When it might make sense to take Social Security at 62. You need the money now. You have health issues that may shorten your life expectancy, or you don't expect to live past your break-even point. You're receiving early retirement from an employer and the benefits end at age 62.
Claiming Social Security before your full retirement age can reduce your monthly payments by as much as 30%. Conversely, there are justifiable reasons -- like poor health and debt -- for making such a decision. Initiating Social Security retirement benefits at the age of 62 doesn't mean you have to retire.
Assuming your full retirement age is 67, if you file for those retirement benefits at 62, you'll receive around 70% of your full retirement age benefit amount. If you file for disability and are awarded those benefits, the amount that you would receive would be 100% of your full retirement age benefit, even at 62.
Age 62. Age 62 is the earliest possible age you can sign up for Social Security retirement benefits. According to the SSA data, 22.9% of men chose this age to start to collect compared with 24.5% of women.
The biggest risk of claiming early
The earlier you file for Social Security, the less you'll receive each month. But it could end up being more costly than many people think. By claiming at age 62, your benefit will be reduced by up to 30%.
According to a recent paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research, 19% of survey participants said they regretted taking Social Security too soon. Among the other top regrets the retirees had were not having saved enough, not purchasing long-term care insurance, and not working longer.
Based on data from the SSA's Office of the Actuary, nearly 566,000 aged 62 retired-worker beneficiaries were receiving $1,274.87 as of Dec. 2022. Meanwhile, the average Social Security check for the 2.27 million retired workers at age 66 is $1,719.85.
Full retirement age
If you were born in 1957 or earlier, you're already eligible for your full Social Security benefit. The full retirement age is 66 if you were born from 1943 to 1954. The full retirement age increases gradually if you were born from 1955 to 1960 until it reaches 67.
The above chart shows that U.S. residents 35 and under have an average of $30,170 in retirement savings; those 35 to 44 have an average $131,950; those 45 to 54 have an average $254,720; those 55 to 64 have an average $408,420; those 65 to 74 have an average $426,070; and those over 70 have an average $357,920.
But once you hit full retirement age, there is no more limit on your earnings, so you will be able to continue working with full benefits. However, it only makes sense to wait until you're 70 to start receiving Social Security benefits if you expect to live until you're at least 80.
He claims that doing so will give you a greater return than you would get by waiting until a later age to apply for Social Security, which means you get a bigger monthly check. “It usually makes sense to take it early if you're going to … invest every bit of it,” Ramsey said in a 2019 podcast that aired on YouTube.
No waiting period is required if you were previously entitled to disability benefits or to a period of disability under § 404.320 any time within 5 years of the month you again became disabled.
“Generally, wait as long as possible.”
Choosing when to claim Social Security is a major financial decision that will affect your finances for the rest of your life. So, when's the best time to start collecting for the best return? The short answer is wait until 70 to claim Social Security.
The maximum benefit depends on the age you retire. For example, if you retire at full retirement age in 2024, your maximum benefit would be $3,822. However, if you retire at age 62 in 2024, your maximum benefit would be $2,710. If you retire at age 70 in 2024, your maximum benefit would be $4,873.
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. The amount that your benefits are reduced, however, isn't lost.
While you may have heard at some point that Social Security is no longer taxable after 70 or some other age, this isn't the case. In reality, Social Security is taxed at any age if your income exceeds a certain level.
Based on the 80% principle, you can expect to need about $96,000 in annual income after you retire, which is $8,000 per month.
Have you heard about the Social Security $16,728 yearly bonus? There's really no “bonus” that retirees can collect. The Social Security Administration (SSA) uses a specific formula based on your lifetime earnings to determine your benefit amount.
Social Security offers a monthly benefit check to many kinds of recipients. As of December 2023, the average check is $1,767.03, according to the Social Security Administration – but that amount can differ drastically depending on the type of recipient. In fact, retirees typically make more than the overall average.
For example, a person entitled to $1,500 per month at age 67 may only receive $1,050 per month if they retire at age 62. Waiting until age 67 means missing out on five years of those $1,050-per-month payments, or $63,000, but it also means gaining an extra $450 a month for life.
In the proposals presented to the Commission, the use of retirement bonds--and annuities based on bond accumulations- would also replace the entire benefit structure of Social Security for the future.
The SSA determines benefit increases annually based on cost-of-living and inflation fluctuations. In 2023, the average Social Security check increased by 8.7% to $1,688.35.
Social Security's special minimum benefit pays at least $49.40 per month in 2023 and $50.90 in 2024. Social Security's special minimum benefit tops out at $1,033.50 per month in 2023 and $1,066.50 in 2024. You'll receive 100% of the benefit if you file at full retirement age or later.