I applied @ age 62 + 9 months...started getting it the very next month. (they ask when you want it to start, I said in 30 days).

I put off collecting mine until i turned 70. I can barely remember the process. i think i had to apply at my official retirement age and then put it on hold.

DH started received about sixty days after he applied, if I remember correctly.

I applied this May 17 and got my first direct deposit June 4.

Well, I'm feeling a little bit better now. It still doesn't start until a month after I turn 62. My Federal pay ss supplement falls off before then. Doesn't make sense.

Kathsgrdn, Social Security pays you for the previous month, not the current month. In other words, you get paid for July in August.

People who had to wait months for payment applied before they reached age 62, which is what they advise you to do. You can apply four months before you turn 62 and then you get paid the month after your birthday month.

Well, I went to their office today because I got notification they needed to see my birth certificate in person and found out I won't get my first payment until 2 months after my birthday month. Apparently you aren't eligible until after your birthday month, and they pay you a month behind. Only our government would come up with this system. My last FERS supplement ends next month, so will only have my original FERS check coming in for the next two months. If they are withholding ss for two months, why not give me the supplement since I can't get ss until November? Makes no sense.

Sorry, just griping here.

When I signed up for SS, had to make an appointment for it to be done over the phone. when finished the helper told me my SS would be restroactive to the day I made the appointment. And yes, they sent me a check. I signed up in advance ... during C-19. FWIW. Welcome to Friday every day ... cuz we like Saturdays ... but by then it's Friday again.

Chisue, I wonder how long that policy lasted? One of the questions was, "did you serve in the military before 1968"? I was told on the phone, while still in their parking lot, doing the phone portion of the sign up, that my payment would be deposited on the 2nd of the month because I was on the second wave. I just checked and that's a Saturday.

chisue The checks are deposited according to your birth date. 1st - 10th is second Wednesday. 11th -20th is third and 21st to 31 is 4th Wednesday. SSI and SSDI checks go out the first week of the month. Makes it easy to know exactly when everyone gets their funds.

Is it possible you were told the "second Wednesday" of each month? That's when I get mine.

I thought all deposits were made on a Wednesday ( but I've been wrong before!)

Wildchild, I wonder why he told me the 2nd of the month? What you said makes more sense since the 2nd of November is a Saturday.

Yep, here you go:

When I retired, my last day on payroll was 30 December 2013 and my first day of retirement was 31 December 2013. On 11 January 2014 I applied online for Social Security benefits, and received written confirmation that my application had been received. The next day I received a call from someone at the SSA who wanted clarification on a couple of things, but I don't remember what.

I had said that I wanted my benefits to start with January 2014. On 14 January 2014 my SSA online account showed what my monthly benefit would be, and that I would receive my first payment on Wednesday 11 February 2014 -- because you get paid for January in February. Because my birthday is on the 10th, my payments are always scheduled for the second Wednesday of the month. Even though my monthly payment is supposed to be on the second Wednesday, every month on the first Saturday I get a message from my bank that the direct deposit has been received. I was almost 64½ when I started collecting SSA benefits. I could have waited until I turned 70, because I've never spent the money - it goes into a savings account each month. If I'd waited I'd be getting a higher amount, but because life is uncertain, I decided to start collecting it right away, and I don't regret that decision.

Lindsey, thanks for your perspective on waiting to apply, or not. I'm at that decision now, and am leaning toward your choice.

Whether it's better to take a lower monthly amount soonest (maybe age 62 but for this comment it doesn't matter) or to wait until the latest age (maybe age 70 but again it doesn't matter). can't be determined in advance.

The break-even age is somewhere around 80. If you die while in your 70s, you would have been better off starting it at the earliest possible date. If you live into your 80s, you'll receive more in total by delaying the start and getting the larger monthly amount.

If you live until the break even age and then die, then your decision didn't matter. The two extremes and ages in-between are actuarially equal in amount.

For many (maybe most?) people, when to start it is more a matter of when the payments are needed and less a matter of financial calculations. Linsdey, if you don't need the money to meet your living expenses and none has been spent, then arguably, when you started it didn't and doesn't really matter.

My plan was to retire at 65 and take my social securty then. I would've had a higher ss and retirement pay. Then stress at work got much worse. I was working so much overtime that was basically mandatory because of the massive on-line learning we were having to do. Then I injured my shoulder, the same one I fell on in April and have an MRI today for because of ongoing pain. I was worried I'd have to keep getting doctor notes to excuse myself from the new every three month BLS training they had just started.

Then an old friend found out she had terminal cancer about a month after she retired. She had saved quite a bit of money, working two jobs for many years. She waited until she was 70 to also collect her soicial security benefit. She passed away little over a year after she retired. She never got to enjoy any of it. Her getting cancer was the final thing, I think, that made me decide to retire early but I didn't know if I could afford it. Then I found out about the FERS supplement. It gave me just enough to pay for everything until I could start collecting social security. I'm glad I decided to retire when I did and will need ss so I'm taking it early.

