Accounts · Some talk
Social Security claiming
Also called claim social security · ss at 62 · delay to 70 · file and suspend
Community talk. May contain inaccuracies. Not financial, tax, legal, or investment advice. No return or outcome is promised.
Social Security claiming means choosing when to start a U.S. retirement benefit. Earlier means income sooner; waiting means a larger monthly payment. Current bills, savings, health and a spouse’s future income shape the choice. Stopping work and starting benefits can happen years apart.
SSA · 202401
How to compare claiming dates
Eligibility and amount are different questions. A worker generally qualifies after ten years of work covered by Social Security. The payment amount varies. Family or survivor benefits can use someone else’s work record and have different eligibility rules.
SSA · checked 29 Sept 202662 and full retirement age are reference points. For births in 1960 or later, full retirement age is 67: the age for the unreduced worker benefit. Starting at 62 pays 70% of that amount; at 67, 100%. Other birth years differ, and the exact starting month matters.
SSA · checked 29 Sept 2026Delay credits end at 70. For births in 1943 or later, waiting beyond full retirement age adds 8% a year. With a full retirement age of 67, three years adds 24%, making 124% of the full-age amount. These credits are separate from cost-of-living adjustments; some credits appear the following January when claiming before 70.
SSA · checked 29 Sept 2026Use personal estimates with realistic future earnings. The my Social Security account shows estimates for different starting dates. Changing expected future earnings shows what stopping work could do to the estimate. Checking the earnings history matters too: the benefit uses the highest 35 years, including zeros when there are fewer years.
SSA · checked 29 Sept 2026A spouse’s benefit uses a different calculation. Its maximum is half the worker’s full-retirement-age amount, rather than half their age-70 check. An early start reduces it. For a married spouse, the worker generally must have filed. SSA checks the spouse’s own benefit too; two full checks are not added together.
SSA · checked 29 Sept 2026Choose the benefit month, then allow application time. Apply up to four months before benefits start. A May benefit is paid in June. SSA offers online applications and telephone help. Comparing dates also means accounting for bills during the waiting years.
SSA · checked 29 Sept 202602
What the choice can offer
Income now or a larger monthly benefit later. Earlier payments can reduce savings withdrawals; a larger later benefit helps cover a long retirement. Payments forgone while waiting matter: a bigger check does not guarantee a bigger lifetime total.
SSA · 2024Delay can improve survivor protection. Delayed credits can increase an eligible surviving spouse’s benefit. This makes the surviving household’s income part of the comparison, alongside the worker’s own health and lifespan.
SSA regulation · checked 29 Sept 202603
Good to know
Working can temporarily withhold payments before full retirement age. In 2026, the limit is $24,480 if under that age all year: $1 withheld per $2 above it. In the year that age is reached, it is $65,160 for earnings before that month: $1 per $3 above it. Wages and net self-employment earnings count; investments do not. The test ends at full retirement age; SSA recalculates the benefit to credit withheld months. A special first-year monthly rule can apply.
SSA · 2026Spousal-only claiming is restricted. For people turning 62 on or after January 2, 2016, eligibility for both generally means filing for both. This is “deemed filing.” Survivor benefits are an exception and can start separately. File-and-suspend requests from April 30, 2016 generally suspend family payments too; an ex-spouse can be excepted.
SSA · checked 29 Sept 2026Medicare has its own timetable. Waiting for Social Security does not automatically extend Medicare enrollment deadlines around 65. Qualifying employer coverage can allow delay. After 65, Part A can be backdated up to six months, creating a tax problem for health savings account (HSA) contributions made during covered months.
SSA · checked 29 Sept 2026The benefit may be federally taxable. Other income and filing status determine whether benefits are taxable. Gross benefits and spendable income can therefore differ.
