As a newcomer to this community, I want to add my thanks for this incredibly enlightening discussion! I'm 61 and have been wrestling with this exact question after getting conflicting advice from multiple sources. My financial advisor actually told me I should claim at 62 to "lock in" the upcoming COLA increase, which had me really confused. Reading through everyone's experiences here - especially those who got direct confirmation from SSA representatives - has completely cleared this up for me. It's remarkable how consistent the official answer is: COLA adjustments are automatically applied to your Primary Insurance Amount from age 62 onward, whether you're actively collecting benefits or not. What really sealed it for me was seeing the math breakdown that several people shared. When you compare typical COLA increases (2-4% annually) to the guaranteed delayed retirement credits (8% per year after FRA), it becomes crystal clear that waiting is often the financially superior strategy for those who can afford it. I'm honestly shocked at how widespread this COLA misconception is - it sounds like even some financial professionals get this wrong! It makes me wonder how many people are making suboptimal claiming decisions based on this misinformation. Thanks to everyone who took the time to verify these facts through official channels. This community is providing such a valuable service by documenting these real experiences and helping people make informed decisions based on accurate information rather than well-meaning but incorrect advice.

As a newcomer to this community, I want to express my gratitude for such a thorough and informative discussion! I'm 64 and have been facing intense pressure from my entire extended family to claim my benefits immediately because they're convinced I'll "lose out" on the COLA increase if I wait. Reading through all these detailed responses has been incredibly reassuring. The consistency across multiple verification methods - direct SSA phone calls, in-person office visits, and official documentation - leaves no doubt that COLA adjustments are automatically applied to your Primary Insurance Amount from age 62 forward, regardless of when you actually start collecting. What really opened my eyes was the mathematical comparison that keeps coming up throughout this thread: typical COLA increases of 2-4% versus the guaranteed 8% annual delayed retirement credits after FRA. When you see those numbers side by side, it's obvious that this COLA myth isn't just factually wrong - it's potentially leading people to make costly financial mistakes by claiming early unnecessarily. I had no idea how pervasive this misconception was until reading everyone's similar experiences with family pressure. It's almost become like conventional wisdom that gets passed down despite being completely incorrect. Thank you to everyone who endured those frustrating SSA hold times and office visits to get the official facts. This community is invaluable for cutting through misinformation and helping people make truly informed decisions about their financial futures!

Welcome to the community! As a newcomer here, I've been following this thread closely because I'm in a somewhat similar situation. I delayed my benefits for 5 months past my FRA and started collecting in January 2025, so I'm just beginning this whole DRC waiting process. Reading through everyone's experiences has been incredibly helpful and reassuring. It's clear that these processing delays are completely normal, and the variation in timing (anywhere from February to April) seems to be standard across different cases and delay periods. What really stands out to me is how important it seems to be to call and verify that SSA has calculated your delay months correctly. Several people mentioned initial calculation errors that had to be corrected, so it's definitely worth the effort to get through to an agent and confirm your case details. @aa0a55660898 thank you so much for posting this question and providing the update after calling! It's been really valuable to follow your experience in real-time. For those of us just starting this process, knowing that agents can confirm which batch your case is in provides a lot of peace of mind. I'm planning to call next week using the timing suggestions from @65c6793a02e7 about Tuesday-Thursday mornings. Even though I'm early in the process, I want to make sure they have my 5 months calculated correctly from the start. The 3.33% increase will definitely be worth ensuring everything is set up properly!

As a newcomer to this community, I have to say this thread has been absolutely invaluable! I'm currently facing a very similar situation - I delayed my Social Security benefits for 6.5 months past my FRA and started collecting in December 2024. My January payment was the same as my previous payments, so I was starting to get worried that something had gone wrong with my DRC calculation. Reading through everyone's real-world experiences here has been such a relief. It's clear that these 2-4 month processing delays are completely standard, regardless of how many months you delayed. The pattern seems to be that SSA processes these adjustments in batches throughout Q1, and the timing appears somewhat random rather than based on delay length or other factors. @aa0a55660898 thank you so much for posting this question and especially for the update after you successfully reached SSA! Knowing that agents can actually confirm which processing batch your case is assigned to gives me confidence to try calling myself. I'm expecting about a 4.33% increase (6.5 months × 0.667%), so I definitely want to verify they have my delay period calculated correctly. I'm going to follow the advice from @65c6793a02e7 about calling Tuesday-Thursday mornings around 8-9 AM to avoid the worst hold times. Based on everyone's experiences, it seems like the key is getting confirmation that SSA has the correct number of delay months in their system before they process the batch. This community is amazing for sharing these real experiences rather than trying to decipher SSA's confusing official information. Thanks to everyone who's contributed their stories - it makes navigating this process so much less stressful!

I'm new to this community but wanted to share my experience since it might help! I had my spousal benefit appointment about 3 months ago and was terrified about missing the call too. They ended up calling from a number that looked like a local business - nothing that would indicate it was Social Security at all. What really saved me was that I had called SSA the day before my appointment (took forever to get through, but I finally did around 7 AM) and asked them to note in my file that I was concerned about missing the call due to call blocking. The representative was actually really understanding and said she'd put a note to try calling twice if I didn't answer the first time. Sure enough, when appointment time came, I missed the first call because I was in the bathroom! But they called back about 5 minutes later and I was able to answer. The whole process took about 40 minutes and was much less stressful than I expected once we got started. Since you're already 67 and past your FRA, you should get the full spousal benefit without any reductions. In my case, it increased my monthly benefit by almost $400, and I also got several months of back payments since I was eligible earlier but hadn't applied yet. Good luck with your appointment - it sounds like you're super well prepared! All the advice in this thread is excellent.

