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Andy Markowitz is an AARP senior writer and editor covering Social Security and retirement. He is a former editor of the Prague Post and Baltimore City Paper.
The earliest you can apply for Social Security retirement benefits is four months before the month you want your benefits to start, and the earliest your benefits can start is your first full month as a 62-year-old. So, if you turn 62 in June 2026, you can apply as early as March for your payments to begin in July.
There is an exception: If you were born on the first or second day of a month, your payments can begin in that month.
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For example, if you were born on Oct. 1 or 2, 1964, Social Security considers you to be 62 as of Sept. 30 or Oct. 1, 2026. You can apply for benefits in June, and they would begin in October.
But if you were born between Oct. 3 and 31, your first full month at 62 is November. If you want to start your benefits as soon as possible, you can apply in July.
Keep in mind
- There is a one-month lag in benefit payments. If your birthday is Oct. 1 or 2, the first payment you qualify for is your October benefit and it will be paid in November. If you were born later in October, your first benefit month is November, and you will be paid in December.
- By filing at 62, or any time before you reach full retirement age, you forfeit a portion of your monthly benefit. If you were born in 1964 or later, for instance, filing at 62 could reduce your monthly payment by as much as 30 percent. AARP’s Social Security Benefits Calculator can provide more details on how filing early affects benefits.
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