SLEDGE: How early should I apply for benefits?

Ned Sledge is a Social Security Public Affairs Specialist in Richmond. Questions about Social Security issues may be directed to him by e-mailing .
Published: September 25, 2008

Q: How early should I apply for social security benefits? I turn 66 the end of next June and will be eligible for full benefits. Can I do it all online?
When I applied for [Medicare] A I gathered documents and went into the office.  I was then told I had to make a phone appointment. They were not interested in my documents. Appointment was made and someone called me at home.  I thought it strange. Web site said you had to have proof of birth, etc. Thanks. — Elaine M., Harrisonburg
A: Are you planning on continuing to work at JMU? (You can, by the way, and from June 2009 on there’s no longer any restriction on how much you can earn and still get all your Social Security benefits.) If you’re going to keep working, either there or elsewhere, and will have health insurance through your job, then you’ll probably want to waive Medicare Part B and pick it up later when you stop work. As long as you’re covered at work, that insurance is the primary source of your health coverage; Medicare remains secondary until you stop working. No problem about that with Part A, since there’s no premium to be paid. But most folks in that position don’t care to pay the Part B premium, which is $96.40 a month in 2008, and even more in 2009 — and it’s the same amount whether Medicare is primary or secondary. So the law lets you refuse Part B while working, and start it up later when you stop. Just make sure to apply for Part B about three months before your first month of non-work.
Now to your first question: We’ve always recommended applying about three months before retirement. Fact is, it rarely takes more than a few moments to process most retirement applications these days, but there’s always the unusual case (hopefully not yours), and it’s best to have plenty of time to straighten things out before the money is due, to avoid delays in payment. So I’d file in about March or April 2009, if I were you.
And you absolutely can do it online — bless you for asking! Persuading people to do just that is Social Security’s big drive these days, and my “core mission” as the public affairs officer. We’ve worked hard to make http://www.socialsecurity.gov a great place to go for retirement planning (especially the new retirement estimator to get a quick, simple and accurate benefit estimate; and check out the questions link on the homepage, where an answer to the most common questions about SSA can usually be found); filing for benefits; and reporting changes once you’re receiving benefits — a change of address, for example.
The reason they weren’t interested in your documents (don’t take it personally, though) is that, in order to encourage more people to use the online application procedure, SSA has streamlined the process and eliminated the need to submit a birth certificate so long as your alleged date of birth and citizenship data agrees with our records (it usually does, of course). Since the birth certificate was normally the only document we needed to see when a retirement claim was filed, that meant — no more documents needed! And you’re not the only one to find it strange. Old-timers like me find it almost bizarre that what was once almost an obsession is now practically dismissed with a snap of the fingers. But then, maybe the old way was a tad obsessive, after all.