If you claim benefits with fewer than 35 years of earnings, Social Security credits you with no income for each year up to 35. For example, if you worked for 30 years, there will be five zeroes in your benefit calculation. ... If you file before reaching full retirement age, your benefit is reduced whether you work or not.
To collect a monthly retirement benefit, a worker must pay into the system for at least 10 years (they need not be consecutive years). Tough rules in place assure that only workers who have met the 10-year qualification can collect retirement benefits.
The amount you can receive as a retiree is contingent on two things: the age you retire at as well as your average wage over a 35-year period. To be able to claim retirement benefits in the US, it is first necessary to earn 40 'credits', which can be earned during a year of work.
The only people who can legally collect benefits without paying into Social Security are family members of workers who have done so. Nonworking spouses, ex-spouses, offspring or parents may be eligible for spousal, survivor or children's benefits based on the qualifying worker's earnings record.
Some American workers do not qualify for Social Security retirement benefits. Workers who have not accrued the requisite 40 credits (roughly 10 years of employment) are not eligible for Social Security.
Normal Retirement:
Once you reach 30 years of service or age 60, you are eligible for an immediate benefit without penalties. If you are an Old Plan Member, you are eligible for extended benefits with 34 years of service.
If you don't have the 40 credits, you don't draw any retirement. You may not borrow or buy credits from another worker, nor can you earn retirement benefits contingent on future earnings and credits.
Imagine that an individual who attained full retirement age at 67 had enough years of coverage to qualify for the full minimum Social Security benefit of $897. If they filed at 62, there would be a 30% reduction to benefits. This means that for 2020, the minimum Social Security benefit at 62 is $628.
You cannot receive most Social Security benefits if you have never worked nor married. However, you may be able to receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits.
When you reach age 70, your monthly benefit stops increasing even if you continue to delay taking benefits. If you decide to delay your retirement, be sure to sign up for Medicare at age 65.
Social Security benefits are based on your lifetime earnings. Your actual earnings are adjusted or “indexed” to account for changes in average wages since the year the earnings were received. Then Social Security calculates your average indexed monthly earnings during the 35 years in which you earned the most.
So can you retire at 55 and collect Social Security? The answer, unfortunately, is no. The earliest age to begin drawing Social Security retirement benefits is 62. ... Once you turn 62, you could claim Social Security retirement benefits but your earnings from consulting work could affect how much you collect.
If you earn four credits a year, then you will earn 40 credits after 10 years of work. Each year the amount of earnings needed to earn one credit goes up slightly as average wages increase. The credits you earn remain on your Social Security record even if you change jobs or stop working.
The number of credits you need to get retirement benefits depends on when you were born. If you were born in 1929 or later, you need 40 credits (usually, this is 10 years of work). If you stop working before you have enough credits to qualify for benefits, the credits will remain on your Social Security record.
Early retirement
You can get Social Security retirement benefits as early as age 62. However, we'll reduce your benefit if you retire before your full retirement age. For example, if you turn age 62 in 2022, your benefit would be about 30% lower than it would be at your full retirement age of 67.
If you are required to file for both, you generally receive the higher benefit amount. A wife with no work record or low benefit entitlement on her own work record is eligible for between one-third and one-half of her spouse's Social Security benefit.
Can I collect Social Security survivor benefits when my ex-spouse dies? You qualify for survivor benefits on the work record of a late ex-husband or ex-wife if: The marriage lasted at least 10 years.
Even if they have never worked under Social Security, your spouse may be eligible for benefits if they are at least 62 years of age and you are receiving retirement or disability benefits. Your spouse can also qualify for Medicare at age 65.
Consider the Average Social Security Payment
The average Social Security benefit is $1,657 per month in January 2022. The maximum possible Social Security benefit for someone who retires at full retirement age is $3,345 in 2022.
The question is, what can the typical retired worker expect to receive from Social Security at age 62? According to payout statistics from the Social Security Administration in June 2020, the average Social Security benefit at age 62 is $1,130.16 a month, or $13,561.92 a year.
No. You can't buy Social Security credits, the income-based building blocks of benefit eligibility. You can't borrow them or transfer them from someone else's record. The only way to earn your credits is by working and paying Social Security taxes.
Some people who file for benefits mid-year have already earned more than their yearly earnings limit amount. We have a special rule for this situation. The special rule lets us pay a full Social Security check for any whole month we consider you retired, regardless of your yearly earnings.
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.