IRS · checked 29 Sept 202604
From community discussion
A calculator’s suggested ages conflicted with household priorities. A May 2023 Early Retirement participant, age 69 with a benefit about 160% of their spouse’s, said the calculator seldom favored both waiting to 70 unless both lived past 90. Replies included 70/62, rejecting the age-62 suggestion, and both waiting for Roth conversions. Health concerns sometimes strengthened the survivor-income reason to wait.
Community · Early RetirementA calculator understated one person’s annual benefit. One participant reported a roughly $1,500 annual shortfall against their check. Another questioned using gross benefits when their household expected tax; spending versus investing payments changed the comparison too. These reports do not establish a general calculator failure.
Community · Early RetirementAvailable savings did not remove the strain of waiting. A commenter claimed at 64 after their spouse became anxious about bills. Despite reporting $2.3 million in retirement and investment accounts and a paid-off home, they found two monthly checks eased the tension and covered expenses. That is a household experience, not an optimal-age calculation.
Community · RedditCancer diagnoses led to different claiming plans. One commenter retired and filed after job loss and cancer near 62. Another, outsourced at 59 and later diagnosed with prostate cancer, planned to wait until 67 or 70 for their wife’s survivor income. Health did not settle both plans.
Community · RedditApplication review times varied. One 67-year-old reported completion in a week; another was still waiting after a month and a half. These reports show administrative variation, not a promised approval time or a different payment calendar.
Community · RedditThe claiming date went beside the withdrawal plan. Accounts describe checking the statement against spreadsheet estimates and writing the claiming year alongside portfolio withdrawals. The question was how benefits and savings would cover the same bills, beyond a 62-or-70 slogan.
CommunityReferences for this topic
Sources and context
If you were born in 1960 or later, your full retirement age is 67 ↗
- id
- money-guide-ss-born-1960 — If you were born in 1960 or later, your full retirement age is 67
- platform
- SSA
- role
- Official context
- accessed On
- 2026-09-24
- locator
- Heading and the table How Your Social Security Benefit Is Reduced
- scope
- Full retirement age is 67 for birth years 1960 or later. A worker benefit at 62 is 70 percent of the full benefit and 100 percent at 67. A spouse benefit on that chart is 32.5 percent at 62 and 50 percent at 67.
- limitations
- The table stops at full retirement age. It does not print an age-70 percentage, and it does not state survivor-benefit rates.
- slugs
- social-security-claiming
Delayed Retirement Credits ↗
- id
- money-guide-ss-delayed-credits — Delayed Retirement Credits
- platform
- SSA
- role
- Official context
- accessed On
- 2026-09-24
- locator
- Increase for Delayed Retirement table and the Medicare paragraph
- scope
- For birth years 1943 or later, the credit is 8 percent a year, or two-thirds of 1 percent a month, and it stops at age 70. Sign up for Medicare at 65 even if retirement benefits are delayed. Some credits are applied the January after benefits start.
- limitations
- The page does not multiply the 8 percent credit into a 124 percent figure, and it does not give a personal dollar benefit.
- slugs
- social-security-claiming
Filing Rules for Retirement and Spouses Benefits ↗
- id
- money-guide-ss-deemed-filing — Filing Rules for Retirement and Spouses Benefits
- platform
- SSA
- role
- Official context
- accessed On
- 2026-09-24
- locator
- Deemed Filing and Voluntary Suspension of Benefits sections
- scope
- Deemed filing for people who turn 62 on or after January 2, 2016 extends to full retirement age and beyond. For suspension requests on or after April 30, 2016, other benefits on the worker's record are suspended too. Deemed filing does not apply to survivor benefits.
- limitations
- The page describes the 2015 law change. It is not a calculator and does not list every household exception beyond the divorced-spouse and survivor points it states.
- slugs
- social-security-claiming
Get a benefits estimate ↗
- id
- money-guide-ss-benefit-estimate — Get a benefits estimate
- platform
- SSA
- role
- Official context
- accessed On
- 2026-09-24
- locator
- How we estimate your benefit amount, and the credits paragraph
- scope
- Benefits are based on work earnings. In 2026, earnings above $184,500 are not counted, and one credit is $1,890 of earnings, up to four a year. The account shows personalized estimates.
