Applying for Social Security Retirement — In Plain Words

When to apply

SSA’s page “When To Start Benefits” states the timing rule in these words:

“The earliest you can apply for retirement benefits is four months before you want your benefits to start.”

The same page also says: “If you want your benefits to start more than four months in the future, you need to apply for benefits at a later date.”

The same page also says: “Important: You must be at least 61 years and 9 months old to apply for benefits.”

The same page also says: “If you are already age 62, your benefits could start as early as this month.”

SSA’s main Retirement benefits page says this: “You can typically get monthly Retirement benefits starting at age 62 if you’ve worked and paid Social Security taxes for 10 years or more.”

The same main page also says: “In most cases, you can apply while still working.”

SSA’s Your Retirement Checklist states the four-month rule in matching words. It says: “you can apply up to four months before the date you want your benefits to start.”

When the first payment comes

SSA’s “When To Start Benefits” page says: “Social Security benefits are paid in the month after they are due.”

The same page gives this example: “If you tell us you want your retirement benefits to start in May, you will receive your first benefit check in June.”

The same page adds: “(If you want to receive your first benefit check in May, you need to be eligible for benefits in April AND tell us you want you benefits to start that month.)” The words in that sentence are SSA’s own words, printed as SSA printed them.

The same page also says: “If you were born on the 1st of the month, we figure your benefit (and your full retirement age) as if your birthday was in the previous month.” Full retirement age is a term SSA uses on its pages. This page does not list full retirement ages by birth year. See the short section below about that.

The three ways to apply

SSA’s page for Form SSA-1, “Information You Need To Apply For Retirement Benefits Or Medicare,” lists the ways to apply in these words:

“You can apply:

• Online; or
• By calling our national toll-free service at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) or visiting your local Social Security office. Call ahead to make an appointment.”

That is three routes. Route one is online. Route two is by phone. Route three is at a local Social Security office.

The same SSA page adds one more route for people outside the country. It says: “If you do not live in the U.S. or one of its territories, you can also contact your nearest U.S. Social Security office, U.S. Embassy or consulate.”

Your Retirement Checklist gives the same phone numbers. It says: “you can call us toll-free at 1-800-772-1213 or at 1-800-325-0778 (TTY) if you’re deaf or hard of hearing.”

The checklist also states the hours in these words: “We can answer your call from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., weekdays.”

Information SSA says to have ready about you

SSA’s Form SSA-1 page says: “You can help by being ready to provide the information and documents listed below.”

Under “Information About You,” that page lists:

• “Your date and place of birth and Social Security number;”
• “The name, Social Security number and date of birth or age of your current spouse and any former spouse. You should also know the dates and places of marriage and dates of divorce or death (if appropriate);”
• “The names of any unmarried children under age 18, age 18-19 and in elementary or secondary school, or disabled before age 22;”
• “Your bank or other financial institution’s Routing Transit Number and the account number;”
• “Your citizenship status;”
• “Whether you or anyone else has ever filed for Social Security benefits, Medicare or Supplemental Security Income on your behalf (if so, we will also ask for information on whose Social Security record you applied);”
• “Whether you have used any other Social Security number;”
• “If you are applying for retirement benefits, the month you want your benefits to begin; and”
• “If you are within 3 months of age 65, whether you want to enroll in Medical Insurance (Part B of Medicare).”

This page only describes that list. It does not ask you for any of this information. Do not send this information to this page or to its maker.

Information SSA says to have ready about your work

Your earnings record is SSA’s record of your earnings from work.

Under “Information About Your Work,” SSA’s Form SSA-1 page lists:

• “The name and address of your employer(s) for this year and last year;”
• The amount of money earned last year and this year. The page adds that if you file in September through December, you will also need to estimate next year’s earnings. This page prints no earnings amounts and no earnings limits.
• “A copy of your Social Security Statement or a record of your earnings.” The page says you can view your Social Security Statement online by creating an account and signing in. It also says: “Even if you do not have a record of your earnings or you are not sure if they are correct, please fill out the application. We will help you review your earnings when you apply;”
• “The beginning and ending dates of any active U.S. military service you had before 1968;”
• “Whether you became unable to work because of illnesses, injuries or conditions at any time within the past 14 months. If ‘Yes,’ we will also ask the date you became unable to work;”
• “Whether you or your spouse have ever worked for the railroad industry;”
• “Whether you have earned Social Security credits under another country’s social security system; and”
• “Whether you qualified for or expect to receive a pension or annuity based on your own employment with the Federal government of the United States or one of its States or local subdivisions.”

The same page adds a note for people outside the U.S. It says SSA may need to know if you worked, or will be working, over 45 hours a month outside the United States.

Documents SSA says it may ask to see

SSA has two lists of documents on the pages read for this page. Each list is printed under its own page name. The lists are not merged.

From SSA’s page “What Documents Will You Need When You Apply?” That page says: “We request different documents depending on your circumstances.” It then says: “Documents we may ask for include:”

• “Your Social Security card or a record of your number.”
• “Your original birth certificate, a copy certified by the issuing agency, or other proof of your age. We must see the original document(s), or copies certified by the agency that issued them. We cannot accept photocopies or notarized copies.”
• “If you were not born in the U.S., proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful alien status. We must see the original document(s), or copies certified by the agency that issued them. We cannot accept documents if they have expired. We cannot accept photocopies or notarized copies.”
• “A copy of your U.S. military service paper(s) if you served before 1968. A photocopy is acceptable.”
• “A copy of your W-2 form(s) and/or self-employment tax return for last year. A photocopy is acceptable.”

