{"id":730,"date":"2021-02-24T00:05:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-24T00:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog-2023\/?p=730"},"modified":"2026-05-28T23:38:41","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T23:38:41","slug":"social-security-benefits-by-age","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/social-security-benefits-by-age\/","title":{"rendered":"Breaking Down Social Security Retirement Benefits by Age"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"730\" class=\"elementor elementor-730\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-c024269 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"c024269\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-27fd62c\" data-id=\"27fd62c\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f83015e elementor-widget elementor-widget-template\" data-id=\"f83015e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"template.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-template\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"section\" data-elementor-id=\"196\" class=\"elementor elementor-196\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-339b45e0 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"339b45e0\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-3f771e94\" data-id=\"3f771e94\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-44435407 elementor-cta--skin-classic elementor-animated-content elementor-bg-transform elementor-bg-transform-zoom-in elementor-widget elementor-widget-call-to-action\" data-id=\"44435407\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"call-to-action.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<link rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/elementor\/css\/custom-pro-widget-call-to-action.min.css?ver=1764022918\">\t\t<a class=\"elementor-cta\" href=\"https:\/\/simplywise.app.link\/Iv0wVANrvfb\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-content-item elementor-cta__content-item elementor-icon-wrapper elementor-cta__icon elementor-view-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"far fa-lightbulb\"><\/i>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-cta__title elementor-cta__content-item elementor-content-item\">DID YOU KNOW?<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-cta__description elementor-cta__content-item elementor-content-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tRetirement is 99% easier when your paperwork is organized. \n\nJoin 250,000+ Americans securely storing their important receipts, bills &amp; documents with the SimplyWise app.\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-cta__button-wrapper elementor-cta__content-item elementor-content-item \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-cta__button elementor-button elementor-size-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tGet the App\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-7068e61 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"7068e61\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-512b718\" data-id=\"512b718\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7ec168e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7ec168e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.13.3 - 28-05-2023 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#69727d;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#69727d;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t<h2>\u201cWhen can I retire?\u201d \u201cWhen can I take Social Security?\u201d<\/h2><p>Obviously, people want the option to retire as soon as they like\u2014the earliest age generally being 62. But the decision to take\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/social-security-retirement-benefits\/\">Social Security retirement benefits<\/a>\u00a0can be complicated by your health, your marital status and your\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/guide-to-social-security-spousal-benefits\/\">spouse\u2019s Social Security<\/a>\u00a0plan.<\/p><p>One of the key factors is the year you were born, as when you were born will determine your\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/what-is-full-retirement-age-for-social-security\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Full Retirement Age<\/a>\u00a0 For people born between 1943 and 1954, for example,\u00a0Full Retirement Age\u00a0is 66. As shown below, the Full Retirement Age creeps up by two months for every year between 1955 and 1960. Everyone born after 1960 currently has a Full Retirement Age of 67.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-34a6ee7 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"34a6ee7\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-9814afb\" data-id=\"9814afb\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7b18c20 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"7b18c20\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.13.3 - 28-05-2023 *\/\n.elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=\".svg\"]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"526\" src=\"https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Simplywise-full-retirament-age-from-1943-1-1024x841.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-733\" alt=\"what is my full retirement age\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Simplywise-full-retirament-age-from-1943-1-1024x841.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Simplywise-full-retirament-age-from-1943-1-300x246.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Simplywise-full-retirament-age-from-1943-1-768x631.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Simplywise-full-retirament-age-from-1943-1.jpeg 1466w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-13165d9 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"13165d9\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-3582e2e\" data-id=\"3582e2e\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bffca53 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"bffca53\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Full retirement age doesn\u2019t tell the full picture. As we will explain in this piece, retirement at each age has benefits and drawbacks.