Social Security Retirement Benefits Guide & Frequently Asked Retirement Questions

Social Security is a cornerstone of many retirement plans. For many Americans, it can provide 50% or more of retirement income. You earn Social Security through contributions you make to your Social Security Account while working, and it applies to most workers in the United States.

Social Security can be complex, and it comes in three flavors: Retirement Benefits, Disability Benefits, and Survivor Benefits. This guide shows you how to qualify for Social Security Retirement Benefits, avoid reduced payments, and increase your Social Security Benefits by waiting to start drawing your retirement pay.

This guide will walk you through your Social Security Retirement Benefits and help you understand the following:

How to Register for Social Security Benefits Online

Registering for your Social Security benefits when you retire may seem about as appealing as an anesthetic-free root canal. You may picture endless paperwork and headaches.

But the truth is, registration is surprisingly easy, particularly online. Here are the steps you will need to register for Social Security retirement benefits, and it shouldn’t take you more than 15 to 30 minutes:

1. Check Your Eligibility

Before you do anything else, double-check that you are eligible for benefits. You’ll hate to get through the registration process only to discover that fact.

To prevent that, Social Security offers the Benefit Eligibility Screening Tool (BEST) to help you determine your eligibility.

This anonymous tool requires neither your name nor your Social Security number.

2. Gather Personal Information and Paperwork

Before you sit at the computer to complete the online form, gather all the documents you will need.

These documents include your birth certificate (or naturalization papers if you were not born in the United States), your Social Security card, W-2 or self-employment forms for the last year, U.S. military discharge records, and your most recent Social Security statement.

3. Log on to the SSA.gov Website

On the Social Security homepage, ssa.gov, click on the hyperlink titled “Apply online for retirement benefits” in the top left corner. On the next page, click on “Apply for Retirement.”

4. All About You

You will enter your information, including your name, address, date of birth, and Social Security number. The application will also ask for your employer’s name and address, and your recent income information.

Previous online enrollment forms required military veterans to provide their military service dates for verification purposes. However, as a military veteran, I didn’t have to do this when I enrolled online.

After you provide that information, you are taken to a page that tries to verify your identity by asking questions about loans you might have or may have had.

This is part of the verification process, so make sure you have accurate, up-to-date information about your credit history, past addresses and phone numbers, and other relevant details. I keep a file with my previous addresses and phone numbers.

You can verify certain other information from credit reports. You can sign up for a free Credit Karma account, which lists your credit report, including the dates you opened and closed certain credit cards, auto loans, mortgages, and other loans. This came in handy when I opened my SSA Online account.

5. Earning history

Your most recent Social Security statement provides information about your lifetime earnings. The application asks for details from this information, but if you don’t have your statement, don’t worry. You can fill out the application without it and the Social Security Administration can help you fill in any omitted information when they process your form.

6. Verify Form Completion and E-Sign

Once you have completed your form, you will be asked to click on the “Sign Now” button, which serves as your electronic signature. After you complete the form, print it and keep a copy for your records.

7. Additional Security

You will need to provide either a phone number or email account. The Social Security Administration uses two-factor authentication, which requires you to provide a code each time you access your account. You can choose to receive this code via email or text message. This security measure makes it much harder for identity thieves to access your Social Security account.

You can also opt in to additional security measures by checking a box when creating your account. The Social Security Administration will mail you a letter with an upgrade code and additional instructions for further securing your account. You can also change your security settings within your account. You must also regularly update your password every 180 days.

How to Read Your Social Security Statement

Every year, the Social Security Administration issues you a statement that includes information about your earnings and benefits. In previous years, the SSA mailed this statement to your home. The SSA now only publishes this in your online account. It’s a good idea to review this information to ensure that it is correct, as well as to ensure that your identity hasn’t been stolen.

To view your Social Security statement online (and you should), you need to sign up for an account.

What to Look For on Your Social Security Statement

Once you have access to your Social Security statement, look at the information. Verify that your personal information is accurate. Correct any inaccurate information.

Also, look at your earnings history. If your earnings are too low for some years, you might not get the benefits you are entitled to. Your Social Security benefits, for you or your survivors if you die, are based on your earnings. If there’s a mistake related to underreported earnings, you’ll need to fix it to receive the proper benefits.

