Q: I am ready to file for Social Security retirement. What do I need to know?
A: Being ready to file for retirement should include that you have estimated your benefit amount using Retirement Planner tools in the SSA Retirement Benefits section at www.socialsecurity.gov/retire , researched your questions, created a personal my Social Security account and used it to review your earnings record on your Statement for accuracy.
Many Social Security retirement and other applications are completed online. You can file for Medicare online, even if not retiring yet. SSA representatives, sometimes but not usually from your local office, review online applications and contact you if needed. The online application is linked from the Retirement Benefits page.
Clicking on the “Apply for Retirement Benefits” link brings you to helpful information, including a short video introduction.
Compete the entire application at one time or save it to complete later as you prefer. Status of your completed application can be checked online. Other options are filing by telephone or in-person at your local office.
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For these an appointment is recommended and can be made by calling the SSA national toll-free number, 800-772-1213 (TTY 800-325-0778), from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. local time, Monday-Friday, standard business days.
Complete your application about 3 months before you want benefits to start. Retirement applications for January 2016 are already being processed.
However you complete your application, reviewing the checklist in the “Apply for Retirement Benefits” will be helpful. SSA benefits for a month are received the following month.
Specific questions depend on your situation. For example, if married, expect to provide the name of your spouse and date of marriage. Details about previous marriages are asked. There are questions about military service dates and recent employment.
To establish direct deposit of benefits to your bank, have available the bank routing number and your account number. These questions are to help you receive all benefits possible.
Based in Grand Forks, Howard I. Kossover is the Social Security Public Affairs Specialist for North Dakota and western Minnesota. Send general interest questions to him at howard.kossover@ssa.gov . Read his online articles at http://socialsecurityinfo.areavoices.com .
