# the month you file for ss matters



## mathjak107 (Jul 18, 2016)

there are some little quirks in the ss system  that most folks are not aware of .

one quirk is this :

after your full retirement age but before age 70 what month you file for ss matters .

it matters because ss only calculates your benefit after full retirement age in january .

so for an easy example lets say you were born in july so you decide to file at age 67 .  so if you file for checks in july the rate you get initially will be based on the previous january rate . the amount you get will have no credit for january through  july in it .

comes the following january you will be recalculated and your new rate will include the credits earned  from january to july the previous year .

but the quirk here is you never get paid anything additional retro for the past january to july  . while the higher rate you get recalculated to is  only  going forward  , you never get the extra money for the 6 months from the past year .

so the answer is , if you want everything due you and do not want to give up any credit then  from fra to 69 only file for checks in january . if you do it that way you will get paid for those months you normally would have lost .

do not wait if you will be 70  since all you will do is give up checks because your benefit stops growing . this also does not apply when filing pre fra either . you are calculated right up to the moment then , unlike once you reach fra .

this is one of those things very few ever realize .


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