Why is my first Social Security check scheduled for April when my birthday is in February?

This is actually normal and happens to many people. Social Security benefits are paid the month after they are due, and they're due for the first full month you're eligible. If your birthday is in February, you reach full eligibility in March (even if your birthday is February 1st), so your first payment would come in April. It's confusing but that's how the system works.

Same thing happend to me last year. My birthday was in November and first check came in January. Something about needing to be retired for a full month first.

This is one of the most confusing parts of Social Security! The actual rule is that you must be eligible for the entire month to receive benefits for that month. Since you turn your eligible age IN February, you're not eligible for the entire month of February. So March becomes your first month of eligibility, and those benefits are paid in April. It's called the "first month of entitlement" rule. Here's what happened in your case: - You turned retirement age in February - March is your first full month of eligibility - April is when you receive payment for March SSA always pays a month behind. So the April 2nd payment is correct!

I spent HOURS trying to get through to SSA with this exact same question last year!! Keep getting busy signals and disconnected. Finally gave up and went to the local office where they told me this is normal. BUT I discovered a service called Claimyr that can get you through to a live person at Social Security without the wait. Just go to claimyr.com - they have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Saved me so much frustration when I had questions about my Medicare enrollment later.

Everyone's explaining the timing right, but ALSO be aware that when you DO start getting paid, it depends on your birth date for WHICH DAY of the month you'll receive benefits: - Birth date 1st-10th: Second Wednesday - Birth date 11th-20th: Third Wednesday - Birth date 21st-31st: Fourth Wednesday The April 2nd date you mentioned sounds unusual - usually payments follow the Wednesday schedule. Double-check that date in your MySocialSecurity account.

The whole SOCIAL SECURITY system is DESIGNED to confuse people!!!!! They DELIBERATELY make it complicated so people miss out on benefits they deserve. I bet if you went to a different SSA office and asked the same question you'd get 3 different answers!! My sister lost almost $5000 because nobody told her about the earnings test when she kept working part-time. The government WANTS you to be confused!!!!!

congrats on retirement! don't worry about the timing, the checks will come regularly after the first one. my brother had the same worry but now he gets his deposit same day every month like clockwork

What day of Feb is ur bday? If its early in month u might qualify for Feb payment paid in March. Call and ask!

One additional thing to be aware of: if April 10th is your first payment, it will include your benefit for March only. But going forward, you'll receive a payment every month. So while it might feel like you're "missing" a month at the beginning, you'll continue receiving benefits throughout your lifetime, including for the last month of your life (though that final payment would go to your estate).