I'm new to this community and this thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm in a similar situation - need to apply for spousal benefits but have been putting it off because the phone system seemed so intimidating. Reading everyone's experiences and tips here has really given me the confidence to move forward with scheduling my own appointment. The advice about temporarily disabling all call blocking features, answering every call during the appointment window, and having a backup plan to call SSA directly if they don't call within 30 minutes is exactly what I needed to hear. It's also reassuring to know that the representatives are understanding about these phone issues and that the actual application process is straightforward once you get connected. For those mentioning the potential for significant monthly increases and retroactive payments - that really drives home how important it is to not keep delaying this process. Joshua, your systematic preparation approach is inspiring and I'm definitely going to follow a similar game plan when I schedule my appointment. Thank you to everyone who has shared their experiences and tips. This community is such a valuable resource for navigating these complicated government processes! Good luck with your Tuesday appointment Joshua - please do update us on how it goes!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm so grateful to have discovered this incredibly comprehensive thread! I'm 59 and will be facing this same decision in a few years after my 14-year marriage ended recently. Reading through everyone's detailed experiences has been more educational than anything I've found on official websites. The step-by-step approach that's crystallized from all your shared experiences is exactly what I needed: creating the my Social Security account first, visiting the local SSA office early in the morning with all documentation ready, and requesting printed benefit estimates at multiple claiming ages. I had no idea about so many crucial details - the earnings test implications (since I plan to continue working part-time), the deemed filing process, and especially that ex-spouse benefits don't receive delayed retirement credits past full retirement age. Those real dollar amounts people have shared, like the $180 monthly difference between claiming at 63 vs 64, make this so much more tangible than just reading percentages on government sites. It's also reassuring to learn that my ex doesn't need to have filed for his benefits yet since we've been divorced for over 2 years. I'm bookmarking this entire thread as my go-to resource and feel so much more confident about navigating this process when my time comes. Thank you all for being so generous with sharing your real-world experiences and creating such a supportive community for those of us dealing with these complex financial decisions!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm amazed by how comprehensive and helpful this entire discussion has been! I'm 60 and will be eligible for ex-spouse benefits in a couple of years after my 10-year marriage ended. This thread has provided more practical, actionable guidance than months of trying to decipher government websites on my own. The systematic approach everyone has outlined is incredibly valuable: creating the my Social Security account online first, visiting the local SSA office early in the morning with all necessary documentation, and requesting printed benefit estimates at multiple claiming ages. I had no idea about so many critical factors - the earnings test (which will definitely apply to me since I'm planning to work part-time), the deemed filing rules, and especially that ex-spouse benefits don't grow with delayed retirement credits past full retirement age like regular benefits do. The real dollar examples people have shared, particularly that $180 monthly difference between claiming at 63 vs 64, really help translate those percentages into concrete financial decisions. It's also reassuring to learn that my ex doesn't need to have filed for his benefits yet as long as we've been divorced for over 2 years (which we have). I'm saving this entire thread as my reference guide and feel so much more prepared to navigate this process when my time comes. Thank you all for creating such a supportive environment and for being so generous with sharing your real-world experiences - this community is truly special for how it helps people through these complex life transitions!

I'm going through almost the exact same situation! Filed my retirement application on January 7th and I'm now at week 6 with the same "processing" status. This entire thread has been such a lifesaver - I had no idea about the COLA processing delays or that January is typically their busiest month for new applications. Like many others here, the complete silence from SSA was really starting to worry me, but reading everyone's experiences shows this is completely normal. I was beginning to think my application got lost or I made some error during submission. The text alert suggestion is genius - I've been checking MySocialSecurity obsessively multiple times per day! And learning that we'll receive full backpay once approved really takes away the financial stress I was feeling. Based on all the timelines shared here, it sounds like those of us who filed in early January should see movement in the next couple of weeks. This community support has made the waiting so much more manageable - thank you to everyone for sharing your experiences and helping newcomers understand what's normal with current SSA processing times!

I'm new to this community but wanted to share that I'm going through a very similar experience right now! I filed my retirement application on January 20th and I'm currently at about 5 weeks with the same "processing" status that everyone is describing. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly reassuring - I had no idea that January applications specifically face these delays due to COLA adjustments and high application volumes. Like many others here, the complete silence from SSA was starting to make me really anxious, but seeing so many people with nearly identical timelines shows this is just the current reality. I'm definitely going to set up those text alerts that several people mentioned since I've also been obsessively checking MySocialSecurity multiple times daily! And learning about the automatic backpay once approved really helps ease the financial concerns. Based on all the experiences shared here, it sounds like those of us who filed in mid-to-late January should expect to see movement in the next few weeks. This thread has been such a valuable resource for understanding what's normal with SSA processing right now. Thank you to everyone for sharing your experiences and creating such a supportive discussion!