- limitations
- The page does not show a reader's own estimate. It does not state the earnings limit that can reduce benefits when someone works before full retirement age.
- slugs
- social-security-claiming
Social Security: claiming before full retirement age ↗
- id
- quick-ssa-early — Social Security: claiming before full retirement age
- role
- Official context
- accessed On
- 2026-09-12
- scope
- For birth years 1960 and later: full retirement age 67; claiming at 62 gives 70% of the full-age retirement amount.
- locator
- Official page or official indexed text read on 2026-09-12.
- limitations
- This reference explains the named format or rule. Individual community accounts remain attributed in the notes.
Social Security: delayed claiming for birth years 1960+ ↗
- id
- quick-ssa-delayed — Social Security: delayed claiming for birth years 1960+
- role
- Official context
- accessed On
- 2026-09-12
- scope
- 67 gives 100%, 70 gives 124%, and delayed-retirement credits stop increasing after 70.
- locator
- Official page or official indexed text read on 2026-09-12.
- limitations
- This reference explains the named format or rule. Individual community accounts remain attributed in the notes.
If you were born in 1960 or later, your full retirement age is 67 ↗
- id
- money-wave-ssa-rule — If you were born in 1960 or later, your full retirement age is 67
- role
- Official context
- accessed On
- 2026-09-23
- locator
- Wage earner and spouse reduction table.
- scope
- For the worker born in 1960 or later, the age-62 amount is 70% of the full retirement benefit and full retirement age is 67. Spousal figures differ.
- limitations
- Primary context for the named narrow claim; does not determine an individual account, eligibility or outcome.
Keep this topic in view
Preserved original record
Earlier public profile and reader notes are preserved separately from the current article. They may contain superseded wording and are not newly checked material.
Read the full original profile
- slug
- social-security-claiming
- name
- Social Security claiming
- aliases
- claim social security
- ss at 62
- delay to 70
- file and suspend
- family
- accounts
- heat
- mid
- talk
- Some talk
- most Discussed
- false
- first Line
- Social Security claiming is the choice of when to start an eligible retirement benefit. Stopping work and starting benefits can happen at different times.
- why Line
- Accounts weigh current income needs, family longevity, other savings and a spouse’s situation. A larger later monthly benefit and more years of earlier payments answer different concerns.
- feel Words
- claim at 62
- delay to 70
- full retirement age
- social security
- common Picture
- lead
- Retirement benefits can usually start at 62
- why
- Starting before full retirement age reduces the monthly retirement benefit. [community]
- lead
- Born in 1960 or later: full retirement age is 67
- why
- The comparison is 70% at 62, 100% at 67 and 124% at 70, before separate cost-of-living adjustments. [community]
- lead
- Spousal and survivor benefits have separate rules
- why
- Personal statement estimates and household circumstances matter beyond the worker’s claiming-age comparison. [community]
- watch For
- Stale claiming tricks. This is not advice. SSA owns the current rules.
- what People Say
- The job: pick a claiming age with the current SSA rules in front of them. [community]
- Bogleheads and r/financialindependence argue delay-to-70 vs cash-now. [community]
- Health and other income change the thread more than a slogan. [community]
- Use the current Social Security Administration rules: older “file-and-suspend” discussions can describe claiming arrangements that are no longer available. This is not advice. [community]
- how People Run It
- Read the personal Social Security statement: check the earnings history and estimated benefits through the official my Social Security account. [community]
- They do not claim from a viral spreadsheet without the statement. [community]
- amounts People Use
- Reduction/credit percents are SSA’s current table — people quote them, then confirm. [community]
- how People Keep It
- A claiming year written next to the rest of the drawdown. [community]
- how It Feels
- A large, delayed decision. [community]
- how Long People Run It
- One claiming choice, then a monthly benefit. [community]
- deep Dive
- Benefit income and portfolio withdrawals work together: Social Security supplies an eligible public benefit; the 4% and financial-independence discussions estimate what investments might supply. Choosing a claiming date changes the amount and timing of income that the rest of the plan must cover. [community]
- watch For Long
- Outdated claiming loopholes. [community]
- Ignoring spousal effects. [community]
- related
- four-percent-rule
- fire-number
- roth-conversions
- beneficiaries
- research Pointer
- house Pointers
- play Pointer
- —
- sources
- Bogleheads Social Security claiming threads
- r/financialindependence 62-vs-70 talk
- disclaimer
- Community talk may be wrong. Not financial, tax, legal, or investment advice. No return or outcome is promised.
