Why January is supposedly the best month to start Social Security benefits - is this a myth?

January isnt magical LOL. Its all about how SSA pays benefits. You get paid for the PREVIOUS month (so January payment is for December). Also sometimes ppl confuse this with the earnings test - if you work in the year you claim SS & make over the limit, they count your WHOLE annual income. So starting in Jan sometimes means less complications for the ppl who still work.

There are a few legitimate reasons why some financial advisors recommend January as a starting month, but it definitely doesn't apply to everyone: 1. Social Security pays benefits for the previous month (you receive February's payment in March). When you first file, there's a potential one-month gap where you don't get paid for your first month of eligibility. 2. If you're still working and might exceed the earnings limit ($22,320 in 2025 for people under FRA), starting in January gives you a clean calendar year for earnings test calculations. 3. COLAs (Cost of Living Adjustments) take effect in January, so there's occasionally a small advantage to having your benefit calculation include the most recent COLA. For someone at FRA like yourself who's not working, the month probably doesn't matter that much. The differences would be minimal.

My sister waited til January to start her ss and she got a BIG surprise when they told her the first check wouldn't come until FEBRUARY!! No one told her about the month delay thing and she had already quit her job in December. Had to borrow money to pay January bills. So watch out for that!!

I actually find the January myth super frustrating because it's oversimplified advice that doesn't apply to everyone. There are some specific cases where starting in January might make sense: 1. If you're still working and might hit the earnings test limit 2. If you're trying to coordinate spousal benefits 3. If you're dealing with the family maximum across multiple beneficiaries But for most people at FRA who aren't working, it makes ZERO difference. You're just delaying benefits for no reason which means LESS money overall. For you, claiming at 67 in April makes perfect sense - you'll get your first payment in May.

I tried calling SSA to ask this same question last month and spent TWO HOURS on hold before getting disconnected. Then tried again and couldn't even get in the queue! So frustrating when you just need a simple answer about when to start benefits.

Something important that hasn't been mentioned yet: If you're dealing with taxes, starting in January can sometimes simplify your tax planning for that first year of benefits. Since Social Security is potentially taxable (depending on your combined income), having a clean calendar year of benefits can make tax preparation easier. But that's more about convenience than actually increasing your benefit amount. For someone already at FRA with no earnings test concerns, pick whatever month makes sense for your personal situation. The "January magic" mostly applies to specific scenarios involving the earnings test or complex family benefit calculations.

i think ppl get confused with Medicare too which has diff enrollment periods & can penalize u if u miss them. SS is much more flexible once ur at FRA

One last thing to consider - some people find it psychologically helpful to start benefits in January as a "fresh start" for the new year. It's not a financial advantage, just a mental organizational preference. Since you're already at FRA, you've maximized your base benefit amount, so you can claim whenever is most convenient for your personal situation without any penalties.

As someone who just went through this decision myself, I can confirm that the January thing is mostly a myth for people in your situation! I was 67 last year and kept hearing the same advice from everyone. After doing tons of research and talking to SSA, I learned that since I wasn't working and was already at FRA, the month didn't matter financially. I ended up filing in June when it was convenient for me, and I've been getting my full benefit amount ever since. The only real consideration is that payment delay everyone mentioned - you'll get your first check the month after you start benefits. So if you file in April, expect your first payment in May. Don't let the January myth stress you out when you're already doing everything right by waiting until FRA!

Just want to add another perspective as someone who works in retirement planning - the January recommendation often comes from financial advisors who are thinking about portfolio withdrawal strategies rather than Social Security optimization specifically. Some advisors like clients to start SS in January so they can plan out the entire year's retirement income in neat calendar year chunks for tax and budgeting purposes. But you're absolutely right to question whether this applies to your situation! Since you're at FRA and not working, claiming in April when you turn 67 makes perfect financial sense. You'll start receiving benefits immediately without any reduction, and waiting until January 2026 would just mean giving up 9 months of payments you're entitled to. The "January is best" advice is really more relevant for people still working or dealing with complex family benefit scenarios.

As a newcomer to this community, I really appreciate how helpful everyone has been in breaking down this January myth! I'm in a similar situation - turning 66 (my FRA) in August and was getting the same confusing advice from relatives about waiting until January. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly educational. It sounds like the key takeaway is that if you're at FRA and not working, the month you start doesn't significantly impact your benefit amount - it's more about personal convenience and avoiding that one-month payment delay. I'm definitely bookmarking this thread for reference when I get closer to filing. Thanks to everyone who shared their real experiences rather than just repeating myths!

As someone who just started navigating Social Security options myself, this thread has been incredibly eye-opening! I'm 65 and still working part-time, so it sounds like my situation might be different from the original poster. From what I'm reading, the January timing might actually matter more for people like me who are still earning income due to the earnings test calculations? I'm planning to reduce my work hours significantly next year and want to make sure I time everything correctly. It's so refreshing to find a community where people share real experiences rather than just repeating the same old advice. Thanks to everyone who took the time to explain the actual rules behind the January myth - this is exactly the kind of detailed information that's impossible to find elsewhere!

As someone new to this community, I have to say this discussion has been incredibly valuable! I'm 64 and planning ahead for my Social Security decision next year when I reach FRA. Like many others here, I've been hearing the "January is best" advice from multiple sources but never got a clear explanation of why. Reading through everyone's experiences and explanations, it's clear that this advice gets passed around without context about individual circumstances. The key insight I'm taking away is that the January timing might help with specific situations (still working, complex family benefits, tax planning preferences) but for someone at FRA who's not working, it's really about personal convenience rather than financial optimization. What I find most helpful is hearing from people like @Darcy Moore and @Paloma Clark who actually went through this decision and can share real outcomes rather than theoretical advice. It's also reassuring to see that Social Security is more flexible than some of the Medicare rules that have stricter enrollment periods. Thanks to everyone for creating such an informative thread - this is exactly the kind of practical guidance that's hard to find elsewhere!

