Social Security benefits will be reduced by 30% for a person who retires at 62 whose full retirement age is 67 (born in 1960 or later).
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.
You'll get an extra 2/3 of 1% for each month you delay after your birthday month, adding up to 8% for each full year you wait until age 70. The clock starts ticking the month you reach full retirement age.
For example, if you were born in 1961 and file for benefits at age 62, your monthly benefit will be 30 percent less than if you had filed at your full retirement age of 67. Once you file for your benefits, you're stuck with your paycheck, though annual cost of living adjustments may push the monthly benefit higher.
Contrary to what many people think, your payment will not automatically increase to 100 percent of your full retirement benefit when you reach full retirement age, which is 66 and 4 months for people born in 1956 and will incrementally rise to 67 over the next few years.
Delaying Social Security can create a larger retirement income than is protected from inflation. Waiting to claim your Social Security benefit will result in a higher benefit. For every year you delay your claim past your FRA, you get an 8% increase in your benefit.
You Have a Shorter Life Expectancy
For example, if you start collecting benefits at age 62 when your full retirement age is 66, your monthly benefit will be about 75% of your full-age benefit. So if you expected your monthly benefit to be $1,000 per month at 66, you would only receive around $750 at 62.
However once you are at full retirement age (between 65 and 67 years old, depending on your year of birth) your Social Security payments can no longer be withheld if, when combined with your other forms of income, they exceed the maximum threshold.
Perhaps not surprisingly, age 62 is a popular age for retirees to claim Social Security, with more than 25% opting for this choice. After all, there's definitely some appeal to getting what feels like “free” money from the government as soon as possible. And, for some retirees, this is the best choice.
If you want your benefits to start in January, you can apply in September. Social Security benefits are paid in the month following the month they are due. If you are due benefits for the month of December, you will receive your first check in January for December.
If you start receiving retirement benefits at age: 67, you'll get 108 percent of the monthly benefit because you delayed getting benefits for 12 months. 70, you'll get 132 percent of the monthly benefit because you delayed getting benefits for 48 months.
You'll Get a Bigger Social Security Check – Guaranteed
That reduction is permanent. Instead, if you wait to take your benefits until after your FRA, Social Security will add an 8% delayed retirement credit to your eventual monthly payout each year you hold off, up until age 70.
How much you can expect to get from Social Security if you make $75,000 a year. The first monthly Social Security check was cashed in 1940 for a grand total of about $23. Fast forward to 2019, and the average retired worker gets almost $1,500 a month from Social Security.
The advantage of taking retirement benefits early is that you start to collect the money that you've been paying over to the government monthly since you started working. The downside to that, however, is that it causes a permanent reduction in your Social Security retirement benefit.
According to the SSA's 2021 Annual Statistical Supplement, the monthly benefit amount for retired workers claiming benefits at age 62 earning the average wage was $1,480 per month for the worker alone. The benefit amount for workers with spouses claiming benefits was $2,170 at age 62.
The maximum benefit depends on the age you retire. For example, if you retire at full retirement age in 2022, your maximum benefit would be $3,345. However, if you retire at age 62 in 2022, your maximum benefit would be $2,364. If you retire at age 70 in 2022, your maximum benefit would be $4,194.
At age 66: $3,240. At age 70: $4,194.
If you start receiving benefits at age 66 and 2 months you get 100 percent of your monthly benefit. If you delay receiving retirement benefits until after your full retirement age, your monthly benefit continues to increase. The chart below explains how delayed retirement affects your benefit.
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.
In 2021, for example, the minimum for single filing status if under age 65 is $12,550. If your income is below that threshold, you generally do not need to file a federal tax return.
Some people who get Social Security must pay federal income taxes on their benefits. However, no one pays taxes on more than 85% percent of their Social Security benefits. You must pay taxes on your benefits if you file a federal tax return as an “individual” and your “combined income” exceeds $25,000.
When you reach your full retirement age, you can work and earn as much as you want and still get your full Social Security benefit payment. If you're younger than full retirement age and if your earnings exceed certain dollar amounts, some of your benefit payments during the year will be withheld.
Once you have applied, it could take up to three months to receive your first benefit payment. Social Security benefits are paid monthly, starting in the month after the birthday at which you attain full retirement age (which is currently 66 and will gradually rise to 67 over the next several years).
You can get Social Security retirement or survivors benefits and work at the same time. But, if you're younger than full retirement age, and earn more than certain amounts, your benefits will be reduced.