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I'll turn 70 in the middle of December. Will I get the maximum benefit if I start collecting social security in December, when I'm 70 for only part of the month, or in January when I'm 70 for the entire month?
In order to get the highest benefit, you need to start SS the month following your birthdate. This means your first payment will occur in February. The only exception is if your birthday is on the 1st.
The article only addresses filing at 62 and at FRA and not 70 but I think the rules for filing at FRA should apply to filing at 70 as well.
Quote:
If you wish to begin Social Security when you turn 66, the exact day of the month not important. “Full retirement benefits are payable beginning with the month FRA is attained regardless of the day of the month,”
Since the benefit does not increase after turning 70, I would think that one should collect the payment as soon as one turns 70 (i.e. the beginning of the month which one turns 70).
I'd like mathjak107 to explain why it is better to start collecting the benefit in January. Being newly retired, I have a lot to learn about SS and medicare.
He is correct I believe, because he means they compute the actual benefit based on the latest inflation adjustment multiplier for every year earned every January. USUALLY, the starting benefit goes up every year due to that.
He is correct I believe, because he means they compute the actual benefit based on the latest inflation adjustment multiplier for every year earned every January. USUALLY, the starting benefit goes up every year due to that.
Why wouldn't the newly calculated benefit in January applies to people who already receive the benefit say starting the last December? I assume that the monthly benefit is not 'locked' at a certain amount for the full year. Is this assumption wrong?
This is something I've been trying to figure out also. How about if one turns 70 the last week in June? Filing for the June date means that payment starts / arrives in July, correct? In this case there's no benefit to wait until July to begin collecting is there?
This is something I've been trying to figure out also. How about if one turns 70 the last week in June? Filing for the June date means that payment starts / arrives in July, correct? In this case there's no benefit to wait until July to begin collecting is there?
Yes, this is exactly what happened in my own case. I turned 70 in Aug 2014. I started my application on-line in May 2014, with benefits to start in Aug, and first payment in Sept. (SS always pays the month after eligibility. There is no pro-rating for partial months.) You get a phone interview confirming your application, and requesting any additional documentation. (in my case my military discharge form DD214)
This works when you start benefits exactly at 70. If you start at say 69.5, different rules apply, that have been explained by MathJak in many previous threads.
From what I have been reading, but if anyone knows for sure otherwise, please chime in, yes, the monthly amount used as the base number for each subsequent earned credit is locked in for each year, unless there has been earned income that causes a recalculated amount. Which also occurs once a year. If you've had no earned income for say 5 years previous, I doubt the difference would be more than a few bucks a month though. This assumes that you are NOT missing an eligible months credit gain, ie 70 years and one month, which you would get as back owed anyway. And that's the part that always confuses me. It appears to me from what was posted, that if you turn 70, that is the last month of earned credit. But yet when you start you always have to wait a month, so I Would have to say go down to SSA and get an answer on the amount of your monthly benefit if you apply in Dec as well as Jan!
Last edited by Perryinva; 04-07-2016 at 05:38 PM..
After 1982, COLAs have been effective with benefits payable for December (received by beneficiaries in January)
So if my husband applies to have his benefit starts in December, he will receive the 1st payment (with COLA adjustment if it happens) in January and the payment stays the same for one year until the next COLA adjustment.
If he applies to have benefit starts in January (after he already turns 70), he will receive January benefit in February. Since there is no increase in monthly benefit after 70, in doing so, he will miss one month of payment.
Maybe for people who was still working up until the day that they retire, waiting until January so that the earned credits will be higher with the inflation adjusted factor may yield a higher monthly benefit than starting in December. However for people who either does not work the last few years before collecting SS or already has the max 35 years earned income earlier, I just don't see any benefits. In addition, inflation rate has been very low so whatever increased amount due to this adjustment is likely not enough to compensate for losing a whole month of SS payment.
As I mentioned in the previous note, all of this SS stuff is new to me so I am still learning and would like to know if my understanding is incorrect.
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