Also, watch for earnings that are too high. These cases could indicate that someone has used your Social Security number to get a job. While it’s nice to think you will get all those extra benefits, the downside is that someone has likely stolen your identity. Reporting it could help you lock down your credit file.

You can call the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 if you want to correct information on your Social Security statement. The sooner you fix mistakes on your statement and the government’s records, the better off you’ll be. It’s much better to resolve these issues now before you actually need your Social Security benefits.

When Should You Receive Social Security Benefits?

One of the best ways to build a strong retirement safety net is to maximize your Social Security benefits. When to take Social Security benefits depends on your financial situation. How much you receive depends on how long you’ve worked (and paid into the system) and when you decide to start taking benefits.

The longer you work, and the longer you wait to begin taking benefits, the higher your monthly payments will be. However, if you lose your job and can’t find a new one, you may need Social Security benefits to get by.

How Much Money Can You Expect from Social Security?

According to the Social Security website, the average retiree earned $2,071 per month as of January 2026. That’s $2,852 per year. While almost $20,000 per year is a decent income, it may or may not cover your financial needs. The charts below show that waiting to take your Social Security check increases your benefit.

When Are You Eligible for Social Security Benefits?

First, determine when you are eligible for Social Security benefits. If you are disabled, you can begin receiving Social Security benefits regardless of your age. However, you must prove your disability. Your benefits will be considered Social Security disability benefits until you reach your full retirement age. At that point, your disability benefits are converted to retirement benefits.

Full Social Security Retirement Age

Year of Birth *	Full Retirement Age
1937 or earlier	65
1938	65 and 2 months
1939	65 and 4 months
1940	65 and 6 months
1941	65 and 8 months
1942	65 and 10 months
1943–1954	66
1955	66 and 2 months
1956	66 and 4 months
1957	66 and 6 months
1958	66 and 8 months
1959	66 and 10 months
1960 and later	67

If you aren’t disabled, you can begin receiving Social Security benefits at age 62. However, you must understand that you won’t qualify for “full” benefits. If you start taking benefits before you reach the “full” retirement age, you end up with reduced benefits.

Your full retirement age depends on your birth year. The Social Security Administration (SSA) offers a website that can point you to your full retirement age. For people born after 1960, though, the retirement age is currently 67. To learn more about how your benefits are reduced, consult the benefits chart provided by the SSA.

Penalty for Taking Social Security Benefits Before Full Retirement Age

The previous table shows your full retirement age. You may be able to take Social Security Retirement Benefits before your full retirement age, starting at age 62. However, there may be penalties if you begin receiving benefits before your full retirement age. The following table shows the reduced benefit for taking benefits early. Note: you must be at least age 62 for the entire month before you begin drawing Social Security:

Year of Birth *1.	Full (normal) Retirement Age	Months between age 62 and full retirement age *2.	The retirement benefit is reduced by *4.	The spouse’s benefit is reduced by *5.
1937 or earlier	65	36	20.00%	25.00%
1938	65 and 2 months	38	20.83%	25.83%
1939	65 and 4 months	40	21.67%	26.67%
1940	65 and 6 months	42	22.50%	27.50%
1941	65 and 8 months	44	23.33%	28.33%
1942	65 and 10 months	46	24.17%	29.17%
1943-1954	66	48	25.00%	30.00%
1955	66 and 2 months	50	25.83%	30.83%
1956	66 and 4 months	52	26.67%	31.67%
1957	66 and 6 months	54	27.50%	32.50%
1958	66 and 8 months	56	28.33%	33.33%
1959	66 and 10 months	58	29.17%	34.17%
1960 and later	67	60	30.00%	35.00%

1. If you were born on January 1, you should use the previous year.
2. If you were born on the 1st of the month, we figure your benefit (and your full retirement age) as if your birthday was in the previous month. If you were born on January 1st, we figure your benefit (and your full retirement age) as if your birthday was in December of the previous year.
3. You must be at least 62 for the entire month to receive benefits.
4. Percentages are approximate due to rounding.
5. The maximum benefit for the spouse is 50% of the benefit the worker would receive at full retirement age. Apply the % reduction for the spouse after the automatic 50% reduction. Percentages are approximate due to rounding.

(table source).