As a newcomer to this community, I want to thank everyone for such a thorough and helpful discussion! I'm 66 and approaching my decision about when to start Social Security benefits. Like the original poster, I've been hearing the "January is best" advice from well-meaning friends and family, but nobody could explain the actual reasoning behind it. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly educational. The key insight I'm taking away is that the January recommendation isn't universally applicable - it really depends on your individual circumstances. For someone at FRA who isn't working (like @Yara Elias), the month doesn't significantly impact the benefit amount. But for people still earning income or dealing with complex family benefit situations, the timing might matter more. What I found most valuable were the real experiences shared by people like @Darcy Moore who actually went through this decision, and the detailed explanations from @Keisha Jackson and @Paloma Clark about the specific scenarios where January timing might be relevant. It's clear that this advice gets passed around without the important context about when it actually applies. I'm planning to file at my FRA next month, and thanks to this discussion, I feel confident that I don't need to wait until January just because "everyone says so." The most important thing seems to be understanding your own situation rather than following generic advice. This community is such a great resource for getting past the myths and understanding the actual rules!

As a newcomer to this community, I have to say this thread has been incredibly enlightening! I'm 65 and was also getting the "January is best" advice from multiple sources, but like everyone else here, nobody could give me a clear reason why. What really stands out to me from reading all these responses is how this advice gets repeated without context. It seems like the January timing can be beneficial in specific situations - if you're still working and might hit the earnings test limit, dealing with complex spousal benefits, or want cleaner tax planning - but for most people at FRA who aren't working, it's really not necessary. I particularly appreciated @Paolo Moretti's story about his sister - that one-month payment delay caught her completely off guard when she quit work in December expecting her first check in January. That's such an important practical consideration that doesn't get mentioned when people just say "start in January." The real takeaway for me is that Social Security timing is much more individualized than the generic January advice suggests. It's about understanding your specific situation rather than following one-size-fits-all recommendations. Thanks to everyone for sharing both the technical explanations and real-world experiences - this is exactly the kind of practical guidance that's so hard to find elsewhere!

As a newcomer to this community, I wanted to add my perspective on this January myth since I'm currently dealing with a similar decision. I'm 66 and will reach my FRA in July, and like many others here, I've been hearing the "January is best" advice from multiple sources without any clear explanation of why. What's been most helpful about this discussion is seeing how the advice breaks down into specific scenarios where January timing might actually matter versus situations where it's just unnecessary delay. It seems like the key factors are: 1) whether you're still working and might hit earnings test limits, 2) whether you're coordinating spousal or family benefits, and 3) whether you want cleaner calendar year planning for taxes. Since I'll be fully retired by my FRA and have a straightforward benefit situation, it sounds like I can file in July without worrying about missing out on anything significant. The stories shared here about people who waited unnecessarily for January and missed out on months of benefits they were entitled to really drive home the point that generic advice doesn't always apply to individual circumstances. Thanks to everyone for sharing both the technical details and real-world experiences - this thread has been incredibly valuable for understanding the actual rules behind what turns out to be a pretty persistent myth!

As a newcomer to this community, I want to thank everyone for such an informative discussion! I'm 64 and starting to plan for my Social Security decision next year. Like so many others here, I've been getting the "January is best" advice from friends and family, but this thread has really opened my eyes to how context-dependent that recommendation actually is. What strikes me most is how this advice gets passed down without explanation of the underlying reasons or when it actually applies. Reading through everyone's experiences, it's clear that the January timing can be beneficial in specific situations - particularly for people still working who might hit earnings test limits, or those dealing with complex family benefit scenarios - but it's definitely not a universal rule. I found @Keisha Jackson's breakdown of the legitimate reasons why some advisors recommend January particularly helpful, and @Darcy Moore's real-world experience of filing in June with no issues was very reassuring. The stories about people who delayed unnecessarily and missed out on months of benefits they were entitled to really drive home the importance of understanding your individual situation rather than following generic advice. As someone who plans to be fully retired by my FRA with no complex benefit coordination needed, I feel much more confident now about filing when it's convenient for me rather than waiting for some mythical "perfect" month. This community is such a great resource for getting past the myths and understanding the actual rules!

As a newcomer to this community, I've found this discussion incredibly helpful! I'm 65 and approaching my own Social Security decision, and like everyone else here, I've been getting that persistent "January is best" advice without any clear explanation of why. What really stands out to me from reading all these responses is how this myth gets perpetuated because it sounds official and authoritative, but it's really only relevant in specific circumstances. The breakdown of when January timing actually matters (earnings test considerations, complex family benefits, tax planning preferences) versus when it's just unnecessary delay has been so clarifying. I particularly appreciated @Paolo Moretti's story about his sister and the payment delay - that's such a practical consideration that gets overlooked when people focus on the supposed "optimization" of starting in January. And @Oliver Weber's point about missing out on months of benefits you're entitled to really drives home why generic advice can be counterproductive. As someone who will be fully retired at FRA with straightforward benefits, I now feel confident that I can file when it's convenient for me rather than waiting for some mythical perfect month. This thread has been exactly the kind of real-world guidance that's impossible to find elsewhere - thanks to everyone for sharing both the technical explanations and personal experiences!