When Should You Claim Social Security?
By Kenneth M. Ford, AWMA®, AIF®
Last Updated: September 2026
Estimated Reading Time: 4-5 minutes
Deciding when to claim Social Security is one of the most important retirement income decisions many people will make. You can generally begin retirement benefits as early as age 62, claim at your full retirement age, or delay benefits up to age 70. The decision can affect your monthly income for the rest of your life, the benefit potentially available to a surviving spouse, how much you need to withdraw from your investments, and your overall retirement tax strategy.
There is no single claiming age that is right for everyone.
Quick Answer
There is no single best age to claim Social Security. You can generally begin retirement benefits at age 62, claim at full retirement age, or delay until age 70. The right timing depends on your health, income needs, marital status, other assets and tax situation. Your claiming decision should be evaluated alongside portfolio withdrawals, Roth conversions and the income potentially available to a surviving spouse.
How Claiming Age Affects Your Benefit
Social Security generally calculates retirement benefits using your highest 35 years of earnings and the age at which you begin receiving benefits.
For people born in 1960 or later, full retirement age is 67. Claiming before that age permanently reduces the monthly retirement benefit, while delaying beyond full retirement age earns delayed retirement credits until age 70.
For example, consider someone with a $3,000 monthly benefit at age 67.
If that person claims at 62, the benefit would be approximately $2,100 per month, before future cost-of-living adjustments.
Waiting means giving up payments that could have been collected earlier in exchange for a larger monthly benefit later.
That tradeoff is why simply comparing monthly benefit amounts doesn't tell the whole story.
Look Beyond the Break-Even Age
A common way to evaluate Social Security is to calculate the age at which delaying benefits produces more cumulative income than claiming earlier.
That's useful, but retirement planning involves more than a break-even calculation.
Someone who delays Social Security may need to withdraw more from investments during the years before benefits begin. But those same years may also create opportunities to intentionally draw down traditional retirement accounts or complete Roth conversions before Social Security and Required Minimum Distributions add additional income.
In other words, when you claim Social Security can affect what you do with the rest of your retirement assets.
Married Couples Have More to Consider
For married couples, there are two lives and two benefits to consider.
Rather than simply asking:
“When should I claim Social Security?”
It may be more useful to ask:
“How should we coordinate our benefits?”
The spouses may have different earnings histories, ages, retirement dates, health considerations, and benefit amounts.
The higher earner's decision can be particularly important because it may affect the Social Security income available to a surviving spouse.
That means delaying the higher earner's benefit may sometimes be worth evaluating as part of a broader survivor-income strategy.
The goal isn't necessarily for both spouses to claim at the same age. It's to understand how the two decisions work together.
What If You're Still Working?
You can collect Social Security while continuing to work, but people who claim before full retirement age should understand the retirement earnings test.
In 2026, someone under full retirement age for the entire year can earn up to $24,480 before benefits begin to be withheld. Above that amount, Social Security generally withholds $1 in benefits for every $2 earned over the limit.
Different rules apply during the year you reach full retirement age. Once you reach full retirement age, the earnings test no longer applies.
Importantly, benefits withheld under the earnings test aren't necessarily permanently lost. Social Security recalculates the benefit at full retirement age to account for months when benefits were withheld because of excess earnings.
Social Security Is Part of a Bigger Retirement Income Plan
Consider someone retiring with:
A traditional IRA
A Roth IRA
A taxable investment account
Cash reserves
Social Security available but not yet claimed
They have several potential sources of retirement income.
They could claim Social Security immediately and reduce the amount they need to withdraw from their portfolio.
Or they could delay Social Security and temporarily fund more of their spending from other assets.
The second approach could create a period when taxable income is lower than it may be later in retirement. Depending on the circumstances, those years could potentially be used for strategic IRA withdrawals or Roth conversions.
Neither approach is automatically better.
That's why Social Security should be evaluated as part of the overall retirement income and tax strategy rather than as an isolated decision.
A Hypothetical Example
Consider a married couple retiring at age 65.
The higher-earning spouse has a full retirement age Social Security benefit of $3,500 per month, while the other spouse has a smaller benefit. The couple also has substantial savings in traditional retirement accounts.
Instead of automatically claiming both benefits at retirement, they could evaluate whether delaying the higher earner's benefit makes sense.
During the years before that benefit begins, they could use other assets for living expenses while evaluating strategic distributions or Roth conversions from their traditional retirement accounts.
This could potentially provide:
A larger future Social Security benefit for the higher earner
Greater potential survivor income
More control over taxable income during early retirement
Additional opportunities for retirement tax planning
But delaying also means giving up Social Security payments in the meantime and potentially drawing more heavily on other assets.
The appropriate strategy requires comparing those tradeoffs.
Common Social Security Claiming Mistakes
Claiming simply because you retired. Retirement and Social Security don't have to begin at the same time.
Automatically waiting until 70. A larger monthly benefit doesn't automatically make delaying the right choice. Health, longevity, cash flow, and other assets matter.
Ignoring your spouse's benefit. For married couples, claiming decisions should be considered together, particularly when there is a meaningful difference between the spouses' benefits.
Ignoring taxes and other retirement accounts. Social Security affects how much income you need from other sources and can influence tax-planning opportunities during retirement.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the earliest age I can claim Social Security?
Generally, age 62. Claiming before full retirement age results in a reduced monthly retirement benefit.
Should everyone wait until age 70?
No. Delaying can increase the worker's monthly retirement benefit, but the appropriate claiming age depends on individual circumstances.
Does my benefit keep increasing if I wait beyond 70?
Delayed retirement credits stop accruing at age 70.
Can I work while collecting Social Security?
Yes. However, if you're below full retirement age, earnings above the applicable annual limit can cause some benefits to be temporarily withheld.
Key Takeaways
There is no universal “best” age to claim Social Security.
Claiming earlier provides income sooner but generally results in a smaller monthly retirement benefit. Delaying can increase the monthly benefit but requires funding retirement from other sources in the meantime.
For married couples, the decision should also consider how each spouse's claiming strategy affects the household and potentially the surviving spouse.
Most importantly, Social Security should be coordinated with portfolio withdrawals, taxes, Roth conversions, and future Required Minimum Distributions.
The question isn't simply when you can claim Social Security.
It's when Social Security fits best into your retirement strategy.
Continue Learning
How Is Social Security Taxed in Retirement?
Which Accounts Should You Withdraw From First in Retirement?
Can I Retire at 62? What to Consider Before You Decide
What Changes Financially When One Spouse Dies?
Disclaimer
This material is provided for educational and informational purposes only and should not be construed as individualized investment, tax, legal, or Social Security advice. Social Security rules and tax laws are subject to change, and individual circumstances vary. Consider consulting the appropriate financial, tax, legal, and Social Security professionals before making decisions based on your individual circumstances.
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