My Birthday is on the 1st of the Month; When Should I Claim Social Security?
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Dear Rusty: I will be 62 on November first and I have chosen to take my benefits early. I know that my benefit will be less than it would be if I waited and that does not concern me, but I don’t want to be without income for a long period of time. I know that if my birthday is on the first or second of the month, then I can draw that month. Does that mean that when I turn 62 on November 1st that I can receive my first check on the second Wednesday of November? And should I select November as the month I’d like my benefits to start? I also read that I would be paid the month following the month I select, hence my confusion. Signed: Confused Senior
Rusty’s answer in brief
Someone born on the 1st or 2nd of the month is considered 62 for that whole month, so a person who turns 62 on November 1 can choose November as the first month of benefits. That is the earliest possible start date.
Social Security pays each month’s benefit the following month, on a Wednesday set by your birth date. Because this person was born before the 11th, the November benefit arrives on the second Wednesday of December, and every payment after that follows the same schedule. Apply two to four months before the start month, and simply choose “the earliest possible month” on the application.
This recording presents the viewpoints of the AMAC Foundation’s Social Security Advisory Staff, trained and accredited under the National Social Security Advisors program of the National Social Security Association, LLC (NSSA). NSSA and the AMAC Foundation are not affiliated with or endorsed by the United States Government, the Social Security Administration, or any other state government. To request additional information, contact our Advisory Staff at 888-750-2622, or email us at SSAdvisor@AmacFoundation.org.