Why choosing the wrong Social Security filing channel could cost you thousands in retirement benefits
The Social Security Administration (SSA) urges first-time filers to apply for retirement benefits online, describing it as the quickest way to sign up for monthly payments.
How do I apply for retirement online?
A program with nearly 58 million beneficiaries across the U.S., Social Security retirement is available to workers who are 62 years old or above and have contributed payroll taxes for at least 10 years. You can apply up to four months before your chosen month of enrollment.
Your opening payment then arrives the month after you become a beneficiary.
For example, if you want to get your first retirement payment in April 2027, you can start your application from November 2026, choosing March 2027 as your enrollment month. For further information on how to time your application, take a look at this online SSA tool.
While there are certain cases in which the SSA does not allow online applications, it is the “easiest” method for most claimants, the agency says. To apply online, you’ll need to log into the SSA’s “my Social Security” online portal, or create an account here.
You can then fill out your online application on this page, where you’ll also find a list of the information you will need to provide.
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What other ways are there to apply?
You can also apply for retirement benefits by telephone at 1-800-772-1213, or at a Social Security office. However, online filing is the “fastest, most convenient way”, the SSA insists.
In this handbook on how to apply via the internet, the SSA explains: “You can start your [online] application immediately. There is no need to schedule an appointment. You can apply from the convenience of your home or office using your preferred device. You can avoid trips to a Social Security office, saving you time and money.”
“That is $2,400 you do not recover”
As the financial journalist Gerelyn Terzo notes in an article for 24/7 Wall St., applying in-person is particularly vulnerable to delays, given the need to make an appointment before visiting a Social Security office. “Those meetings are often booked one to two months out,” Terzo warns.
Since applications typically take several weeks to review once submitted, a long wait for an appointment increases the risk that the process could drag on beyond a claimant’s desired enrollment month. That outcome, in turn, leads to lost benefits.
“If your […] benefit is $2,400 a month and you lose a single month of payments to processing delays, that is $2,400 you do not recover,” Terzo says.
How much are Social Security retirement benefits?
As of August 2026, the average retired worker qualified for a monthly Social Security benefit of $2,087.52, per SSA stats.
Although you can begin receiving retirement after you turn 62, you can increase your monthly benefit amount by waiting until a later age before applying. If you hold off until what’s known as ‘full retirement age’ (FRA) – for anyone born in 1960 or later, FRA is 67 – you receive 100% of your benefits entitlement.
What’s more, you can increase your monthly payment yet further by waiting beyond your FRA, up to a maximum age of 70. Check out how your retirement age affects your benefit by using this calculator on the SSA website.
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