- quick Answer History
- field
- commonPicture
- rows
- lead
- A personal SSA statement
- why
- Not a podcast’s average. [community]
- lead
- 62 / FRA / 70
- why
- The three posters. [community]
- lead
- Spousal and survivor talk
- why
- Household, not solo. [community]
- lead
- Not the 4% rule
- why
- Different pile. [community]
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- definition
- rows
- Social Security claiming is the choice of when to start retirement benefits, commonly discussed as age 62, full retirement age, or 70.
- field
- communityPicture
- rows
- People argue delay-versus-cash using a personal SSA statement, health, other income and spousal rules, and discard stale claiming-trick memes.
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- firstLine
- rows
- Social Security claiming is 62 vs full retirement age vs 70 — a dated public formula, not a FIRE flex.
- field
- whyLine
- rows
- Social Security claiming is 62 vs full retirement age vs 70 — a dated public formula, not a FIRE flex.
- field
- commonPicture
- rows
- lead
- Earliest retirement-claiming age: usually 62
- why
- Starting before full retirement age reduces the monthly retirement benefit. [community]
- lead
- Full retirement age: 67 for people born in 1960 or later
- why
- Older birth years have different full-retirement ages. [community]
- lead
- Born 1960+: age 62 pays 70% of the full-age amount
- why
- Claiming at 67 pays 100%; delaying to 70 pays 124% of that amount. [community]
- lead
- Delayed-retirement increases stop at 70
- why
- These percentages describe claiming age; cost-of-living adjustments are a separate factor. [community]
- lead
- Personal dollar amounts: the Social Security statement
- why
- The discussions compare the person’s estimates rather than a podcast average. [community]
- lead
- Spousal and survivor benefits have separate rules
- why
- The household comparison in the notes is different from the worker’s own retirement-benefit calculation. [community]
- field
- whatPeopleSay
- rows
- Not advice. SSA.gov beats a 2016 file-and-suspend meme. [community]
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- howPeopleRunIt
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- Create/read my Social Security. [community]
- field
- deepDive
- rows
- 4% rule and FIRE are portfolio drawdown. This is the public benefit. [community]
Read the preserved reader notes
- definition
- Social Security claiming is the choice of when to start an eligible retirement benefit. Stopping work and starting benefits can happen at different times.
- community Picture
- Accounts weigh current income needs, family longevity, other savings and a spouse’s situation. A larger later monthly benefit and more years of earlier payments answer different concerns.
- additions
- text
- In a retirement discussion, one participant described taking benefits early partly because neither parent lived long enough to collect, then living well beyond that expectation. Another described older relatives enjoying earlier travel but facing tighter money later. These are different personal priorities and uncertain lifespans, not proof that either claiming age wins. Old spousal-strategy claims and assumed investment returns in the thread are not current guidance.
- sources
- guide
- what
- Claiming is the month Social Security retirement benefits start. For someone born in 1960 or later, the SSA chart says full retirement age is 67. Starting at 62 pays 70 percent of the full retirement benefit. Starting at 67 pays 100 percent. The spouse column on that same chart is different: 32.5 percent at 62 and 50 percent at 67. The chart stops at full retirement age. A birthday on the first of a month is figured as the prior month.