Increase Social Security Retirement Benefits by Waiting to Draw Your Pay

You can also increase your monthly Social Security benefit by waiting longer to claim it. If you wait until after your full retirement age, you will receive an additional 8% for each year until you are 70. Waiting also has a double advantage: if you keep working, you can pay more into the system and increase your benefit. The higher your monthly benefit, the less you rely on your nest egg to cover your expenses.

Military Service Can Increase Your Social Security Benefits

You may be able to increase your Social Security Benefits if you served in the military before 2001. Veterans who served between September 16, 1940, and December 31, 1956, did not automatically have Social Security taxes withheld from their military paychecks. However, the government will credit veterans with $160 in earnings for each month they served during those years.

Military service between 1957 and 2001 may also increase your Social Security Benefits. Here is how your military service impacts it:

• Military Service between 1957 and 1967: you’ll receive extra credits when you apply for Social Security.
• Military Service between 1968 and 2001: these credits have been added to your record.
• Military Service after 2001 does not earn extra credits.

The following article explains how your military service impacts your Social Security Benefits.

Can You Take Social Security Benefits While Working?

You can start receiving Social Security benefits while you are working. However, you might be subject to a cap. Once you reach a certain benefit amount while you have a job, you must pay back half of every dollar you receive in benefits, and this rule applies even after you reach full retirement age. It is rarely worth starting Social Security benefits while working. However, if your hours have been cut to part-time and you are at least 62, you might need some benefits to help you through the wage reduction.

Also, remember that you can start taking money penalty-free from your tax-advantaged retirement account at age 59 1/2. That means that you might be able to supplement with those benefits until you reach full retirement age. Before you decide to start taking Social Security benefits, consider your financial situation and cash flow. Only take Social Security benefits before your full retirement age if you have to.

Divorce and Social Security Benefits

When a marriage dissolves, spouses can be left scrambling to find their financial footing, especially when it comes to retirement planning. Retirement can be particularly difficult for a divorcing spouse who stayed home with children or sacrificed a career during the marriage.

However, many divorcées may not realize they can still be eligible for their spouse’s higher Social Security benefits even after the marriage ends. Here is what you need to know about your spousal Social Security rights, whether or not you are still married:

Qualifications for Benefits After Divorce

To qualify for spousal benefits, you need to meet four requirements:

• Your marriage must have lasted at least 10 years.
• You must personally not have remarried, although it does not matter if your ex-spouse has. The spousal benefits you collect will not affect the benefits your ex or his/her new spouse is entitled to.
• You must have reached age 62 or older.
• Your benefits based on your earnings must be lower than the benefits you would collect based on your former spouse’s earnings.

If you have remarried, you may collect benefits based on your former spouse’s earnings record if your second marriage ends in death, divorce, or annulment.

When You Can Begin Collecting

Suppose you need financial help at age 62, but you know that your ex-spouse has no plans to retire in the next decade. You can still collect retirement benefits based on his earnings, even if he is still working. As long as your ex-spouse qualifies for benefits, you can start collecting based on his earnings at age 62.

One caveat: you must have been divorced for at least two years before you can collect benefits if your ex-spouse has not yet applied for retirement benefits.

You can also collect spousal benefits while delaying your retirement benefits, which you never lose the right to. David McPherson of ABC News recommends this strategy as a method to increase your benefits over time:

“You…can begin by collecting Social Security through a divorced spouse benefit first and delay receiving your own retirement benefits until a later date. This could mean a higher benefit for you down the road by qualifying for delayed retirement credits that accumulate up until age 70.”

Survivor Benefits

One last right to retain spousal benefits even through a divorce is your eligibility for survivor benefits if your ex-spouse dies. You are eligible for survivor benefits once you reach age 60 (or 50 if you are disabled). You may also be eligible before that if you still have a child living at home.

Social Security and Fairness

Individuals are eligible for the highest benefit to which they are entitled, which includes benefits accrued by a spouse during a long-term marriage. Social Security recognizes that not all contributions to a working marriage are financial. This means that spouses who give up working outside the home or working full time for a marriage that eventually ends will not find themselves up a creek in retirement.

Social Security Survivor Benefits for Children

One of all parents’ biggest concerns is how their children will be provided for if they predecease their parents. Your death will certainly cause deep emotional issues for your children, but the good news is that you can get financial help from the Social Security Administration in caring for your children due to your death.

