Can I stop working 3 months before reaching my FRA of 66 and 10 months without starting Social Security benefits?

You absolutely can stop working without collecting Social Security! They are completely separate decisions. You can stop working anytime you want and still wait until your exact FRA (66 years and 10 months) to start your benefits. This way you'll get your full benefit amount with no reduction. As for Medicare, yes, you can enroll in Medicare at age 65 regardless of your Social Security status. In fact, you should sign up during your Initial Enrollment Period (which starts 3 months before your 65th birthday and ends 3 months after) to avoid late enrollment penalties. You'll just need to pay the Medicare premiums directly until you start Social Security, at which point they can be deducted from your benefits.

Just adding to the previous answer - stopping work and claiming Social Security are definitely separate decisions. If you want to maximize your monthly benefit, waiting until your Full Retirement Age is smart. And if you can afford to wait even longer (up to age 70), your benefit will increase by 8% per year! That's what I did - stopped working at 66 but waited until 68 to start collecting. For Medicare, applying 3 months before your 65th birthday is ideal. When I tried signing up, the SSA phone lines were impossible - kept getting disconnected after 2+ hour waits. Finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an agent in under 10 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - totally worth it for Medicare enrollment questions since those are time-sensitive.

You're getting good advice here. Just want to add that you should check on your health insurance options for those 3 months if you leave work before Medicare kicks in. Some employers offer retiree coverage, or you might need COBRA or marketplace insurance temporarily. Don't risk going uninsured even for a few months.

my mother-n-law waited till 67 to get her ss and she gets more than my uncle who took it at 62! he gets like $1430 and shes getting $2275 for waiting. but she kept working part time at walmart until 70. you can work and get benefits after fra with no penalty thats what alot of people dont know.

Nobody's mentioned this yet but when you DO apply for Social Security right at your FRA, apply about 3 months before you want benefits to start. Benefits are paid the month after they're due, so your December benefit would be paid in January. Also, I'd strongly recommend creating a my Social Security account on ssa.gov NOW if you haven't already - you can see your estimated benefit amount and it makes the application process much easier when the time comes.

Does anyone know if its better to take SS at FRA or wait till 70??? My sister says wait but my financial guy says take it asap cause the breakeven point is like 82 years old???

Just to answer your original question again - stopping work and starting Social Security are completely independent. You can stop working in September 2025 and wait until December 2025 (or even later) to start your benefits with absolutely no problems or penalties. The only thing that matters for your benefit calculation is your age when you start collecting.

One thing I'd add to the excellent advice already given - make sure to notify your employer well in advance about your September departure plans. Some companies have specific policies about retirement notices, and you'll want to understand how your benefits (like health insurance, 401k contributions, etc.) will be handled during your final months. Also, if you have any unused vacation time, find out if that gets paid out or if you need to use it before leaving. Planning these details now will make your transition much smoother when September comes around!

Great question! I'm facing a similar decision myself. Just wanted to add that you might want to consider looking into part-time or consulting work during those months between stopping your full-time job and starting Social Security. Even a small income can help cover expenses without affecting your future SS benefits, since you won't be collecting yet. I've heard some people use that transition time to try something they've always wanted to do - like tutoring, seasonal work, or even starting a small business. It can be a nice way to ease into full retirement rather than going from full-time work to complete stop all at once. Plus it keeps you busy during what might otherwise feel like a long few months waiting for December!

I went through almost the exact same situation last year! I stopped working in August and waited until my FRA in November to start collecting. No issues whatsoever - Social Security doesn't care when you stop working, only when you start collecting benefits. Just make sure you have enough savings to cover those few months without income. For Medicare, definitely sign up during your initial enrollment period starting 3 months before you turn 65. I'd also suggest calling Social Security around your 65th birthday just to confirm everything looks good in their system - sometimes there are small discrepancies in earnings records that are easier to fix before you actually apply for benefits. Good luck with your retirement planning!

I'm in a similar boat and have been researching this extensively! One additional consideration I haven't seen mentioned yet is to check if your employer offers any kind of phased retirement or reduced hours option for those final months. Some companies will let you transition to part-time work leading up to retirement, which could help bridge the income gap while still giving you more free time to prepare for full retirement. Also, if you have a 401(k), make sure you understand the rules about rollovers and withdrawals once you leave - some plans require you to roll over or withdraw funds within a certain timeframe after leaving employment. It's worth scheduling a meeting with HR and your 401(k) administrator to understand all your options before making the final decision to leave in September.

This is such a smart approach to retirement planning! I love that you're giving yourself those few months to decompress before officially starting benefits. One thing I'd suggest is using that time between September and December to really organize all your financial documents and retirement paperwork. It's so much easier to handle the Social Security application process when you're not stressed from work and have time to gather everything you need. You might also want to schedule a comprehensive physical and any dental work during those months while you still have employer health coverage - it's a great way to get everything taken care of before transitioning to Medicare. The peace of mind of having a clean bill of health going into retirement is priceless!

Another thing to consider during those transition months is setting up automatic bill pay and organizing your finances for retirement if you haven't already. When you're working, it's easy to just pay bills as they come, but in retirement having everything automated can really reduce stress. Also, if you have any employer-sponsored benefits like life insurance that you want to convert to individual policies, you'll typically have a limited window after leaving employment to do so. I'd recommend making a checklist of all these administrative tasks to tackle during your September-December break - it's the perfect time to handle them when you're not rushed and can give them proper attention. You're being so smart to plan this transition carefully rather than just stopping work and starting benefits on the same day like many people do!

I'm about to turn 62 next year and this discussion is incredibly helpful for my own planning! One thing I wanted to add that I learned from my financial advisor is to consider the tax implications of your timing decisions. If you have traditional 401(k) or IRA accounts, those transition months between work and Social Security could be a great opportunity for Roth conversions at potentially lower tax rates, since your income will be reduced. Also, make sure you understand how your Social Security benefits will be taxed once you start receiving them - depending on your other retirement income, up to 85% of your benefits could be subject to federal taxes. It might be worth consulting with a tax professional during those planning months to optimize your withdrawal strategy from different accounts. The timing flexibility you're creating by separating work stoppage from benefit start gives you some really valuable planning opportunities!