I received a letter from Social Security in July 2019, stating that I was getting ready to turn 70, October 27, 2019 and I should come into the office. I made an appointment for July 19, 2019 at 1:30 pm. I talked to the Representative and got some options. The Representative told me she would send me a paper in the mail letting me know how much I would receive from the SSA. I never applied for Social Security Benefits. I did give her my bank information. I was getting ready to pay my monthly bills checked my banking account on July 24, 2019 and to my surprise Social Security had put a check into my account for $17,701.60. I was trying to wait until my 70th birthday which was 3 months away. What do I do. I wanted to wait until I am 70 years old. I did not fill out an application. Juliet

Hi Juliet,

It sounds like you must have applied for benefits without realizing it. You don't have to complete any forms in order to apply for benefits when you file in person at a Social Security office. Instead, a Social Security claims representative asks you a series of questions and completes an electronic application for you. The claims representative should, however, have given you a copy of the completed application and asked you to attest to the information at the end of the interview.

Assuming that you did accidentally file for benefits during your recent interview and chose to accept retroactive benefits, you can either a) ask to change your month of entitlement to the month you turn age 70, or b) withdraw your application and reapply effective with the month you reach age 70. Either way, you'd need to re-contact Social Security and repay any Social Security benefits that you've been paid so far. Changing your month of entitlement would probably be the easier of the 2 options, which you can do by contacting Social Security (https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0200204047). You will need to sign a written request to change your month of entitlement, but the Social Security claims representative with whom you speak can give you the appropriate form.

Best, Jerry