The benefits will be paid monthly to whoever is appointed as your children’s caregiver to meet their needs. Because we normally think of Social Security as an old-age retirement benefit, many people are surprised and pleased to learn it can also pay benefits to your children if you die.

But the benefit is there, and you should investigate eligibility and benefit amounts before you need them. Knowing that the benefits are there can go a long way toward easing your mind about caring for your children following your death. When combined with the proceeds of a life insurance policy, your children should be well provided for in the unfortunate event of your death.

What are the requirements for children to get Social Security benefits?

To be eligible for Social Security benefits, a child must be your natural, adopted or dependent stepchild.

More specifically, to get benefits, a child must have (according to the Social Security Administration):

• A parent(s) who is disabled or retired and entitled to Social Security benefits; or
• A parent who died after working long enough in a job where he or she paid Social Security taxes.

The child must also be:

• Unmarried
• Younger than age 18
• 18-19 years old and a full-time student but no higher than grade 12
• 18 or older and disabled, and the disability must have started before age 22 (more on that in a bit)

The paperwork requirements to establish a claim include (but are not limited to):

• Your child’s birth certificate
• You and your spouse’s Social Security numbers
• For survivors benefits, proof of the parent’s death
• For disability benefits, medical evidence to prove the disability
• Other documentation as required by the Administration

The amount of benefits your children can expect to receive

Unless you already receive Social Security income, which your children’s benefits will be based on, this part can be complicated, especially if you’re looking for a projection.

A child’s benefit may be up to half of the parent’s retirement or disability benefit, or as much as 75% of the deceased parent’s basic Social Security benefit.

The maximum benefit per family is limited to between 150% and 180% of the parent’s full benefit amount. If the monthly benefit should exceed this percentage, the amount of the benefit paid for each child will be reduced proportionally. Naturally, this limit matters more if you have more than two children, since the total benefit cannot exceed the benefit ceiling regardless of how many children you have.

If you are simply projecting the benefits your children may be entitled to upon your death, you’ll need to estimate your own Social Security benefit at retirement. The Social Security Administration (SSA) provides a tool to help you do that on its Retirement Estimator webpage. You will need to go through several steps to get your estimate. Still, it will give you an approximation of what you can expect to receive in retirement and a baseline for estimating the benefits your children may receive if you die.

How long can you expect benefits to continue?

Social Security benefits for children stop when a child turns 18, and the SSA will notify the surviving parent or guardian three months before the child turns 18.

There are, of course, exceptions to termination of benefits at age 18:

If the child is still a student – Benefits will continue as long as the child is a full-time student enrolled in either an elementary or high school. Upon turning 18, the child must complete a statement of attendance certified by the school he or she attends. Benefits will terminate upon graduation from high school or upon reaching age 19 and 2 months, whichever comes first.

IMPORTANT: The extension of benefits past age 18 does not apply to a child attending college.

Disability – If the child is disabled, benefits will continue past age 18 as long as the disability begins before the child turns 22. Presumably, the benefit will convert to a long-term disability claim if the child is permanently disabled, but we determine each situation on a case-by-case basis.

You can also get benefits for the care of a child

You can also get benefits if you care for a child receiving Social Security benefits. Your benefits will end when the child turns 16, unless the child is disabled. Benefits can extend past the child’s 16th birthday if you “exercise parental control and responsibility for a mentally disabled child or perform personal services for a child who is disabled”.

If the child is disabled, the disability must be confirmed before the child turns 16. SSA will notify you of the termination of benefits just before the child turns 16. Then you must apply for continued benefits based on the child’s disability.

You can get more information about Social Security benefits for your children at SSA Publication No. 05-10085.

Will Social Security Go Bankrupt?

The claim that Social Security is going bankrupt is one we hear often these days. There’s a grain of truth to it, which we will delve into a bit, but most of it is sensationalist drivel. It makes for great attention-grabbing headlines and probably plays well into the hands of the retirement planning industry.

But many people are worrying needlessly about this potential outcome. What are the myths – what are the facts? More importantly, how can we prepare for whatever comes next?

The Popular Reduced Social Security Assumptions

At the extreme, a Social Security nuclear nightmare is set to unfold at an unknown point in the future. Checks will stop going out each month, and then the White House, Congress, and the Social Security Administration will finally have to admit publicly that the system is bankrupt.

