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how early can you take social security benefits

by Bernhard Koss IV Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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age 62

When should you begin taking social security?

The answer depends on a few factors:

  • Whether you plan to work between age 62 and your full retirement age
  • Your life expectancy
  • Your marital status
  • Your desire to protect your purchasing power should you live longer than you might expect

When should you start collecting Social Security?

You can receive benefits as early as age 62, but your monthly payments will be reduced by 25% to 30% from your full benefits, depending on the year you were born. Or you can delay receiving benefits until as late as age 70, and your monthly payments will increase by 8% for every year you wait past your full retirement age.

When does it make sense to collect Social Security early?

You can begin collecting your Social Security benefits as early as age 62, but you'll get smaller monthly payments for the rest of your life if you do. Even so, claiming benefits early can be a sensible choice for people in certain circumstances. Investopedia requires writers to use primary sources to support their work.

When you should file early for Social Security?

Key Takeaways

  • You can collect Social Security as early as age 62, but your benefits will be permanently reduced. ...
  • The longer you can afford to wait after age 62 (up to 70), the larger the monthly benefit. ...
  • Doing a breakeven analysis can help you determine when you would come out ahead by delaying benefits.

More items...

What are the advantages and disadvantages of taking your retirement benefits before your full retirement age?

What happens if you delay your retirement?

Is it better to collect your retirement benefits before retirement?

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Can I retire at 55 and collect Social Security?

Can you retire at 55 to receive Social Security? Unfortunately, the answer is no. The earliest age you can begin receiving Social Security retirement benefits is 62.

When can you collect Social Security at 62?

You can apply up to four months before you want your retirement benefits to start. For example, if you turn 62 on December 2, you can start your benefits as early as December. If you want your benefits to start in December, you can apply in August.

Is it better to take Social Security at 62 or 67?

The short answer is yes. Retirees who begin collecting Social Security at 62 instead of at the full retirement age (67 for those born in 1960 or later) can expect their monthly benefits to be 30% lower. So, delaying claiming until 67 will result in a larger monthly check.

How much Social Security will I get at age 65?

If you start collecting your benefits at age 65 you could receive approximately $33,773 per year or $2,814 per month. This is 44.7% of your final year's income of $75,629. This is only an estimate. Actual benefits depend on work history and the complete compensation rules used by Social Security.

Why retiring at 62 is a good idea?

Probably the biggest indicator that it's really ok to retire early is that your debts are paid off, or they're very close to it. Debt-free living, financial freedom, or whichever way you choose to refer it, means you've fulfilled all or most of your obligations, and you'll be under much less strain in the years ahead.

Can I draw Social Security at 62 and still work full time?

Can You Collect Social Security at 62 and Still Work? You can collect Social Security retirement benefits at age 62 and still work. If you earn over a certain amount, however, your benefits will be temporarily reduced until you reach full retirement age.

What is the best age to retire?

When asked when they plan to retire, most people say between 65 and 67. But according to a Gallup survey the average age that people actually retire is 61.

How do I retire at 62 with health insurance?

If you retire at 62, you'll need to make sure you can afford health insurance until age 65 when your Medicare benefits begin. 5 (If you have a disability, you can qualify early.) With the Affordable Care Act, you are guaranteed to get coverage even if you have a pre-existing condition.

How much Social Security will I get if I make 20000 a year?

If you earned $20,000 for half a career, then your average monthly earnings will be $833. In this case, your Social Security payment will be a full 90% of that amount, or almost $750 per month, if you retire at full retirement age.

How much Social Security will I get if I make $60000 a year?

That adds up to $2,096.48 as a monthly benefit if you retire at full retirement age. Put another way, Social Security will replace about 42% of your past $60,000 salary. That's a lot better than the roughly 26% figure for those making $120,000 per year.

How much Social Security will I get if I make $100000 a year?

Based on our calculation of a $2,790 Social Security benefit, this means that someone who averages a $100,000 salary throughout their career can expect Social Security to provide $33,480 in annual income if they claim at full retirement age.

Is Social Security based on the last 5 years of work?

A: Your Social Security payment is based on your best 35 years of work. And, whether we like it or not, if you don't have 35 years of work, the Social Security Administration (SSA) still uses 35 years and posts zeros for the missing years, says Andy Landis, author of Social Security: The Inside Story, 2016 Edition.