<\/p><h2>Claiming Social Security at age 62<\/h2><p>At age 62, the earliest point at which most people can claim benefits, you\u2019ll receive around 70 percent of the amount that you would receive at your\u00a0Full Retirement Age. If you were born in 1958, and your full benefit at retirement would be $1,000 a month, you would shrink your benefit to around $700 a month by retiring at age 62. Under most circumstances, once you claim your benefit, it stays at that amount for the rest of your life. Consequently, by retiring early you could lose out on $300 a month every month for the rest of your life.<\/p><p>After you turn 62, the amount of your Social Security benefit rises by about a half a percentage point each month. So, at age 63 you would receive about 77 percent of your benefit<\/p><p>If you\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/work-and-collect-ss-withholding\/\">work after claiming your benefit<\/a>, one of two things can happen:<\/p><ul><li>If you earn less than the earnings limit, which for 2020 is $18,240, then your benefits will not be affected.<\/li><li>If you earn more than the earnings limit, Social Security will deduct $1 for each $2 you earn over the limit. Social Security will, after full retirement, adjust your benefit to reflect this deduction so the money will eventually be restored to you.<\/li><\/ul><h2>Claiming Social Security at age 66<\/h2><p>If you were born between 1943 and 1954, your\u00a0Full Retirement Age\u00a0is 66. Claiming at your\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/what-is-full-retirement-age-for-social-security\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Full Retirement Age<\/a>\u00a0will entitle you to your full benefit amount, but you can still wait to claim. If you wait further, you will garner delayed retirement benefits, which will increase your monthly benefit when you do start collecting.<\/p><p>At Full Retirement Age you can work without any deductions from your benefit amount. However, you may still be\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/taxes-and-social-security\/\">taxed on your benefit<\/a>\u00a0if you have other substantial income such as wages, self-employment, interest, or dividends. If so, the Internal Revenue Service taxes your \u201ccombined\u201d income which is your adjusted gross income, plus nontaxable interest, plus half of your Social Security benefits.<\/p><p>If you file a federal tax return as an \u201cindividual\u201d and your combined income is between $25,000 and $34,000, you will have to pay income tax on up to half your benefits. If your income is more than $34,000, up to 85 percent of your benefits might be taxable.<\/p><p>If you are married and file a joint return, and your income together is between $32,000 and $44,000, you may have to pay income tax on up to half your benefits. If your income exceeds $44,000 you may have to pay income tax on up to 85 percent of your benefits.<\/p><p>If you want to receive Social Security at your Full Retirement Age of 66, or 66 and some months, you should<a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/social-security-application-process\/\">\u00a0apply no more than four months ahead of your Full Retirement Age<\/a>. However you should use the Social Security online retirement benefit application to sign up for\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ssa.gov\/planners\/retire\/justmedicare.html\">Medicare<\/a>\u00a0three months before your 65th birthday.<\/p><h2>Claiming Social Security at age 70<\/h2><p>If you are able to delay claiming your Social Security benefit until you reach age 70, you will earn a significantly higher benefit. After your Full Retirement Age\u00a0of 66 (or 67), your benefit<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ssa.gov\/planners\/retire\/delayret.html\">\u00a0goes up by eight percent each year<\/a>. Consequently, if your full retirement benefit at age 66 was $1,000 per month, and you delay claiming your benefit, it will be $1,080 per month by age 67 or an additional $960 per year. If you delay until age 70, it will be 124 percent of your expected benefit or $1,240 a month. That comes out to $2,880 more each year.<\/p><p>Delaying past age 70 will not increase your benefit, however.<\/p><h2>Claiming Social Security at age 65<\/h2><p>Those whose Full Retirement Age\u00a0is 65 are already that age or older. For those born after 1955 and before 1960,\u00a0Full Retirement Age\u00a0is 66 and some months. By retiring at age 65, those beneficiaries lose at least 12 months\u2019 worth of increases. For those born in 1960 or after,\u00a0Full Retirement Age\u00a0is 67, so they lose up to 24 months of increases if they retire at age 65.\u00a0<\/p><p>Below, we show how a person born in 1960 and entitled to a full benefit of $2,500 could see his or her monthly benefit change based on claiming age:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-8317868 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"8317868\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-2ce279a\" data-id=\"2ce279a\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2bfc19b elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"2bfc19b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"657\" src=\"https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Simplywise-Benefits-Depending-on-Claiming-Age-1960-998x1024.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-734\" alt=\"when should i apply for social security\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Simplywise-Benefits-Depending-on-Claiming-Age-1960-998x1024.jpeg 998w, https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Simplywise-Benefits-Depending-on-Claiming-Age-1960-292x300.jpeg 292w, https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Simplywise-Benefits-Depending-on-Claiming-Age-1960-768x788.