The earliest you can start receiving Social Security retirement benefits is age 62 however filing early will permanently reduce your benefit.

For example, the monthly benefit you receive at age 62 will be around 30% less than the amount you would receive at your full retirement age (FRA); at age 63 it’s about 25% less; at 64, about 20% less, and so on.

You receive 100% of the Social Security benefit you’ve earned when you reach your full retirement age (FRA); your FRA is determined by the year you were born.

Full retirement age (FRA), also known as normal retirement age, is the age at which you’re entitled to receive 100% of the Social Security benefit you’ve earned.

Your FRA is determined by the year you were born. Keep in mind, the FRA will continue to increase in two-month increments until it reaches age 67 for those born in 1960 or later.

Click here to find your FRA

If you choose to delay receiving benefits beyond your full retirement age (FRA), you earn delayed retirement credits that increase your monthly benefit by a certain percentage depending on the year you were born.

The increase will be added in automatically each month from the time you reach full retirement age until you start taking benefits or reach age 70, whichever comes first.

Once you reach age 70, you can no longer earn delayed retirement credits.

For those who turned age 62 prior to 2016 (people born January 1, 1954 or earlier), it is still possible to file a Restricted Application before it’s phased out by year 2023.

Restricted Application allows a spouse who has reached full retirement age (FRA), and is eligible for his/her own retirement benefit, to collect only their spousal benefit based on the spouse’s earning record.

This enables the spouse’s own retirement benefit to grow by earning Delayed Retirement Credits. At a later date, or by age 70, the spouse can then switch to his/her own maximized Social Security benefit.

Your maximum benefit is calculated using your highest 35 years of earnings and your age when you file for your benefit.

Your Social Security Statement shows the estimated benefit you’ll receive at your full retirement age (FRA), if you delay until age 70, and if you file early at age 62.

Click here to get your statement from the Social Security Administration.

Social Security spousal benefits are partial retirement benefits granted to the spouse of a qualifying worker, even if the spouse has never worked under Social Security themselves.

You can claim Social Security benefits based on your own work record, or you can collect a spousal benefit that may provide up to 50% of the amount of your spouse’s benefit.

A spouse must be at least age 62 to qualify for spousal benefits however the amount will be permanently reduced.

If you are eligible for both your own retirement benefits and spousal benefits, you will receive whichever amount is higher.

The earliest a widow or widower can start receiving their Social Security survivor benefits is age 60; you can start at any time between age 60 and full retirement age.

If your survivor benefit starts at an earlier age, the amount is reduced a fraction of a percent for each month before your full retirement age.

Survivor benefits can be complex – that’s why it’s important to understand all of the rules before you make a decision.

If your marriage lasted 10 years or longer, you can receive Social Security benefits on your ex-spouse’s work record even if he or she has remarried.

Following your divorce, after a two-year period, it is no longer necessary for your ex-spouse to apply for benefits for you to receive a benefit based their work record.

If you remarry, you generally cannot collect benefits on your former spouse’s record unless your later marriage ends by death, divorce, or annulment.