- Waiting past full retirement age adds delayed retirement credits. For birth years 1943 or later, SSA states an 8 percent increase for each year of delay, which is two-thirds of 1 percent per month. The increase stops at 70. For a full retirement age of 67, the wait from 67 to 70 is three years of that credit. The pages opened do not print 124 percent as an age-70 cell. Three years of the 8 percent credit is arithmetic from those two pages. The dollar estimate in the account is the figure to use. Cost-of-living adjustments are separate.
- Older couple strategies are not the current filing rules. The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 extended deemed filing, for people who turn 62 on or after January 2, 2016, through full retirement age and beyond. A suspension requested on or after April 30, 2016 no longer lets a spouse collect on the worker's record while the worker's own payment is suspended. Survivor benefits are outside deemed filing.
- how
- Open the personal Social Security account and read the benefit estimate. Check the earnings record against W-2s and tax returns. SSA says the benefit is calculated from work earnings. In 2026, only earnings up to $184,500 are taxed and counted for that purpose. Pensions and investment income are not counted. In 2026, one credit is earned for each $1,890 of earnings, up to four credits a year. The account shows credits earned and estimates based on the earnings on file.
- Read the estimates at 62, at full retirement age, and at 70, and change the future-earnings assumption to see the estimate move. The birth-year chart's percentages are shares of the full benefit, not a dollar promise. People born before 1960 use a different full retirement age. The 1960-or-later page is the one that sets 67.
- If a spouse's benefit is part of the household, read the spouse column and the deemed-filing page before an application. Filing for retirement or for a spouse's benefit can count as filing for both. Survivor benefits can be started on their own timing. The claiming page's examples, including a surviving spouse who starts the survivor benefit and waits to start the worker benefit, are the official illustrations.
- File with Social Security for the month chosen. Delaying retirement benefits past 65 is not a delay of Medicare. The delayed-credit page says to sign up for Medicare at 65, and that skipping that signup can delay coverage and raise the cost. A normal pass is one sitting in the account with the earnings record and the age estimates. It is not an application sent from a third-party spreadsheet.
- understand
- An early start reduces the monthly benefit, and that reduced rate is the comparison on the chart. Credits for waiting stop at 70, so months after 70 do not add more delayed credits. SSA also says that if benefits start before 70, some credits are not applied until the January after benefits start. The online calculator is what the page points to for an estimate with the credits applied.
- The worker chart is the wrong sheet for a spouse or a survivor. Deemed filing is the rule that stops a person who turned 62 on or after January 2, 2016 from taking one benefit while letting the other one grow. A voluntary suspension can still be used at full retirement age to earn credits, and payments restart at 70 if they were not restarted earlier. During that suspension, other benefits on the record, including a current spouse's, are suspended. A divorced spouse can be an exception. Community notes argue about waiting until 70. The account estimate is the dollar record.
- File-and-suspend as a way for one spouse to be paid while the other delays is the wrong tool for a request made on or after April 30, 2016. Earnings above the annual counted maximum do not raise the benefit. In 2026 that maximum is $184,500. The statement, the birth-year chart, and the current claiming page still have to be read together. Nothing on these pages promises a lifetime total.
- sources
- summary Sources
- note References
- field
- whatPeopleSay
- index
- 3
- text
- Use the current Social Security Administration rules: older “file-and-suspend” discussions can describe claiming arrangements that are no longer available. This is not advice. [community]
- sources
- field
- howPeopleRunIt
- index
- 0
- text
- Read the personal Social Security statement: check the earnings history and estimated benefits through the official my Social Security account. [community]
- sources
- field
- deepDive
- index
- 0
- text
- Benefit income and portfolio withdrawals work together: Social Security supplies an eligible public benefit; the 4% and financial-independence discussions estimate what investments might supply. Choosing a claiming date changes the amount and timing of income that the rest of the plan must cover. [community]
- sources
End of Social Security claiming