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Simplywise-Benefits-Depending-on-Claiming-Age-1960.jpeg 1008w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b651f13 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b651f13\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2>Deciding the best age to claim Social Security<\/h2><p>There are many factors that determine the best time to claim your Social Security benefit. One that many people don\u2019t have the answer to is how long they will live. If you do not expect to live into old age, taking your benefit early might be a good idea. However, if you do live a long time, the extra money you would receive will probably come in very handy.<\/p><p>Let\u2019s take the example of one of our users, who we\u2019ll call Lucy, whose full retirement benefit at age 67 is $1,000. If Lucy were to claim at 62, the earliest age possible, her monthly benefit would actually be closer to $700. Claiming at 62 means Lucy would collect money right away and by 67, she would receive five years of benefits, at $700 per month, totaling $42,000. If she were to wait until 67 to begin collecting, she wouldn\u2019t accumulate $42,000 in Social Security earnings until 70 and a half years old; however, it would take her three and a half years \u2013 as opposed to five at the lower monthly amount \u2013 and over time, that difference continues to shrink.<\/p><p>In Lucy\u2019s case, the breakeven point hits around 79; that is when her earnings by claiming at full retirement age would be equal to the earnings if she claimed the lower amount at 62. So for Lucy, if she believes she will live past 79, it might be wise to hold off on claiming her benefits.<\/p><p>Below, you can see how total Social Security earnings are sensitive to claiming age and life expectancy. For those living past 85, it can make sense to postpone claiming until age 70, when monthly benefits will be maximized.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1863cfc elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"1863cfc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"540\" src=\"https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/life-exp-1-1024x864.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-735\" alt=\"when should I claim social security\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/life-exp-1-1024x864.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/life-exp-1-300x253.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/life-exp-1-768x648.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/life-exp-1-1536x1295.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/life-exp-1-2048x1727.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-7745131 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"7745131\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-ec0bb24\" data-id=\"ec0bb24\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fc992e0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"fc992e0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>As mentioned above, however, other factors like plans to work and taxes may also enter the equation. Additionally, if Lucy were to make investment income off of her Social Security benefit income, this could alter her decision. And, of course, if you believe that the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/social-security-trust-fund\/\">Social Security program could go broke<\/a>, you might be encouraged to claim earlier.<\/p><h2>Spousal benefits<\/h2><p>Age plays a significant role in decisions for\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/work-and-maximize-ss-benefits\/\">maximizing benefits for married couples<\/a>. If you are a spouse and you claim benefits at age 62, your benefit will be reduced from 50 percent of your partner\u2019s benefit to 34.2 percent. The same rules apply to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/social-security-benefits-for-divorced-spouses\/\">spousal benefits for divorced spouses<\/a>. If your spouse has the larger income, and they die before reaching the age of 62, you are entitled to apply for survivor benefits as of age 60, or 50 if you are disabled.<\/p><p>If you receive survivor benefits at age 60, you will receive 71.5 percent of the deceased worker\u2019s full benefits. However, if you are also entitled to your own retirement benefit, and it is more than\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/guide-to-social-security-and-death\/\">your survivor benefit<\/a>\u00a0would be, you may apply for your survivor benefit and use that until after\u00a0Full Retirement Age\u00a0or age 70, when your\u00a0own benefit will have accrued to its highest dollar amount. The amount of each benefit and the number of months you receive it will determine what is the best strategy.<\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/visiting-social-security-office\/\">If you want to apply for Social Security benefits<\/a>\u00a0at age 62, the best way to apply is online. You must be at least 61 years and 9 months old to apply for retirement benefits, though if you are already age 62, you may be able to start your benefits in the month you apply. Benefits are paid the month after they are due, so if your benefit starts in June, you will receive it in July.<\/p><h2>Disability benefits<\/h2><p>If you are receiving Social Security disability benefits, they will automatically change to retirement benefits when you reach\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/what-is-full-retirement-age-for-social-security\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Full Retirement Age<\/a>.<\/p><h2>Takeaways<\/h2><p>In 2019, an estimated\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ssa.gov\/news\/press\/factsheets\/basicfact-alt.pdf\">64 million Americans collected Social Security benefits<\/a>, and 61% of Americans aged 60 to 70 view Social Security as an \u201cextremely important\u201d source of income. Nevertheless, a great deal of confusion exists around the rules and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/costly-social-security-mistakes\/\">this often causes people to miss out on much needed money<\/a>. Knowing how age impacts Social Security is important, but it is but a first step on a journey of education.