Gregory Holmes, district manager for Social SecurityQ. If I want to apply for Social Security Retirement Benefits, how do I know when I first become eligible and when will I get my first check?
A. You may retire at any time between age 62 and age 70; however if you choose to retire any time before your full retirement age your benefit amount will be less than if you waited until your full retirement age. Your benefit will remain permanently reduced, based on the number of months you received benefits before you reached full retirement age.
Your first month of eligibility depends on your age at the time you file for benefits. To receive early benefits, you must be age 62 for a full month. For Social Security purposes, you attain your date of birth the day before your actual birthday. Therefore, if you were born on the first or second day of the month you will be considered 62 for the entire month in which you reach your 62nd birthday.
Let us look at a couple of examples of how the process works:
• Full Retirement Age. If you were born July 1, 1946, your full retirement age is 66 and your first month of eligibility is June 2012. You would receive your first check in July for June because benefits are paid a month behind. In another example, if you were born July 15, 1946 your first month of eligibility would be July 2012 and you would receive your first check in August.