank you! So to be clear - if I apply in December 2025 and specify March 2026 as my start date, there's no danger of them starting my benefits earlier than March? I'm really worried about accidentally filing before reaching my FRA (January 31, 2026) and getting a permanent reduction.
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GalaxyGuardian
i did mine online last year and they ask you what date you want benefits to start. just make sure you pick march 2026 when they ask. the app is pretty easy but i would do it like 3 months ahead of time to be safe
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Aisha Abdullah
•Just to add - I applied 4 months early and had no problems. You specifically choose your start month during the application process, so don't worry about applying "too early" as long as you select the correct month to begin benefits.
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Ethan Wilson
Wait, I'm confused about something. You said your FRA is 66 and 10 months which would be January 31, 2026, but you want to start benefits in March 2026? Why would you wait past your FRA? There's no additional benefit to waiting those extra months unless you're trying to wait until 70 for maximum delayed retirement credits. Am I missing something? If your FRA is Jan 31, 2026, you could apply to start benefits for February 2026 without any reduction.
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Nia Thompson
•Oh! I think I might be misunderstanding something fundamental. I thought I had to wait until exactly 66 and 10 months before I could collect my full amount. Are you saying that once I pass that FRA date (Jan 31, 2026), I can start collecting anytime after without penalty? If that's the case, then yes, I'd prefer February 2026 as my start month!
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Yuki Tanaka
The SSA really makes this more complicated than it needs to be! Your FRA is not actually a specific day (January 31st), but rather the month you reach that age. So your FRA is the entire month of January 2026. Benefit payments are always for a month, not a specific day. So once you reach FRA in January 2026, you are eligible for full benefits starting with the MONTH of January 2026. If you want payments as soon as possible without reduction, you should select January 2026 as your benefit start month. And remember, your January benefit payment would arrive in February. I'd recommend applying around September or October 2025 to give them plenty of processing time.
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Nia Thompson
•This is so helpful - thank you! So I could actually start my benefits in January 2026 (the month I reach FRA) rather than waiting until March. And to be super clear: even if I apply in October 2025, as long as I select January 2026 as my start month, they won't start my benefits early? That's been my biggest fear.
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Carmen Diaz
I ran into EXACTLY this same confusion last year. Here's what I learned: 1. You reach FRA in the MONTH you turn 66 and 10 months, not on the exact day 2. Benefits are always for a full month, not prorated by days 3. You can apply up to 4 months before you want benefits to begin 4. When you apply, you'll see a screen that specifically asks which month you want benefits to begin So if you reach FRA in January 2026, you can select January 2026 as your first benefit month. That payment would arrive in February 2026. Also, the payment date depends on your birth date: if born on the 1st-10th, payment arrives on the 2nd Wednesday; 11th-20th, 3rd Wednesday; 21st-31st, 4th Wednesday.
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Nia Thompson
•Thank you for breaking it down so clearly! Since my birthday is on the 31st, it sounds like I'd get paid on the 4th Wednesday of each month. I'll plan to apply in October 2025 and select January 2026 as my start month. That way I'll get my full benefit amount without waiting longer than necessary.
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Andre Laurent
MY BEST ADVICE is to actually TALK to someone at Social Security before filing!!! I waited on hold for 3 hours trying to get through last year when I was filing and kept getting disconnected!!! SO FRUSTRATING!!! But you really need to confirm all this directly with SSA because if you make a mistake on your application you might have to go through a whole appeals process to fix it!!!!
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GalaxyGuardian
•This is so true. I got disconnected 5 times trying to get through to them last month. Someone told me about this service called Claimyr that gets you through to a real SSA agent without the wait. I tried it and got through in 20 minutes instead of being on hold forever. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - definitely worth checking out if you need to talk to someone before filing.
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Aisha Abdullah
Just for clarity, the general rule is: * Apply 3-4 months before you want benefits to begin * Choose your start month during the application process (you'll see a specific screen for this) * Benefits are paid in the month AFTER they're due (January benefits arrive in February) * You reach FRA in the MONTH you attain that age, not on a specific day I think there's confusion sometimes because people mix up when they apply, when benefits begin, and when payments arrive. Three different things!
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Nia Thompson
•Thank you for breaking it down this way. The distinction between benefit month and payment month was definitely part of my confusion. I think I'm going to apply in October 2025, select January 2026 as my start month, and expect my first payment to arrive in February 2026. That seems like the best approach based on everyone's advice.
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Ethan Wilson
I think we're overcomplicating this. OP, just go to the SSA website and start an application. You don't have to complete it all at once - you can save it and come back. This will let you see the actual screen where you select your benefit start date, which might make things clearer. Remember that you can apply up to 4 months before your desired start month, so there's no rush either way. The most important thing is that YOU select the correct start month during the application.
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Mateo Rodriguez
•This is good advice. The online application does walk you through the process pretty clearly, including showing you which months you can select for your benefit start date. Since you'd be applying well before your FRA, the system would show January 2026 as the earliest month you could receive your full benefit.
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GalaxyGuardian
wait im still confused about one thing - does the OP actually turn 66 and 10 months on jan 31 2026? or is that when they turn 67? if ur birthday is march 31 and u turn 66 in 2025, then ur FRA would be january 2026... so yeah i think ur right that benefits could start jan 2026
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Yuki Tanaka
•You're correct. If OP turns 66 on March 31, 2025, then they would reach 66 years and 10 months on January 31, 2026. That means January 2026 is their FRA month, and they can receive full benefits starting with that month (paid in February).
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