At the time DH became eligible to take his SS benefits about 20 years ago, interest rates for completly secure investments were sky-high. They were still high when I took mine. Rates have been minimal at times, but have increased a bit recently. It all compounds.

Not waiting was a good actuarial bet for our demographic, and we were able to grow the money before we needed to spend it, but mostly we're just lucky to have lived this long. Twenty years ago, because he is an adoptee, we didn't know that DH was the middle of five siblings -- who are now 82 - 92.

SS is intended to be supplemental income. You may get more letting the government grow it, or by investing a lower initial benefit yourself. It's yours to *manage*. (This is all well and good IF you have that choice, and you and don't need some or all of the supplement to pay day-to-day bills.)

My DM lived through he Depression. She believed that Social Security is meant to help individuals and families in desperate need -- not her!. When she became eligible for benefits, she initially refused to apply. She only agreed when she realized she could be in charge of directing that money where she saw need.

I receive my SS on the 3rd of each month. If the 3rd falls on a weekend or a Monday, the funds will be deposited on the previous Friday, but will not be available for use until the 3rd. I don't know anyone who receives their deposit on a certain Wednesday according to their birthday. My DH also received his SS on the 3rd, as do most people I know, regardless of when their birthday falls during the month. I do know one person who lives in another state receives theirs on the 17th of the month, which I thought was odd. I wonder if when you receive your SS has something to do with what state you live in?

My mother's is on the 3rd Wednesday ... not a specific `st, `nd, `rd, or `th day. A pending deposit may appear earlier but doesn't post/settle before the target day ... unless perhaps the target day is a federal holiday such as was 6/19/24 in which instance the deposit settled on Tue 6/18.

woodrose People who applied for Social Security prior to 1997 continue get their checks on the 3rd. Today only those on SSI or SSDI receive them on the 3rd. Everyone else goes on the birthdate system. If it's on a spouse's work record the spouse's birthdate is used.

I'm not sure when the change was made for all payments going to direct deposit but I think that some who signed up long age may be grandfathered into an exemption that allows their checks to continue to be mailed. Not sure about that, but remember seeing it somewhere.

" I wonder if when you receive your SS has something to do with what state you live in? "

No. It is based on when you were born. If you started to receive SSI benefits before June 1997, then you receive your payment on the 3rd of the month. If you filed your SSI claim to start after June 1997, then you receive your benefit payment on the second, third or fourth Wednesday, depending on the day of the month you were born.

This is the same for ALL SSI recipients regardless of location.

“ I don't know anyone who receives their deposit on a certain Wednesday according to their birthday. ”

Things change. I receive mine on the 3rd Wednesday of the month, my husband’s is deposited on the 2nd Wednesday.

If you filed your SSI claim to start after June 1997, then you receive your benefit payment on the second, third or fourth Wednesday, depending on the day of the month you were born

One more time. SSI is paid on the 1st of the month or the next business day. SSDI is paid on the 3rd or the next business day. Standard social security based on work records is by birth date.

OK, I used the wrong acronym :-) It is the Social Security Retirement benefit that is based on your date of birth, not SSI. I guess the retirement benefit does not have a specific acronym associated with it (SSR??).

I didn't start receiving SS until 2010 and I've never received SSDI or SSI. I don't know why I was given that date, but I'm just happy I don't get paid on various dates.

woodrose That's odd. Are your benefits based on your spouse's work record or vice versa and were you both at retirement age when you started to collect? For example if you are collecting off your spouse's record and they retired early due to health reasons your date would be the same as theirs.

Back when we first filed "file and suspend" was still in force. DH filed, I filed to collect on his record and he immediately suspended his filing. He continued to work and his benefit continued to grow. I forfeited about 25% I think at the time. My check is based on the time I filed and his is based on the time he filed. "File and suspend" was no longer an option shortly after we exercised it. We pretty much just happened to turn the right ages just before they took it away.

Since you were unable to work, did you look into SSDisability? You could collect that (if you qualify) until your retirement age for SS - 65-67 for most people. Your benefit might be larger and will preserve your SS retirement until you no longer qualify for SSD.

Hhhhmmmmm......I was born on the 9th of the month and I get paid "around" that date. The 7th or the 8th. I doesn't seem to fall on a Wednesday?

Ha!! There IS an acronym for the retirement benefits - RSDI or Retirement, Survivors and Disability, aka SSA. This from the Social Security website:

RSDI (Retirement, Survivors and Disability) also referred to as SSA Benefits

Since June 1997 SSA delivers recurring RSDI benefits on four days throughout the month on the 3rd of the month and on the second, third and fourth Wednesdays of the month. If the Wednesday regularly scheduled for payment delivery falls on a Federal legal holiday, benefits will be paid on the first preceding day that is not a Federal legal holiday. Beneficiaries entitled to benefits prior to May 1997 received recurring RSDI benefits on the 3rd of the month and continue to be paid on the 3rd of the month. With limited exclusions, RSDI beneficiaries who filed claims on or after May 1, 1997, are assigned one of the three new payment dates based on their day of birth. All beneficiaries on a record will have the same payment day (the day of the birth of the person the Social Security number belongs to will decide the payment day) as follows.

