social security | Dale Payne - Financial Professional in Colorado Springs

Yes, you might get less over your lifetime if you claim later

Monthly benefits are set so that lifetime benefits are much the same no matter when the average person starts to collect Social Security.

– If you’re in poor health and unlikely to live as long as the average person, you’ll probably get less, over your lifetime, the later you claim. (That’s because you probably won’t get the highter monthly benefit long enough to make up for starting later).

But note: many whose health is poor still outlive the “average person”.

Should you bet that your life will be short?

No one really knows how long they will live. But if you health is OK, you’ll probably outlive the average person. If you’re married and both in good health, the odds are even greater that you or your spouse outlives the average person.

The cost could be quite high if you lose the bet and live “too long”. If blessed with long life, you might barely scrape by in your 80’s.

Does not represent the Social Security Administration.

You can continue to work after you claim

However, Social Security is designed to replace your earnings when you no longer work. So if you start to collect benefits and continue work before you reach your Full Retirement Age, some of your benefits might be withheld.

Before the Full Retirement Age, Social Security withholds…

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Benefits withheld aren’t lost

They’re rolled forward to increase your Social Security monthly benefits after you reach the Full Retirement Age.

For example, say you start to collect benefits at 62, continue to work, and only retire for good at 63. If you earn so much that half your monthly benefits are withheld, at the Full Retirement Age your monthly benefit is raised to what it would be had you started to collect at 62 and a half.

Does not represent the Social Security Administration.