When to apply for Social Security when turning 67 and 10 months FRA - avoiding benefit reductions
My wife is turning 66 this May, with her Full Retirement Age being 67 and 10 months according to SSA calculations. She's determined to wait until her exact FRA to maximize her benefits. But we're confused about the application timing - how far in advance should she apply to make sure payments start exactly at her FRA date? I've heard horror stories from our neighbor who thought he was doing everything right but somehow applied in a way that started his benefits a few months early, permanently reducing his monthly amount by about $240! We definitely don't want to make that mistake. Is there a specific window of time before FRA when she should submit the application? And how exactly do you specify the start date? The SSA website mentions applying up to 4 months before you want benefits to begin, but I'm paranoid about accidentally selecting the wrong start date or the SSA misinterpreting her intentions. Any advice from those who've successfully timed their application to hit exactly at FRA?
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Theodore Nelson
You can apply up to 4 months before you want benefits to start. When your wife applies online, there's a specific section where she selects when she wants benefits to begin. She should choose the month she turns 67 and 10 months. The system will clearly show her selected start date before she submits the application. Print/save everything for your records, especially the confirmation page showing her selected start date. This is important: the application will show her the earliest possible date she could receive benefits (at reduced rates) AND her FRA date. Make sure she specifically selects her FRA date, not the earliest date.
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Carmella Fromis
•Thank you! That's really helpful. So even though she's applying 4 months early, as long as she specifically selects her FRA start date in that section, her benefits won't start early? That's exactly what we're worried about.
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AaliyahAli
my brother in law DID THE SAME THING!! applied thinking hed get full amount but somehow got reduced benefits. took him 18 months of calling to fix it and even then they didnt backpay him correctly. MAKE SURE u print EVERYTHING and write down names of any ssa people u talk to!!!
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Carmella Fromis
•Oh no, that's exactly what we're afraid of! Did he ever figure out where exactly the mistake happened? Was it something he did on the application or did SSA just process it wrong?
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Ellie Simpson
Your wife should apply 3 months before she wants her benefits to start - no earlier, no later. When she applies online, pay careful attention to the "Start Month" section. It will default to the earliest possible month (reduced benefits), so she MUST change this to her FRA month. After selecting her start date, take screenshots of every page, especially the confirmation page that shows her selected start date. If you're really concerned, you can also call SSA after submitting to verify they have the correct start date in their system. A common mistake is people thinking they've selected their FRA start date but actually accepting the default earlier date. I worked for SSA for 22 years, and this happens more than you'd think.
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Carmella Fromis
•Thank you for this detailed advice! Taking screenshots is a great idea - we'll definitely do that. And calling to confirm afterward makes a lot of sense. With your SSA background, do you know if there's a specific department or type of representative we should ask for when calling to verify?
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Arjun Kurti
We had a similar worry when my husband applied. spent 4 hours on hold with ssa and then got disconnected! ended up using a service called claimyr which got us through to an agent in about 20 mins. worth every penny since we needed to confirm his benefits would start on the exact day we wanted. website is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU
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Carmella Fromis
•Thanks for the tip! If we have trouble getting through to verify everything, we'll definitely check that out. Four hours on hold sounds like a nightmare.
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Raúl Mora
I applied for SS benefits last year and wanted to share a few important details: 1. You specify the MONTH you want benefits to begin, not a specific day 2. Benefits are paid the month AFTER they're due (so first payment comes a month after FRA) 3. The online application has a specific page where you select the start month 4. Print or screenshot everything, especially the confirmation page 5. The default start date will be set to the earliest possible date (reduced benefits), so your wife MUST manually change this to her FRA month I'd recommend applying exactly 3 months before her FRA. Earlier risks mistakes, later risks delayed payments.
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Carmella Fromis
•This is incredibly helpful, thank you! I didn't realize the default would be set to the earliest date - that explains a lot about how people might accidentally choose the wrong start date. We'll be very careful about that section.
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Margot Quinn
all this complicated stuff is why im just taking ss at 62... less money but no headaches lol
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AaliyahAli
•same!! took mine early and no regrets. rather have the $$ now anyway
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Evelyn Kim
Wait I'm confused... I thought FRA was 66 and some months for everyone? How can your wife's FRA be 67 and 10 months? Is that some special situation?
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Ellie Simpson
•FRA varies based on birth year. For people born in 1943-1954, FRA is 66. For those born 1955-1959, it gradually increases. For people born in 1960 or later, FRA is 67. The "and 10 months" means she was born in a transition year where FRA is set at 67 years and 10 months. You can check your own FRA on the SSA website.
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Theodore Nelson
One more tip - when your wife selects her benefit start month during the application, the system will display a message showing the percentage reduction if she were to start early. If she's selected her FRA month correctly, it should show 0% reduction. If it shows ANY reduction percentage, stop and fix the start date right away because it means she's accidentally selected an early start date.
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Arjun Kurti
•thats a really good tip!! wish id known that when i applied, would have saved me a lot of trouble
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