Fidelity Investments
When should you
claim social security?
Answer 5 questions to learn more.
Include your salary as well as any other income you will receive annually, such as overtime or bonuses.
Women live longer than men on average,
so this could affect your benefit.
This could impact the age at which you choose to claim your benefits.
If you are or have been married, you may be eligible for benefits based on your spouse’s earnings history.
Claiming early may maximize your lifetime benefit
Why claim early?
Your gender and age play a role in claiming Social Security. So based on your responses, claiming early may maximize your lifetime benefit.
Waiting to claim may maximize your lifetime benefit
You can start claiming Social Security benefits at 62. But you will not receive 100% of your benefits unless you wait until your Full Retirement Age. And if you wait longer, you can get even more.
Why wait to claim?
By waiting until age 70 to claim your benefits, a person like you could get the highest monthly benefit possible of $XXXX/mo. That’s $XXXX more over your lifetime than if you start claiming at age 62.
Claiming early may maximize your lifetime benefit
Why claim early?
Your gender and age play a role in claiming Social Security. So based on your responses, claiming early may maximize your lifetime benefit.
And since you indicated that you are married, you may be eligible to claim Social Security based on your spouse’s earnings. This may mean a significantly higher monthly payment for you if your spouse had a higher income than you during his or her prime earning years.
Waiting to claim may maximize your lifetime benefit
You can start claiming Social Security benefits at 62. But you will not receive 100% of your benefits unless you wait until your Full Retirement Age. And if you wait longer, you can get even more.
Why wait to claim?
By waiting until age 70 to claim your benefits, a person like you could get the highest monthly benefit possible of $XXXX/mo. That’s $XXXX more over your lifetime than if you start claiming at age 62.
And since you indicated that you are married, you may be eligible to claim Social Security based on your spouse’s earnings. This may mean a significantly higher monthly payment for you if your spouse had a higher income than you during his or her prime earning years.
Claiming early may maximize your lifetime benefit
Why claim early?
Your gender and age play a role in claiming Social Security. So based on your responses, claiming early may maximize your lifetime benefit.
And since you indicated that you are widowed, you may also be eligible to claim Social Security based on your spouse’s earnings. This may mean a significantly higher monthly payment if your spouse had a higher income than you during his or her prime earning years. You may be able to claim as early as age 60.
Waiting to claim may maximize your lifetime benefit
You can start claiming Social Security benefits at 62. But you will not receive 100% of your benefits unless you wait until your Full Retirement Age. And if you wait longer, you can get even more.
Why wait to claim?
By waiting until age 70 to claim your benefits, a person like you could get the highest monthly benefit possible of $XXXX/mo. That’s $XXXX more over your lifetime than if you start claiming at age 62.
And since you indicated that you are widowed, you may also be eligible to claim Social Security based on your spouse’s earnings. This may mean a significantly higher monthly payment if your spouse had a higher income than you during his or her prime earning years. You may be able to claim as early as age 60.
Claiming early may maximize your lifetime benefit
Why claim early?
Your gender and age play a role in claiming Social Security. So based on your responses, claiming early may maximize your lifetime benefit.
And since you indicated that you are divorced, but were not married 10 or more years, you will not be eligible to claim Social Security based on your former spouse’s earnings.
Waiting to claim may maximize your lifetime benefit
You can start claiming Social Security benefits at 62. But you will not receive 100% of your benefits unless you wait until your Full Retirement Age. And if you wait longer, you can get even more.
Why wait to claim?
By waiting until age 70 to claim your benefits, a person like you could get the highest monthly benefit possible of $XXXX/mo. That’s $XXXX more over your lifetime than if you start claiming at age 62.
And since you indicated that you are divorced, but were not married 10 or more years, you will not be eligible to claim Social Security based on your former spouse’s earnings.
Claiming early may maximize your lifetime benefit
Why claim early?
Your gender and age play a role in claiming Social Security. So based on your responses, claiming early may maximize your lifetime benefit.
And since you indicated that you are divorced and were married 10 or more years, you may also be eligible to claim Social Security based on your former spouse’s earnings. This may mean a significantly higher monthly payment if your former spouse had a higher income during his or her prime earning years.
Waiting to claim may maximize your lifetime benefit
You can start claiming Social Security benefits at 62. But you will not receive 100% of your benefits unless you wait until your Full Retirement Age. And if you wait longer, you can get even more.
Why wait to claim?
By waiting until age 70 to claim your benefits, a person like you could get the highest monthly benefit possible of $XXXX/mo. That’s $XXXX more over your lifetime than if you start claiming at age 62.
And since you indicated that you are divorced and were married 10 or more years, you may also be eligible to claim Social Security based on your former spouse’s earnings. This may mean a significantly higher monthly payment if your former spouse had a higher income over their prime earning years.
See examples of the monthly percentage you can receive at different ages.
Take the next step
Our Planning & Guidance Center gives you a clear view of how much you may need for retirement, how you’re tracking towards that goal, and how Social Security fits into your overall plan.
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Enroll in guest accessIMPORTANT: The projections or other information generated by the Planning & Guidance Center’s Retirement Analysis regarding the likelihood or various investment outcomes are hypothetical in nature, do not reflect actual investment results, and are not guarantees of future results. Your results may vary with each use and over time.
Learn more
Now that you’ve got a better idea of when to claim your benefits, here are some ways Social Security can fit into your long-term income planning.
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