The elderly will be kicked out of their homes to live on the streets or – if they’re lucky – with their children. They’ll be wearing 30-year-old, threadbare clothing, and dinner will be a can of pet food.

That scenario is the product of political gamesmanship and media sensationalism. And it works extremely well for everyone involved. For example, for a politician to claim that he is “working tirelessly to save Social Security for our beloved elderly Americans”, he first needs to establish the fact that someone else is looking to take it away. It gets votes, and people reading articles and watching TV programs. Mission accomplished!

If you buy into this, you’re most likely wasting energy and valuable time.

Why that’s not likely to happen

A big part of why Social Security is going bankrupt is that so many people rely on it. America’s senior citizens count on Social Security for 39% of their total income, and most retirees rely on it for more than half their income. Talk of the system becoming history creates powerful negative emotions.

But that dependence is also why it can’t go away. Many people rely on Social Security now, and most of us also hope and expect to rely on it in the future. That creates a political force that makes “bankruptcy” extremely unlikely.

Another important fact is that Social Security is integral to the US economic and financial systems. It is, in fact, one of the country’s foundational systems. Ending Social Security would not just imperil retirees. Still, it would also hurt millions of businesses that would suddenly lose tens of millions of customers who would be too poor to buy their products and services. And that’s not to mention the banks would no longer have reason to expect repayment on loans made to anyone over 62.

Beyond political and economic considerations, the US government has too many options to let Social Security go bankrupt. As it does now, the government can raise taxes, borrow, or print the money needed to keep Social Security solvent. Social Security can’t go bankrupt without the complete collapse of the US government.

Historically, that’s not impossible, but it’s far less likely.

A more likely outcome

Setting the nightmare scenario aside, Social Security has problems. Too many people are collecting benefits relative to the number of workers paying taxes into the system. We will have to address that in some fashion going forward.

Three scenarios that we should fully expect to come about are:

1. An increase in the retirement age,
2. A reduction in benefits, or
3. Some combination of both.

We’re actually already seeing the implementation of an increase in the full retirement age from 65 to 67 for people born after World War II. The age may be raised further, even to 70. It is also likely that early retirement, currently age 62, will be raised.

Benefits can be reduced simply by the Social Security Administration adjusting its benefit calculation. Since the calculation is only loosely available to the public, gradual adjustments would be fairly easy. Most likely, we’ll see a combination of a higher retirement age and reduced benefits.

That combination, not the complete bankruptcy of Social Security, is the scenario we should all be preparing for.

How to Prepare for the Possibility of Reduced Social Security Retirement Benefits

Knowing Social Security will likely be less generous by the time we retire should be enough of a wake-up call to make other plans. We can still plan to use Social Security as one source of income in retirement, but we need to be prepared to rely on it far less than current retirees do.

How can we begin preparing for that now?

Live on less, save more. This is Personal Finance 101 – live on less, save more, and invest the difference. It’s the best strategy for preparing for retirement, no matter what happens with Social Security. By living below your means, you not only prepare for a more frugal retirement but also save more.

Delay collecting Social Security benefits. Delaying Social Security can increase your monthly benefit by up to 8% each year. If your normal retirement age is 67 and you delay collecting benefits until age 70, you can increase your monthly benefit by up to 24%.

Maximize your retirement contributions. The single most important way to offset lower Social Security benefits is to grow your retirement portfolio. There are several ways to do this. Most people don’t realize how much they can contribute across different retirement plans; see our contribution limits guide for this year’s exact figures. Options include maximizing your 401(k) contributions at work, opening an IRA or Roth IRA, or even starting a side business with its own dedicated retirement plan.

Get out of debt. Plan to enter retirement debt-free. Paying off debts also eliminates monthly payments, lowering your living costs.

Where Can I Get More Information?

Start with the Social Security Administration website at ssa.gov. They have a helpful FAQ section with over 200 common questions and answers.

You can also call the Social Security helpline at 1-800-325-0778. Finally, you can visit your local Social Security office (SSA office locator). Office hours are usually Monday-Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 pm.

The following writers contributed to this guide: Kevin Mercadante, Emily Guy Birken, and Miranda Marquit.