2022 Social Security Changes - COLA Fact Sheet

Fact Sheet SOCIAL SECURITY . Social Security National Press Office Baltimore, MD . 2022 SOCIAL SECURITY CHANGES . Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA):

Benefits Planner: Retirement | Retirement Age Calculator | SSA

Why Did the Full Retirement Age Change? Full retirement age, also called "normal retirement age," was 65 for many years. In 1983, Congress passed a law to gradually raise the age because people are living longer and are generally healthier in older age.

Social Security COLA 2022: How Much Will Benefits Increase?

How the COLA is calculated. The actual COLA will depend on the increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, or the CPI-W, an official measure of the monthly price change in a market basket of goods and services, including food, energy and medical care. The Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks both the CPI-W and its better-known cousin, the CPI-U — the ...

Social Security Calculator (2022 Update) - SmartAsset

Annual Income: We assume that your income in the future increases by the rate if inflation and your income in the past is discounted by the same inflation rate Indexed Earnings: We use the Social Security Administrations National Average Wage Index to index wages for the social security benefit calculation Working Years: We assume that you have worked and paid Social Security taxes for 35 ...

Retirement Calculator

Retirement Calculator. Our Retirement Calculator can help a person plan the financial aspects of retirement. Each calculation can be used individually for quick and simple calculations, or in chronological order as a more comprehensive walkthrough of retirement planning.

How long do you have to wait to get Medicare if you are 65?

The Social Security Administration (SSA) also cautions that even if you delay receiving Social Security benefits until after age 65, you might still need to apply for Medicare benefits within three months of turning 65 to avoid paying higher premiums for life for Medicare Part B and Part D.

How much is a month of benefits at 62?

If, for example, you’d get $1,500 a month starting at age 62 or $2,000 a month starting at age 66, you will have received roughly the same amount in total benefits by age 77 or so. At that point the higher monthly benefits you’d get as a result of waiting will begin to pay off.

How much extra insurance do you get at 70?

If you wait until you’re 70 to start claiming benefits, you’ll get an extra 8% per year , or, in total, 132% of your primary insurance amount ($2,640 per month in the example above) for the rest of your life.

How much is my unemployment check at 62?

In other words, you’ll get 25% less per month, and your check will be $1,500. 1 .

Can a spouse get Social Security if they don't work?

Spouses who don’t qualify for their own Social Security. Spouses who didn’t work at a paid job or didn’t earn enough credits to qualify for Social Security on their own are eligible to receive benefits starting at age 62 based on their spouse’s record.

Do marginal tax rates affect Social Security?

At today’s marginal tax rates, they may not have much of an impact on most people. Still, tax rates and income thresholds can change, so it’s worth remembering that you will lose less of your Social Security to taxes if you are in a lower marginal tax bracket when you begin to collect.

Is Social Security taxable?

Your Social Security benefits may be partially taxable if your combined income exceeds certain thresholds. Regardless of how much you make, the first 15% of your benefits are not taxed. 10 

How long can you wait to collect SSA?

Source: SSA. You can earn delayed retirement credits each month that you wait to collect beyond your full retirement age, up until age 70. This increases your monthly payment by two-thirds of 1% for each month that you wait—or 8% a year. 3 .

What is the first stage of retirement?

In the first stage of retirement, many people are healthy, have a lot of energy, and spend more money on hobbies, travel, and other entertainment. As a result, many newbie retirees need increased cash flow during the earlier years of retirement—and less as they get older.

What is the full retirement age?

Full retirement age is when you first become eligible for full (not reduced) Social Security retirement benefits. If you were born in 1960 or later, your full retirement age is 67. If you were born before that, the age is somewhere between 65 and 66 years and 10 months, depending on your birth year. 1 . No matter what your full retirement is, you ...

How long does a person's retirement last?

Retirement can last 20 or 30 years (or more) if you're a healthy senior, but unfortunately, many people develop illnesses as they age. That's why planning for healthcare costs in retirement is so important.

Is it better to collect Social Security or more money?

Even though more money is usually better, that's not always the case with collecting Social Security benefits. Here are four times when it might be better to forgo the larger check and start collecting benefits sooner. 1. You're in Poor Health.

Is Social Security going to change?

Social Security is one of those benefits that's supposed to be around forever. But the system is in trouble, and benefits may change in the future. That worries people of all ages.

