Will Social Security backpay from application date or requested start date if approval takes months?

dont worry abt it! SS always pays from ur eligible date even if they take forever to approve u. thats what happened to me last year, they took 5 months to approve my retirement benefits but I got paid back to the date i put on my application. they'll send u one big payment for all the months they missed.

Yes, Social Security will pay you retroactively from your requested start date, not from when they approve your application. This is standard procedure. When they finally process your application, you'll receive a lump sum payment for all months between your start date and the approval date, followed by regular monthly payments after that. The technical term for this is "retrospective monthly benefits" (RMB). Just make sure you keep documentation of your application submission and the start date you requested as evidence in case there are any issues.

While SSA does typically backdate payments to your eligibility date, I'd strongly recommend checking your MySSA account weekly to monitor your application status. If you don't see movement after 2 months, you should definitely call. I had an issue where my application got stuck in the system and I had to call multiple times to get it resolved. After wasting weeks trying to get through on the main number, I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an agent in about 20 minutes instead of spending hours on hold. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU It was worth it to finally talk to someone who could tell me exactly what was happening with my application and when I could expect payment.

I got my backpay but it was taxed weirdly. Anyone know if lump sum backpayments are taxed differently than regular monthly SS payments? I think I got less than I should have.

THE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO DELAY ON PURPOSE!!! I had to wait 7 MONTHS for my first payment and nobody would tell me anything when I called. They WANT you to give up and die before they have to pay you. It's a SCAM after we pay in our whole lives. My brother-in-law died waiting for his benefits and they didn't even have to pay his backpay!!! WATCH OUT!!!

You might want to double check your Medicare enrollment too if you're signing up for that! Sometimes they process the SS retirement but the Medicare gets delayed and then you end up with a gap in health coverage. Happened to my sister-in-law.

Thanks everyone for the reassurance and advice! I feel much better knowing I'll get paid from my requested start date even if processing takes longer. I'll keep an eye on my MySSA account and follow up if I don't see progress in a couple months. And I'll double-check about Medicare too - I hadn't even thought about that part potentially being delayed separately.

My process was super fast, only took 2 weeks. Guess I got lucky!

Great question! I just went through this same situation last year. Applied in February for benefits starting in May, but they didn't approve me until August. I was so worried I'd lose those months of payments, but sure enough, they sent me a lump sum check for May, June, and July all at once when my first regular payment came through. The key thing is they go by your "entitlement date" (the start date you requested) not your approval date. Just keep checking your MySSA account every few weeks to make sure your application is moving through the system. If it seems stuck, don't hesitate to call - sometimes they need additional documentation and don't always notify you right away.

Just applied for benefits. I'm living in Australia and it's all new to me! I'm guessing the SS payment will be a good Christmas bonus! Hahaha!