You can generally begin retirement benefits as early as age 62. Starting before your full retirement age reduces your monthly benefit. Waiting beyond full retirement age increases it through delayed retirement credits, up to age 70. Waiting beyond age 70 does not earn additional delayed retirement credits. [1]

Your full retirement age depends on your year of birth. Review estimates at several claiming ages rather than assuming that the earliest or latest age is automatically best. [1]

Social Security bases your retirement benefit generally on your highest 35 years of indexed earnings. The age you begin benefits then affects the monthly amount you receive. [2]

Check your Social Security earnings record for missing or incorrect information. If you have fewer than 35 years of earnings, years without earnings can affect your estimate. Additional years of work may replace lower-earning years in the calculation. [2]

Not necessarily. Claiming earlier may provide income for more years, while waiting may provide a larger monthly payment later. The comparison depends on your cash needs, health, family longevity, and other resources. [1]

Consider what you would use to pay expenses while waiting. Drawing more heavily from savings or continuing to work has its own effects. The decision is about your overall retirement plan, not simply which age produces the largest monthly check.

Each spouse may have a retirement benefit based on their own work history. Depending on eligibility, one spouse may also qualify for a benefit based on the other spouse’s record. Comparing the household’s options requires looking at both people’s benefit estimates and claiming ages. [3]

It is helpful to consider what happens while both spouses are alive and what income remains if one spouse dies. A decision that increases income today may have a different effect on the surviving spouse later. [4]

A surviving spouse may qualify for a benefit based on the deceased spouse’s earnings record. The amount depends on the circumstances, including when the deceased worker claimed and when the survivor begins survivor benefits. [4]

For a married couple, the higher earner’s claiming decision can be particularly significant because it may affect income available after the first death. Survivor benefits and a person’s own retirement benefit are not simply added together. Review both possibilities when comparing claiming strategies. [4]

Possibly. A divorced spouse generally must have been married to the worker for at least 10 years to qualify for divorced-spouse benefits. Other requirements concerning age, marital status, and benefit eligibility also apply. Surviving divorced-spouse benefits have their own rules. [5]

If you may qualify, ask Social Security to review your specific circumstances. Do not assume that having a benefit on your own work record makes a former spouse’s record irrelevant. [5]

Yes. If you claim before full retirement age and continue working, Social Security may withhold some benefits when your earnings exceed the applicable annual limit. A different limit applies in the year you reach full retirement age. Beginning with the month you reach full retirement age, earnings no longer reduce your benefit under the earnings test. [6]

Benefits withheld because of the earnings test are not necessarily lost permanently. Social Security recalculates your benefit at full retirement age to account for months when benefits were withheld. The earnings limits change over time, so use the limits for the year you plan to claim. [6]

You may. The taxable portion depends on your filing status and other income. The calculation uses combined income, which includes adjusted gross income, tax-exempt interest, and one-half of Social Security benefits. Depending on your circumstances, up to 85% of your benefits may be included in taxable income. [7]

That does not mean Social Security benefits are taxed at an 85% rate. IRA withdrawals, pensions, wages, and other income can change how much of your benefits is taxable. Review the total projected tax bill when planning withdrawals or Roth conversions. [7]

Social Security retirement benefits and Medicare enrollment are related, but they are separate decisions. Some people are enrolled in Medicare automatically because they are already receiving Social Security benefits. Others need to take action to enroll when eligible. [8]

Do not assume that delaying Social Security means you should delay Medicare. Medicare enrollment timing depends in part on your age and other health coverage, including whether you or a spouse has coverage through current employment. Review those rules separately before making a claiming decision. [8]

Delaying benefits can increase the monthly Social Security payment, but it may require you to use more savings in the meantime. Whether that trade-off makes sense depends on your available assets, investment risk, expected spending, and other income. [1]

Compare both sides of the decision: the withdrawals needed while waiting and the higher benefit you would receive later. The answer should also account for a spouse’s potential survivor benefit where applicable. [1, 4]

Revisit your claiming plan. A change in health, employment, household income, or a spouse’s circumstances may change which option best supports your goals. Social Security encourages considering personal and family circumstances when deciding when to start benefits. [1]

You can make projections before claiming, but you do not have to commit years in advance. As your intended start date approaches, refresh your benefit estimates and review your current financial situation. [1]

There are limited ways to change course. Social Security generally allows an eligible person to withdraw an application within 12 months after benefit approval, but payments received by that person and family members generally must be repaid. An eligible person who has reached full retirement age may instead request a suspension of retirement benefits before age 70. The options have different requirements and consequences. [9, 10]

Do not assume you can freely undo a claiming decision. Contact Social Security before taking action, particularly if family members receive benefits on your record or Medicare premiums are deducted from your payment. [9, 10]