Key Points
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Claiming early could get you a larger lifetime benefit if your health takes a turn for the worse.
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Your spouse cannot claim a spousal benefit on your work record until you’re claiming a retirement benefit.
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There’s a free online tool that can help you estimate your Social Security benefit at every claiming age.
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Claiming Social Security early might never have been part of your game plan. You may have wanted to wait until your full retirement age (FRA) or maybe even until age 70 to sign up. But then things changed.
That’s OK. Delaying your Social Security application isn’t always the right move. If either of these two things happens to you, pivoting to an earlier claiming age often is your best option.
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1. Your health takes a turn for the worse
Later Social Security claiming ages tend to reward those with average or above-average life expectancies with a larger lifetime benefit. But those with shorter life expectancies often do better by applying for checks earlier.
If you’ve recently been diagnosed with a terminal illness, for example, it might make more sense to apply for Social Security as soon as you can to claim as many checks as possible while you’re still alive. This might mean applying as soon as you become eligible at 62.
However, if you’re married or have dependents and you don’t need your benefits immediately, you might choose not to sign up at all. This increases the survivor benefits your family members are eligible to receive after your death, which may be important if you expect them to rely heavily on these checks.
2. Your spouse wants to claim a spousal benefit on your work record
Married couples have the option to claim a spousal benefit if their partner qualifies for retirement benefits. You only get a spousal benefit if it’s larger than your own retirement checks, and you must also wait until your partner is claiming their retirement benefit before you can apply for spousal benefits.
Delaying Social Security could increase your retirement benefit, but it could also leave your partner unable to claim if they don’t qualify for their own retirement benefit. So it might be better to apply slightly earlier than you would on your own, so your spouse can claim checks, too.
Talk with your partner about when each of you wants to apply, and make sure you’re on the same page. If either of you wants to change the plan, let the other know so you can adjust accordingly.
Reach out to the Social Security Administration if you have any questions about your benefits or how changing your claiming age will affect the size of your checks. You can also estimate your benefit amount at every possible claiming age using the free tool in your my Social Security account.
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