It was a painless process. The guy even called at the appointed time. Who says government can't do anything right. I'd still be waiting if I were dealing with a plumber, cable installer or doctor.
The first check should be deposited next Wednesday. If I could've held off for three more years I'd be getting about twenty percent more a month. But I can earn up to $15,000 a year without having my benefits cut. And at 65 I can get SSI as well. So I should be fine, unless misanthropic conservatives manage to mess with Social Security.
I'm glad you had a good experience. I have a list of S.S. bad experiences with siuations after signing up. Be sure you have good supplemental health insurance the is valid no matter which state you are in. Most are limited to the state in which you reside except in major emergencies.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad your process went as smoothly as ours did. We were also pleasantly surprised.
ReplyDeleteSS administration has improved a whole a lot, it took me less than a month to received my first paycheck after I had applied !!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your mature age.
I first called in April, at which time they set the appointment for today's call. Since I had initiated the process last month, I can get April's check. I was surprised because other info I had said it might take three months to get the first check.
DeleteGlad it went well. Both Kent and I had a good experience too. Welcome to being officially old.
ReplyDeleteYour post and these comments are encouraging. I turn 62 in September and the SS web site says to apply 3 months before you are eligible. So I will start my process in June I suppose. Wondering if I will get a check at all for September since my birthday is late in the month? By my calculations for waiting until 65 and the higher amount, I'd have to live a long time past age 65 for the increased monthly amount to make up for what I would not be getting in the 3 years before 65. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWell, this is good to know! I started my countdown a little over a year ago, and now am down to 299 days to sign up, and 390 days till hopefully my 1st check!! I've run the numbers as well, and just ain't no way I'm waiting till 65!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat topic. Thanks for posting.
ReplyDeleteRetirement & SS topics scared me a lot in my younger years. So I worked my ass off & saved & invested & then saved even more. By 38 "my future looked so bright I had to wear shades" - so I set my retirement plans for the age of 42.
... Well, a little thing called the 2007 collapse happened, and ALL my investments went south, BADLY. Still, I pulled myself together & retired before my 46th BD. Here I am: Living the good life, traveling fairly often, on only xx dollars per day. That means that I will delay drawing SS till I'm 66. Or, if things keep on like they are, at 72 years.
I applied for SS at age 62. Boy did I get a lot of crap from people about the 25% reduction. I simply cannot work at my old profession any longer. I felt I would die of a heart attack or have a nervous breakdown. My question to you is do you have any additional income sources? Do you work at seasonal employment? I have been watching the blogs for months now trying to figure out how to do this. Probably best answer is just do it. I will get a very small pension from VA. Now that is one govt bureaucracy that is not easy to work with. What a mess. Not sure when they will figure things out. So bottom line, do you plan on surviving on SS and if not how do you supplement? I think we must be about the same age, turned 62 on 5/5. Thanks. Really enjoyed reading your blog.
ReplyDeleteI will be getting pretty good money each month, by van dweller standards. I'll need to be more disciplined with my spending, but I think I can get by without supplemental work. I still have money left from the sale of my house. I'll put that aside and see if I can go without touching it. Right now the thought of working again, of needing to keep a schedule, of needing to dress appropriately and all that is a soul-crushing thing.
DeleteAmen to that my brother.
DeleteI have yet to find the info on the official Social Security site about when I would receive my first check (vs when I turn 62). But on the AARP web site, it says that you do not get a check for a partial month -- so with a birthdate in mid-Sept I do not get money for that month. I do get money for October, but SS checks pay AFTER the month is ended. So that means I get October's money in November. The payment schedule is by your date of birth, so I would not get my first check until the 3rd Wednesday of November -- 2 months after I "qualify." So if AARP has the info right, I'm puzzled about how you will be gettng a check in a matter of weeks, Al?
ReplyDeleteI turned 63 on April 8. (I could have applied the previous year, but I had money, so there was no rush.) I first called the SSA on April 13. After answering a lot of identifying questions, they said I would need to do a phone interview later, and set me up for May 4. The interviewer told me that since I had initiated the process back in April that I would be getting the first check (April's check) in May, on my regular day, the second Wednesday of the month. I was pleasantly surprised, since info I had been sent by the SSA said it might be three month before the first check. So, I'll check my account in a couple of days to see if there was an auto deposit and whether it was for the full amount.
DeleteOkay, a return and report: my first check, for the full amount, was auto-deposited today, just like the guy said. I think it worked out that way because I didn't try to start things right after my 62nd birthday. Too bad they didn't say, "Since you could've signed up a year ago, we've been holding last year's money for you. We'll deposit it for you now." ;^)
DeleteWell, at least you do get a bit more money for each month you waited after age 62. I could not find it today, but in my earlier research there was a chart showing a fraction of a percentage of increased monthly benefit amount for every month you waited to begin.So, the monthly check you get now IS more than it would have been even a few months ago.
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