April brings an early arrival for Social Security payments due to the calendar's quirks. Beneficiaries should be aware of the adjusted schedule to ensure they receive their funds on time.

However, you should know that for each month you claim Social Security before reaching full retirement age, your benefits are reduced permanently. And if your full retirement age is 67, which is the case if you were born in 1960 or later, then claiming Social Security at 62 means slashing your monthly checks by roughly 30%.

Social Security benefits will be paid to millions of recipients this month—but there are some important changes that beneficiaries should be aware of. April marks the first month that boosted benefits will be paid out to those who were formally impacted by the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO).