You can work after receiving the checks, but don't know how much you can make. Your information fromSS or a call to them will tell you.

The December check is for December, but how long a person works is up to the person. You do not have to stop working to receive SS. As Marie says, check w/SS - they are a fount of knowledge & are nice, besides.

The day on which you are paid is determined by the first letter of your last name,,,by example,,all people who's last name begins with A thru G will receive their check on the 1st of the month, H thru M will get their check on the 2nd day of the month and all others will get their check on the 3rd of the month.

Payments are disbursed after you complete the month, by example, I officially retired on the 1st of May and my last name begins with R, so I got my first check on the 3rd day of June.

In any month were your payday falls on a weekend you receive the payment on the last business day of the week, Friday.

The singular exception is your December check. Normally the monthly check is paid within the first three days of the following month, but Federal law says all disbursements must be paid in full within the same year they come due, so the December check is paid on the last day of December rather than the 1,2 or 3 of the following month.

To qualify for Social Security pension you have to have accululated a minimum of 44 quarters under Soc. Sec. in your lifetime, which means you had to pay into Soc. Sec. for at least an equivalent of 11 years in your working lifetime.

The amount of pension you receive is based upon the average earnings for the highest 3 yrs of your earning lifetime under Soc. Sec.

A non working spousal pension is normally based upon 1/2 of the pension that is granted to the working spouse, by example, if your hubby worked and paid SS when he retires his pension is based upon the earnings for his highest three years. If you were a non-working stay at home mom, when you turn 65 you would also qualify for a pension equal to 1/2 the amount that your hubby qualified for.

You may continue to work after you officially retire however they will tell you what your earnings limit is. If you continue to work you may earn up to that limit and still receive your full pension, but if you go over the limit they will adjust your pension checks for the remainder of your working period.

Payment date of SS is determined by the beneficiary's birth date.

Here is a link that might be useful: When are SS benefits paid?

determined by the first letter of your last name

Not quite correct - if it were, I'd get mine earlier rather than later. Receipt/direct deposit of your SS check is determined by your birthday.

1st. - 10th. of the month, expect your Social Security check to be deposited on the 2nd Wednesday of each month.

11th. - 20th. of the month, expect your Social Security check to be deposited on the 3rd Wednesday of each month.

21st. - 31st of the month, expect your Social Security check to be deposited on the 4th Wednesday of each month.

There are exceptions: You started receiving benefits before 1997 - then your Social Security check is paid on the third day of the month. You can request to change this according to the day of birth schedule above.

I'm not the fastest typest on the internet - wantoretire beat me to the punch.

There is other info on lazy's post that is inaccurate. Sorry. I recommend reading on ssa.gov site because you can also get wrong answers from SS office.

I only related the info that was given to Jan at the SS office last thursday...

Jan can't get SS because she lacks 3 quarters..so if she was to work, even part time at any job for 9 months,,she could get the SS pension.

They are also checking if she can get any credit from her Ex

Yes - you need 40 qualifying quarters, not 44.

I received extremely competent assistance from my face to face at the SS office so would never blow the local office staff off. Not that anyone is suggesting that. :-)

I'd highly recommend going to the SS office and sitting down with one of the folks there. I called and made an appt.--which I couldn't get for about 3 weeks, when I went, I had to wait about 30 mintues to be taken back. A few weeks later, DH had a 'day off' that we weren't doing anything--suggested we run over early and see if we could get in. Guess what? He signed in, and waited about 10 minutes to be called!!!

Anyway, the SS employees we dealth with were both so very helpful. It's worth a visit to get as much info as possible.

Just to confirm--my husband and I DO have the same last name--but I get my check the 3rd Wed, he gets his the 4th--because of our birthdays. And yes, the checks are a month behind--my first check was for June, but I got it in July. Also, if you're married, and your husband is collecting, be sure to mention that--you may be due a slight increase in your check as a spousal benefit (mine went up about $150 once my husband started collecting, for that reason).