Can you collect survivor benefits if you don't live to be very old?

And, sadly, if you think you may not live to be very old, you could come out ahead on a lifetime basis. This strategy could backfire if you have a spouse. If you start collecting early, it will lower your monthly benefit. But it will also lower any survivor benefits your spouse is entitled to after you pass.

What age do you get Social Security?

The amount of benefits your statement says you will get at age 66 or 67 assumes you work until your 66th or 67th birthday. This means if you take early retirement, your benefits are likely to be less than what you see on your statement. Social Security benefits are calculated based on your highest 35 years of work history, ...

How much do you get on Social Security if you are 62?

For example, if your Social Security statement says you will get $1,100 a month at age 62, that estimate assumes you'll work until you turn 62 years old.

How are Social Security benefits calculated?

Social Security benefits are calculated based on your highest 35 years of work history, indexed for inflation. You can always retire early and still wait until later to begin your Social Security benefits. Don't forget that pension benefits and part-time work can lower the impact of the amount of money you're bringing in.

How much money will Social Security take in 2021?

If your income is higher than the earnings limit, your benefits will be reduced. In 2021, you will lose $1 for every $2 you earn if you make more than $18,960. Once you reach the year of your full retirement age, you can make up to $50,520. Social Security will then take $1 for every $3 you make. 5 .

What does it mean to retire early?

Retiring Early Means Your Benefits Will Be Impacted. Dana Anspach is a Certified Financial Planner and an expert on investing and retirement planning. She is the founder and CEO of Sensible Money, a fee-only financial planning and investment firm.

Can early retirement affect Social Security?

Dana Anspach. Updated January 14, 2021. Early retirees can miss out on thousands in Social Security benefits because they don't know or understand the rules. There are four important things you should know about how early retirement can affect your Social Security benefits.

When can I collect Social Security if I was born on the first day of the month?

For example, if you were born on Oct. 1 or 2, 1959, Social Security considers you to be 62 as of Sept. 30 or Oct. 1, 2021.

When will Social Security start in 2021?

For example, if you were born on Oct. 1 or 2, 1959, Social Security considers you to be 62 as of Sept. 30 or Oct. 1, 2021. Your benefits will start in October 2021; you can apply for benefits in June. But if you were born between Oct. 3 and 31, your first full month at 62 is November. If you want to start your benefits as soon as possible, ...

What happens if you file for Social Security at 62?

By filing at 62, or any time before you reach full retirement age, you forfeit a portion of your monthly benefit. If you were born in 1960 or later, for instance, filing at 62 could reduce your monthly payment by as much as 30 percent. AARP’s Social Security Benefits Calculator can provide more details on how filing early reduces benefits.

When will I get my unemployment benefits if I was born in October?

There is a one-month lag in the benefit payment. If your birthday is Oct. 1 or 2, you qualify for an October benefit and it will be paid in November. If you were born later in October, your first benefit month is November and you will be paid in December.

When will unemployment start in 2021?

Your benefits will start in October 2021; you can apply for benefits in June. But if you were born between Oct. 3 and 31, your first full month at 62 is November. If you want to start your benefits as soon as possible, you can apply in July. There is a one-month lag in the benefit payment.

What is the maximum amount you can earn before retirement in 2021?

If you will reach full retirement age in 2021, the limit on your earnings for the months before full retirement age is $50,520. Starting with the month you reach full retirement age, you can get your benefits with no limit on your earnings.

Can you report a change in earnings after retirement?

If you need to report a change in your earnings after you begin receiving benefits: If you receive benefits and are under full retirement age and you think your earnings will be different than what you originally told us, let us know right away. You cannot report a change of earnings online.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of taking your retirement benefits before your full retirement age?

The advantage is that you collect benefits for a longer period of time. The disadvantage is your benefit will be reduced. Each person's situation is different.

What happens if you delay your retirement?

If you delay your benefits until after full retirement age, you will be eligible for delayed retirement credits that would increase your monthly benefit. That there are other things to consider when making the decision about when to begin receiving your retirement benefits.

Is it better to collect your retirement benefits before retirement?

There are advantages and disadvantages to taking your benefit before your full retirement age. The advantage is that you collect benefits for a longer period of time. The disadvantage is your benefit will be reduced. Each person's situation is different.

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