That page also says: “If our records show you’ve already provided proof of age or citizenship or lawful alien status for an earlier Medicare or Social Security claim, you do not need to submit the documents again.”

That page also says: “We will return all documents and photocopies unless specifically told otherwise.”

From SSA’s Form SSA-1 page, under “Documents You May Need To Provide.” That page says: “We may need to see certain documents in order to pay benefits. If you apply online, a list of documents we need to see will appear at the end of the application, along with instructions on where to submit them. The documents we may ask for are:”

• “your original birth certificate or other proof of birth (You may also submit a copy of your birth certificate certified by the issuing agency);”
• “proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful alien status if you were not born in the United States;”
• “a copy of your U.S. military service paper(s) (e.g., DD-214 - Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) if you had military service before 1968; and”
• “a copy of your W-2 form(s) and/or self-employment tax return for last year.”

That page adds: “We accept photocopies of W-2 forms, self-employment tax returns or medical documents, but we must see the original of most other documents, such as your birth certificate. (We will return them to you.)”

That page also adds a matching note. It says that if SSA’s records show documents proving age or citizenship or lawful alien status were already submitted for an earlier Medicare or Social Security claim, you do not need to submit the documents again.

If you do not have all the documents

SSA’s Form SSA-1 page says: “Even if you don’t have all the documents we need, you should still submit the application and any documents you do have. You can provide the missing documents later or we may be able to help you get them.”

The same page says: “In many cases, your local Social Security office can contact your state Bureau of Vital Statistics and verify your information online at no cost to you. If we can’t verify your information online, we can still help you get the information you need.”

The same page also says: “If you delay submitting the application, you could lose some benefits you may be due.”

SSA’s documents page says the same thing in shorter words. It says: “Even if you don’t have everything, don’t delay applying for Social Security retirement benefits. You can provide the missing documents later. We may be able to help you get them.”

That page also says the local office can contact the state Bureau of Vital Statistics and verify your information online at no cost to you, or find other ways to get the information SSA needs.

That page also says: “If you delay signing up, you could lose some benefits you may be due.”

What happens after you apply, as SSA states it

This section prints only what the SSA pages read in full state about what happens next.

SSA’s Form SSA-1 page states one online step. If you apply online, a list of documents SSA needs to see will appear at the end of the application. Instructions on where to submit them will appear with that list.

The same page gives mailing instructions. It says that if you mail documents, you must include the Social Security number so SSA can match them with the correct application.

It says: “Do not write anything on the original documents. Please write the Social Security number on a separate sheet of paper and include it in the mailing envelope along with the documents.”

It also says: “If you do not want to mail these documents, you may bring them to a Social Security office.”

The SSA pages read in full for this page do not state a processing time for a retirement application. This page states no processing time, because the sources read do not.

About full retirement age

SSA’s pages use the term full retirement age.

This page does not print a chart of full retirement ages by birth year. It prints no birth-year figures for full retirement age.

A companion page in this set covers that topic. It is called “Social Security Full Retirement Age by Birth Year.” You can read it here: https://plain-words-guides.pages.dev/social-security-full-retirement-age-by-birth-year/

For your own case, ask SSA. Only SSA can tell you your own full retirement age.

Working while you receive benefits

SSA’s “When To Start Benefits” page says: “If you are under full retirement age and you work after you start receiving benefits, we may withhold some of your benefits if you have excess earnings.”

The same page says: “However, after you reach full retirement age, we will recalculate your benefit amount to give you credit for any month(s) in which you did not receive your full monthly benefit because of your earnings.”

The same page says: “If you plan to continue working, please read ‘How Work Affects Your Benefits’ before you select the month you want your benefits to start.”

This page prints no earnings limits. It prints no amounts that may be withheld. Ask SSA about your own case.

What this page does not cover

This page does not say if you qualify for benefits. It does not decide any case.

This page gives no benefit estimate. It does not say what any person will get.

This page prints no benefit amounts. It prints no earnings limits.

This page prints no full retirement age chart. It prints no full retirement ages by birth year. The companion page named above covers that topic.

This page does not cover disability benefits. It does not cover Supplemental Security Income. It does not cover Medicare enrollment, except for the Medicare sentences SSA prints on the pages above, printed as Medicare sentences.

Only the Social Security Administration decides your benefits. For your own case, contact SSA online, by phone at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), or at a local Social Security office.

Words to know

Benefits: Monthly payments from Social Security. SSA’s main Retirement benefits page describes them as monthly Retirement benefits.

Claim: Your application for benefits. SSA’s pages also use the word claim for an earlier Medicare or Social Security application, as in an earlier claim for which documents were already submitted.

Earnings record: SSA’s record of your earnings. SSA’s Form SSA-1 page lists “a record of your earnings” as one thing to have ready, and says SSA will help you review your earnings when you apply.

Full retirement age: A term SSA uses on its retirement pages. This page names the term only as SSA’s pages name it. It prints no ages by birth year. See the companion page named above.

Social Security Statement: A document named on SSA’s Form SSA-1 page. That page says you can view your Social Security Statement online by creating an account and signing in with SSA.

TTY: The phone number SSA lists for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Your Retirement Checklist lists the TTY number as 1-800-325-0778.

This page is general information only.

Only the Social Security Administration decides your benefits.