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Why does my client's Social Security strategy reflect a claiming date that has already passed?

The Social Security Administration allows certain workers up to six months to file retroactively.

Why can a suggested claiming date be in the past?

Social Security permits some applications to include a retroactive month of entitlement. For retirement benefits, an eligible applicant can generally request up to six months of retroactivity, but not a month before full retirement age (FRA). A retroactive election can reduce the delayed retirement credits included in the ongoing benefit.

Survivor and disability benefits have additional rules and exceptions. Confirm eligibility and the requested month of entitlement with SSA before filing. See SSA's retroactivity rules.

Read the claim instructions in Covisum Suite

  1. Open the client in Covisum Suite and select Social Security Timing > Results.
  2. Review the selected strategy's Claim Instructions. Distinguish the application date from the requested month of election.
  3. Review Cash Flows to see the modeled benefit timing. A past month of entitlement does not mean the client already received those payments.
  4. Confirm the requested election month and any retroactive lump-sum payment with SSA.

Current Suite example

This example was generated on October 20, 2026 for Alex, a single client born January 2, 1959, with longevity 78 and a $2,000 monthly benefit at age 67. The statement date is October 20, 2026; the analysis uses the default 2.4% inflation and 4% discount assumptions.

Suite recommends applying in October 2026 and requesting an election month of April 2026, at age 67 and 3 months, for an estimated monthly benefit of approximately $2,039. April is six months before the analysis month and after Alex's FRA.

The instructions describe the regular payment schedule associated with that election month. Since this is a retroactive application, SSA determines the actual first payment and any lump sum for prior months. The client should not interpret the historical first-check date as a payment already received.

This is an illustrative case, not a recommendation for every client. Longevity, benefit amounts, claiming dates, and assumptions can change the suggested strategy. For a different election month, use Create Alternate and compare the results.