<\/p><p>Increasingly, online\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/\"><strong>blogs<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and free\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/socialsecurity\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Social Security benefits calculators<\/a>\u00a0are emerging to help people avoid costly mistakes (we believe the SimplyWise Calculator is the best). Hopefully, with better education around the topic, Americans can maximize what they\u2019ve earned.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-c7c9be0 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"c7c9be0\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-7955e10\" data-id=\"7955e10\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d13b19e elementor-widget elementor-widget-template\" data-id=\"d13b19e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"template.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-template\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"section\" data-elementor-id=\"196\" class=\"elementor elementor-196\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-339b45e0 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"339b45e0\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-3f771e94\" data-id=\"3f771e94\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-44435407 elementor-cta--skin-classic elementor-animated-content elementor-bg-transform elementor-bg-transform-zoom-in elementor-widget elementor-widget-call-to-action\" data-id=\"44435407\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"call-to-action.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-cta\" href=\"https:\/\/simplywise.app.link\/Iv0wVANrvfb\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-content-item elementor-cta__content-item elementor-icon-wrapper elementor-cta__icon elementor-view-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"far fa-lightbulb\"><\/i>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-cta__title elementor-cta__content-item elementor-content-item\">DID YOU KNOW?<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-cta__description elementor-cta__content-item elementor-content-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tRetirement is 99% easier when your paperwork is organized. \n\nJoin 250,000+ Americans securely storing their important receipts, bills &amp; documents with the SimplyWise app.\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-cta__button-wrapper elementor-cta__content-item elementor-content-item \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-cta__button elementor-button elementor-size-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tGet the App\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cWhen can I retire?\u201d \u201cWhen can I take Social Security?\u201d Obviously, people want the option to retire as soon as they like\u2014the earliest age generally being 62. But the decision to take&nbsp;Social Security retirement benefits&nbsp;can be complicated by your health, your marital status and your&nbsp;spouse\u2019s Social Security&nbsp;plan. One of the key factors is the year [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":731,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"When can I retire and take Social Security? Well, that depends. Our guide breaks down how your age will impact your benefits and your decision...","_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"30","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[186],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-730","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-security"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Breaking Down Social Security Retirement Benefits by Age - SimplyWise Cost Estimator<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When can I retire and take Social Security? Well, that depends. 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Our guide breaks down how your age will impact your benefits and your decision...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/social-security-benefits-by-age\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SimplyWise Cost Estimator\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-02-24T00:05:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-28T23:38:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/shutterstock_178015823.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"667\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Allie Fleder\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Allie Fleder\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/social-security-benefits-by-age\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/social-security-benefits-by-age\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Allie Fleder\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/e1e876d7736d540f0047b6adc84e2ba1\"},\"headline\":\"Breaking Down Social Security Retirement Benefits by Age\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-02-24T00:05:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-28T23:38:41+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/social-security-benefits-by-age\/\"},\"wordCount\":1561,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Social Security\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/social-security-benefits-by-age\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/social-security-benefits-by-age\/\",\"name\":\"Breaking Down Social Security Retirement Benefits by Age - SimplyWise Cost Estimator\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.simplywise.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2021-02-24T00:05:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-28T23:38:41+00:00\",\"description\":\"When can I retire and take Social Security? 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