Pre-Retirees Build Buffers After 7,500 SSA Cuts Delay Social Security Checks
Updated
Updated · AOL · Oct 24
Pre-Retirees Build Buffers After 7,500 SSA Cuts Delay Social Security Checks
1 articles · Updated · AOL · Oct 24
Summary
62 is the average U.S. retirement age, but many people do not claim Social Security until 64 or 65, leaving a gap that pre-retirees are now being urged to fund in advance.
7,500 Social Security Administration job cuts have worsened already strained processing, with applicants reporting approvals taking more than 30 days, repeated calls and hold times of 45 minutes or longer.
6 weeks or less is the SSA’s standard timeline after application review, and the first payment typically arrives a month after the chosen start date, though applicants can file up to four months early.
Bridge plans center on a stripped-down budget, calculating the exact weeks until the first deposit, and parking the final paycheck in liquid savings to stretch cash through possible delays.