What age is best to start taking social security?
There are many factors that can influence the best time for you:
- Are you married or single?
- What is the age difference between you and spouse, if married.
- What is the income difference between you and your spouse, if married.
- Do you have children age 18 or younger?
- Are you widowed?
- Are you still working or fully retired?
When is the optimal age to start collecting Social Security?
You can start taking it as early as age 62 (or earlier if you are a survivor of another Social Security claimant or on disability), wait until you've reached full retirement age or even until age 70. While there's no "correct" claiming age for everybody, the rule of thumb is that if you can afford to wait, delaying Social Security can pay off over a long retirement.
What age do you have to be to get Social Security?
You can begin getting Social Security retirement benefits as early as age 62. But we will reduce your benefits by as much as 30 percent below what you would get if you waited to retire until your full retirement age. If you wait until your full retirement age (66 for most people), you will get your full benefit.
How do you calculate social security benefit?
The following factors go into the formula:
- How long you work
- How much you make each year
- Inflation
- At what age you begin taking your benefits
What does it mean to delay retirement benefits?
If you are the higher earner, delaying starting your retirement benefit means higher monthly benefits for the rest of your life and higher survivor protection for your spouse, if you die first.
Is it important to decide when to start receiving Social Security?
Choosing when to start receiving your Social Security retirement benefits is an important decision that affects your monthly benefit amount for the rest of your life. Your monthly retirement benefit will be higher if you delay claiming it.
Retirement Age Calculator
Find out your full retirement age, which is when you become eligible for unreduced Social Security retirement benefits. The year and month you reach full retirement age depends on the year you were born.
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.