Hi! I just want to say this direct to the point, no matter what situation we are in, Social Security will not make you, me or anyone else a top priority - we all are treated to get our retirement benefits in a timely manner due to the volume of claimants. I worked part time with The Franchise Tax Board at the height of the pandemic and we get tons of letters, forms to process by the hundreds and less workforce to handle the processing, we have to be patient, it will come straight to your bank account if you set up direct deposit, if not, a check will be mailed to you - while waiting for it - get a part time job, there's a lot of work from home for retired people - just be smart coz some would take advantage asking for a small fee and there's a lot of scammers prying on senior citizens coz they know we get fixed monthly benefits from Social Security - always be cautious - have a nice weekend

After approval, things are moving fast on my end. The letter showing my benefit and first payment was on my account the day after approval, and my bank account also showed a test to make sure account information was correct. Now it's just a matter of making sure payments go through near as to when they should. Feels nice however to be out of the dugout and on to the field. 

Hi - I guess mine was on the top of the file - I've just received a deposit in my account, I'm heading to the bank to get some cash and buy groceries for my family to enjoy - good luck to all! Have a nice day!

I had a notice this morning that there was an update on my application, and when I went online, the needle had moved to step 3, marked as approved. A letter is being sent to me which will indicate my benefit, so now just waiting on that. It took 4 months and 1 week to alter, so I should have my benefit letter within 2 weeks. Hoping this alleviates fears for those still in the waiting process.

Maam - I guess >  this - The website for Social Security used to say that it would take up to 30 days to process new applications for retirement benefits >  30 days processing time - is somewhat - deceiving! When I filed in August 2024 - it took 4 months to process my claim - and they gave me retro funds equivalent to 6 months - I guess they backdated it - from June to November, the check came in the mail, I've opened a bank account, and the rest are deposited straight to my bank. Now, that it is - again - delayed - they will do another retro from January to March or maybe till June - I'm just guessing, okay - it can happen, right? Xing my fingers - I'll check my bank account tomorrow.

Those who rely on SS Benefits - if this is your only source to be able to buy food and pay bills, well, you need to find a part time employment while waiting for your $$$ gets deposited to your bank account or a check mailed to you - you'll starve if you don't find part time employment.

To All - this was just posted - it's a wait and see!

Second round of March Social Security payments goes out in 5 days

When applying on the SSA website there is a small disclaimer as follows. "After you apply, you can expect a letter letting you know if your benefits are approved or if we need more information. If you apply early -- say two to four months before your chosen start month -- you should expect the letter towards the end of your chosen start month. Otherwise, you'll typically get it within 30 days of applying."

I haven't seen this information elsewhere. I was very annoyed myself when I applied for SS a few years ago and it "took forever". In my case, it seemed that the disclaimer above was not shown once the application was submitted (if I had even seen it in the first place). If I was presented with that disclaimer each time I checked my application's status I would have had better understanding of the process and I wouldn't have been so worried or annoyed. Now that we are planning for my wife's application I have seen this disclaimer and understood the process better.

The disclaimer explains a lot. If the application is submitted "early" (as per SSA, 2 to 4 months before your planned start) you are not gonna hear from them until near the end of your chosen start month. By definition, this means that an early applicant will be waiting for up to 4 months. This is regardless of that little blurb they show on My Social Security how your application is in progress and it seems like it's hung up forever.

Per the SSA (https://www.ssa.gov/ssa-performance/processing-time-benefits) about 85% of all old age applications are processed on-time. A pretty good record in my view. I suppose that, by definition, that includes those applications that were submitted early and did not get approved until up to 4 months later. Again, this seems reasonable because they tell us (see above) what they're going to do. 

I suspect that most people who wonder about their application are probably on the standard timeline and just need to be patient, waiting for that target date. 

I called in January, got appointment in February, so now I’m told approval will be several months and I have no income

Wife went from applying to receive her first payment in 23 days. Try going through your local SS office and do a phone application.