When you applied for Social Security benefits, how long did it take to hear back from them?

[ilovesarah2012]

I applied for Social Security online on June 9, three months before my 62nd birthday. I have not heard anything and when I check online, it says no decision has been made yet. I called and wen through the prompts just to be told no decisions had been made and I could "hold" for a representative. I held for about 15 minutes but had to go to work and haven't tried to call back.

I want to give my notice at work but not until I am sure I will be receiving my money.

Just looking for others' experiences with Social Security.

Thanks.

[mountn man]

Relax. The IRS is looking into it.

[SWAMPSNIPER]

It was 7 months between my application and the first check.

[CIB-173RDABN]

I applied on line and was surprised to get a call the next day confirming the information. This was followed up by a letter. I had no problem.

My wife applied on line and got a call within a few days confirming the information.

So you may want to wait to talk to someone.

[TruthWillWin]

Seems like it was about 6 weeks to hear I was approved. Much longer to get the first check but when it arrived was for three months.

[CIB-173RDABN]

I should add this was five years ago

[2ndDivisionVet]

Try waiting 2 to 4 years to hear back from the US Department of Veteran’s Affairs sometime.

[oldoverholt]

I had almost exactly the same experience...

[rktman]

I went for it at 64 plus a couple months and contacted them a couple of months prior to that. Don’t recall the response time but there was a field office near where we lived so I did visit them also. The only real hassle I’ve had was them raising my Part B due to my adjusted gross income from my IRS return from 2 years prior. Ain’t no way I make that kind of money now so I provided them the latest tax return and they relented. Then due to some IRA/401k distributions they did it to me again. Another tax return. Problem alleviated for the time being. I wish my income was what they thought it was in retirement. LOL! Good luck.

[CARTOUCHE]

I applied online and was called by a regional office somewhere a few days later telling me I had the choice of taking more thru my late ex-wife’s account or taking my own. I took hers and received my first pymt a month later.

I’m near certain she has her bony white fingers encircling my neck. I consider it reparations.

[ilovesarah2012]

I fear Obama reads my Facebook posts and I’ll never see a dime.

[robowombat]

This is unusual. SSA is pretty efficient. I would recommend you visit your local SSA office.

[macglencoe]

Don’t hold your breath, they’re trying to raise the early retirement age.

[livius]

I don’t think it’s anything personal. Online is usually ok, but sometimes there are problems with it, and IIRC they give you a number or a website to track your application and follow up on it.

Go back to the site and look for that, or just call them and ask about it. If you’re applying at this age, they probably put it in the non-urgent category. I really don’t think Obama has gotten down to the level of denying SS to Freepers (not that this couldn’t happen someday, but not yet!).

[dforest]

My husband went to the local SSA office about 3 months before his 66th birthday. He had a choice of taking it right then or waiting until January. If he took it before he was 66, he gets paid less so he waited because the difference covered the Medicare Part B charges.

[Stentor]

If it's RSDI, your month of entitlement will be October because you have to be age 62 for a full month. You get paid on the first Wednesday of November based on a birth date of the 9th. I have it on good authority ( I called someone who works there) that their office is currently working on July entitlement dates. One of her pet peeves is that they will tell you online that you should hear something in 5 days and she gets non stop calls from panicked people because it doesn't always happen that way. RSDI people almost always get paid on time. It's the disability claims that can take while. Doesn't help you with your notice problem, I know.

[yarddog]

I worked as a claims rep for Social Security way back in the early 70s before transferring to another agency.

Basically there are two things they need to verify. First, your age. That is typically done by obtaining the original form SS-15 from when you first applied for a number. Next would be your birth certificate. Those two would be enough.

The other thing is to verify you earnings which they usually already have on file.

If those two things are satisfied, you should get your first check pretty quick.

Back in my day, if you did not apply by age 65, Social Security would send a letter telling you that you can do so.

[Don Corleone]

If they know you’re a Freeper you’ll probably never get it.

[savedbygrace]

Because you already have income for 2014, your SS benefits payments might not be paid for every month of the remainder of 2014. SS calculates your income for the current year, and if it is more than the maximum amount of non-SS income they allow for a year, you will not receive SS benefits payments until the amount of extra income is made up for in withheld benefits payments.

I also applied at 62 YO, and that’s what a SS rep told me. I canceled my request and will apply again when I’m 66, so I can earn as much extra income as I can without that penalty.

[House Atreides]

This may have some information you need.

http://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v62n3/v62n3p51.pdf