AARP Hearing Center
What month did you indicate that you wanted your benefits to start?
SSA works on retirement applications based on (1) the month the beneficiary wants their benefit to begin (2) those who are FRA or older are 1st in line, followed by the early fillers.
The SSA will contact you if they need any added info but most likely, you are now just in the waiting time. Step 3/3 is when they assign a payment date and issue your benefit letter. Normally this step 3/3 and the notification will be completed a week or so before you get your benefit based on the SSA Calendar of benefits to be paid, based on your birth day. The legend is listed on the bottom of the page. (see below)
Living abroad may delay your benefits start time a bit since the SSA has other stuff to verify. The country, your citizenship status. Whether or not your benefits are involved with an international agreement - where you have benefits from work in the US and outside of it in an international agreement country. Here is a publication that will tell you about your benefits while outside of the US. This is also very important after you start your benefits because you will have to perform certain task to keep it flowing depending on your citizenship status. If applicable to you, make sure you fill out the form every couple of years declaring your life - After age 90, it has to be every year. If you don’t get it - get one and fill it out. If they do not receive it, your benefits could be stopped.
SSA.gov Your Benefits While Living Outside the US
Keep checking your online account, your benefits letter will probably show up 1st there than you getting it via mail. The SSA will contact you if there is any other info they need.
📎 [Thursday 4/3/25]
@rolocedoc , I am confused. I get the part of you posting this info. Yes, I read it online. My question - in the TAG AREA you have "share it here if you have received". Received our monthly Retirement Social Security benefit payment for THIS MONTH (April 2025)? NO pressure to respond. Take care, Nicole 👵
[*** @rolocedoc wrote 4/3/25:
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Have you checked your mysocialsecurity account to see if they have acknowledged the receipt of it ? OR there will be a step 1-3 indication that it has been received and processing. You applied way far ahead of your requested date if you filed in January for a May (paid in June) benefit - IF you are at or over your full retirement age, this should not be a problem BUT if you are filing at 62 for your early benefit - just make sure that it was not filed more than (4) months BEFORE your 62nd birthday. Most likely, you didn’t if it gave you a Retirement application to complete because if you had you would not have gotten to the Retirement application cause the system would have kept throwing Disability application at your to fill out cause that is the only benefit that you can file on your own benefit when you are less than 62 years of age.
Your benefit payment will be scheduled to be be paid on your birth Day - per the SSA benefits calendar show below. The legend in at the bottom of the page.
Banks may post the payment or show it pending a few days before the WEDNESDAY that is shown here as your payment date.
Unless SSA needs something from you, you will not be contacted until a few weeks before your benefits start; A benefits payment letter will be posted on your my socialsecurity account and also mailed to you but you probably won’t see the mailed one until after you have gotten the 1st benefit. That’s it - no welcoming letter, no other notice - Welcome to Retirement.
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