Payment Days

Day of Birth Assigned Payment Day

1st – 10th Second Wednesday of the month

11th – 20th Third Wednesday of the month

21st – 31st Fourth Wednesday of the month

It is my understanding that they do not deviate from this schedule but I could be wrong.

https://www.ssa.gov/kc/rp_paybenefits.htm

Social Security's own website seemed to be clear and easy to understand when I was getting ready to file. I filed online, never had to go visit an office. You can start by checking to be sure that you have enough work credits to qualify (not an issue for most people!)

I started my payments this year; my check is deposited (I say check but it is an EFT) on the 3rd Wednesday each month, because that is the week for my birthdate.

File and suspend is still an option; if you file and start getting payments before age 70, you can elect to suspend your payments at any time, until you reach 70 - and I believe that you also will earn the small bump up in the check for every month that your payment is suspended.

Raee, apparently I had to bring my birth certificate in because someone in 1974 put my dob in my file wrong.

File and suspend is still an option for an individual but a spouse no longer collect benefits on a suspended account. Prior to 2016 the worker could file and suspend and the spouse could receive their share based on the working spouses record.

File And Suspend after 2016

File and Suspend -Prior to 2016

I did the file & suspend at 65(prior to 2016) and got half my spouse’s benefit, & waited until age 70 to collect my benefit. i didnt realize that was changed in 2016. There are so many ins & outs to taking SS it can be quite confusing & it seems it constantly changes.

Some people that take SS at 62 don’t realize they’re going to take a hit at age 65 when Medicare Part B is deducted from their monthly amount. Currently that’s $174.70/month.

Medicare Part B is not a fixed monthly cost of the same amount for all. The amount is charged at different rates that vary with each recipient's total income as shown on one's annual tax return. At the top tier, it's nearly $600 per person per month.

Well, today I got two pieces of mail from the SS office, one with a printed copy of the application I filled out. The other was telling me I need to contact them to process my application. Then some more vague info about original records but doesn't say what exactly. It does say they will deny my claim if I don't contact them by the end of the month. WTH? I already talked to this guy on the phone, while in their parking lot. I brought in a copy of my birth certificate and the woman I talked to said she doesn't know why they had me do it but that everything was fine. She did say that someone had posted in 1974 that my dob was different. So weird.

Kathsgrdn, it sounds like SS is having some of the same issues as the IRS - poor staffing, poor training and perhaps lower quality hires in order to fill vacancies. I had to file an amended return in 2022 because of a mistake I had made (and caught immediately, and I sent in the 1040x before April 15 that year.) That year they had publicized that they had processing issues, with very slow turn around - so that I expected (over 6 months before they processed my amended form). But, the agent that processed it made a huge error, thought that I had grossly underpaid, hit me with penalties and interest on top of the so-called "arrears"; it took several phone calls with well over an hour on the phone (mostly on hold) each time to get the error corrected - then another agent made another error, then another....the last still not resolved.

Raee, that doesn't sound good at all. Glad you finally got it straightened out. I'm going to call them in the morning.

Elmer’s right about the cost of Part B not being $174.70 for all. It can be much more depending on income. Yes, closer to $600 per person.

“Some people that take SS at 62 don’t realize they’re going to take a hit at age 65 when Medicare Part B is deducted from their monthly amount.”

Agree and some still don’t even know after 65. I know someone in her mid 80’s who started her benefits at 62. She had no idea what went to her bank each month has been minus, in her case, the base of $174.70. Also, I know people well under 62 who never knew there was a cost involved, period.

And many do not realize that with every COLA they receive for their SSA benefit payment, the Medicare Part B cost increases as well.

I have BCBS Federal right now and so will be able to get up to $800 back per year from BCBS when I go on Medicare. Unless things change. So, it'll help some. I only learned this the last few years or so before I retired. You also would have had to be enrolled in the basic program for at least 5 years before your retirement. I don't know how many federal employees working now know this.

Does anyone understand the “giveback” plan if you’re enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan? A friend recently told me she’s reimbursed 100% by her insurance company (Alliance, I think) for her monthly Part B cost. I’d never heard of anyone getting reimbursed before. I kept thinking there must be a glitch.

Here's a guess::

To the extent a person continues under an existing plan when becoming newly covered by Medicare, Medicare assumes responsibility for primary coverage for the benefits it provides. Accordingly, the existing plan can remove coverage for those things and its cost (and thus premium charge) for that no longer-provided coverage can be reduced. If it keeps the gross premium the same, it does it by providing what you've called a "giveback" or rebate.

Thanks, Elmer. The way my friend explained hers to me made me wonder why more people don’t have a giveback plan. She didn’t mention this, but it sounds like givebacks will reimburse for a very small amount or no more than the base of $174.70. She gets $174.70 for hers.

This was one link I found from Humana with some info.…FWIW.

https://www.humana.com/medicare/medicare-resources/part-b-giveback-benefit