Your Top Questions on Social Security Benefits Answered

Social Security Resource Center

En español | How much will I get from Social Security? When can I get it? When should I get it?

This section of the AARP Social Security Resource Center dives into core questions you face as you approach your retirement years. You’ll find answers on the key factors that shape your benefits, from early-filing penalties and delayed retirement credits to cost-of-living adjustments and Medicare premium deductions. You can also learn about:

Gradual increases to the full retirement age
Financial impact of waiting to claim your Social Security benefits
Managing Social Security for an ailing family member
Stopping or suspending benefits to boost later payments
Social Security’s financial future

Retirement Age

Q: Is the Social Security full retirement age going up?

Q: If I claim Social Security benefits at full retirement age, when will I get my first payment?

Q: What is the earliest age I can receive Social Security benefits?

Q: When should I file to get the maximum Social Security benefit?

Q: What is the Social Security break-even age?

Q: What is my full retirement age for Social Security?

Q: If I retire at any point after age 62, are the benefit reductions prorated by month?

Q: When should I apply for Social Security to start at age 62?

Q: If I start collecting reduced Social Security benefits early, will my payment increase when I reach full retirement age?

Q: How much does early retirement reduce benefits?

Q: When should I start collecting my Social Security retirement benefit?

Q: Why does my payment increase if I wait past age 62 to claim Social Security benefits?

Q: What happens if I wait past age 70 to file for Social Security benefits? Are benefits paid retroactively?

Managing Benefits

Q: Can I suspend Social Security benefits and restart them at a higher value?

Q: Can I collect both my own retirement benefit when I turn 62 and a survivor benefit?

Q: What is a representative payee?

Q: Can I stop Social Security benefits and restart them later to get a bigger payment?

Q: How do I change from Social Security survivor benefits to my Social Security retirement benefit?

Q: Can I choose my own representative payee?

Q: Can I collect Social Security retirement benefits retroactively?

Q: Will my Social Security benefit change if I move to another state?

Payments & Deductions

Q: How do I receive my Social Security payment?

Q: What if my Social Security benefit is the wrong amount?

Q: Can Social Security be garnished?

Q: What is my Social Security payment schedule?

Q: Will my Social Security benefit decrease if the Medicare premium increases?

Q: Are my Social Security benefits at risk if I file for bankruptcy?

Q: When can I collect Social Security?

Q: Can I have Medicare premiums deducted from my Social Security payments?

Q: Can someone collect Social Security benefits while in prison?

Calculations

Q: How much Social Security will I get?

Q: How much longer will Social Security be around?

Q: What is the maximum Social Security benefit?

Q: How are Social Security benefits calculated?

Q: How much of my income will Social Security replace?

Q: Do the retirement estimates on my Social Security statement include future earnings?

Q: How does Social Security calculate the COLA?

Q: What are delayed retirement credits and how do they work?

Q: What if my Social Security benefit is the wrong amount?

Marriage & Family

Q: How does marriage affect my Social Security benefits?

Q: Can I collect Social Security as a divorced spouse and wait to claim my own retirement benefit?

Q: My spouse died last month. Do I have to return the Social Security payment sent to the bank this month?

Q: Does my spouse's income affect my Social Security retirement benefits?

Q: Does the age I start my Social Security retirement benefit affect the amount my spouse will collect when I die?

Q: What is the Social Security family maximum benefit?

Q: Can I manage my mother’s Social Security if I have power of attorney?

Work & Taxes

Q: Can I stop Social Security and go back to work?

Q: Does my military pension affect my Social Security benefits?

Q: What is the Windfall Elimination Provision?

Q: Does receiving a pension reduce my Social Security benefit?

Q: If my government pension is suspended or reduced, will my Social Security benefits increase?

Q: How do I find out how much the Windfall Elimination Provision affects my benefits?

Q: Will my Social Security payment increase if I keep working after I start receiving benefits?

Q: If I stop working before I claim Social Security, will my monthly benefit amount be reduced?

Social Security Q&A Tool

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