Do I need to notify Social Security when turning 62 if delaying benefits until 65?
My 62nd birthday is next month and I've been doing a lot of research on when to claim Social Security. I've decided I want to wait until at least 65 before starting my benefits to get a higher monthly amount. But now I'm confused about whether I need to contact SSA when I turn 62 to tell them I'm NOT claiming yet? Do they automatically assume I want benefits as soon as I'm eligible? I don't want to miss any required paperwork, but also don't want to accidentally trigger benefits starting too early. Anyone know the correct procedure here?
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Zara Khan
You don't need to notify Social Security that you're turning 62 if you don't want to claim benefits yet. Nothing happens automatically. Benefits only start when you actually apply for them, which you can do online, by phone, or at your local SSA office. The choice of when to claim is entirely yours!
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Sean Murphy
AuthorThank you! That's a relief. I was worried there might be some form I needed to fill out just to acknowledge I was turning 62. Appreciate the clear answer.
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Luca Ferrari
Nope! I turned 62 last year and didn't do anything. Social Security doesn't even know you exist until you apply! Well, I mean they have your earnings record but you know what I mean lol
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Nia Davis
This is mostly correct, but to clarify - SSA definitely knows you exist based on your lifetime earnings record and tax contributions, but they won't initiate any benefit payments until you formally apply. Your FRA (Full Retirement Age) is likely 67 if you were born after 1960, so claiming at 65 would still be considered early retirement with a permanent reduction, though less of a reduction than at 62.
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Mateo Martinez
SS doesn't automatically start ANYTHING!!! My sister didn't know and waited for them to contact her and lost 8 months of payments she could have been getting!!! You have to APPLY when you want it to start. No notification needed when you DON'T want it though.
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Nia Davis
To answer your follow-up question: If you were born after 1960, your Full Retirement Age (FRA) is 67, not 65. At age 65, your benefit would be reduced by about 13.3% from your full benefit amount. At 62, it would be reduced by about 30%. Each year you delay beyond your FRA (up to age 70), you earn delayed retirement credits of 8% per year. For comparison: - At 62: ~70% of your full benefit - At 65: ~86.7% of your full benefit - At 67 (FRA): 100% of your full benefit - At 70: 124% of your full benefit This is why the claiming decision is so important - it affects your payment amount for the rest of your life.
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QuantumQueen
my neighbor said something about a breakeven point? is that important to consider too?
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Aisha Rahman
Had the exact same question when I turned 62 last year! Thought there would be a letter or something from SSA saying "hey, you're eligible now!" but nope. Nothing happens. Which is actually nice because you don't have to deal with any paperwork until YOU decide you're ready to claim.
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Ethan Wilson
I tried calling Social Security to ask a question like this last month and it was IMPOSSIBLE to get through. I kept getting disconnected after waiting 45+ minutes! Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a real person at SSA in under 5 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU The agent confirmed you don't need to notify them at 62 if you're not claiming yet. But when you ARE ready to apply, do it 3 months before you want benefits to start to make sure everything processes in time.
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Sean Murphy
AuthorThanks for the tip about Claimyr. I might need that when I'm actually ready to apply. And good to know about the 3-month advance application. I'll mark my calendar for 3 months before my 65th birthday.
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QuantumQueen
but what if you are still working at 65? do you have to apply for medicare separate?
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Nia Davis
Yes, Medicare and Social Security retirement benefits are separate programs with different enrollment processes. You should apply for Medicare at age 65 even if you delay Social Security benefits and even if you're still working. There's a 7-month Initial Enrollment Period (3 months before your 65th birthday month, your birthday month, and 3 months after). Missing this window can result in permanent premium penalties unless you have qualifying employer coverage.
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Mateo Martinez
Just make sure you're calculating the BREAK EVEN POINT too!!! I waited until 66 to claim and now I'm 80 and JUST reached my break even compared to if I claimed at 62. People don't realize how LONG it takes to make up the difference of all those years of not getting ANY payments!!! Sometimes taking it early is SMARTER!!
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Sean Murphy
AuthorThat's a really good point. I need to calculate my break-even point. I'm in good health and my parents both lived into their 90s, so I'm thinking waiting might be better for me. But I should run the numbers to be sure.
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Luca Ferrari
when i was turning 62 i got sooooooooo many letters from financial advisors trying to "help" me make social security decisions lol...made me think SSA was sending out notifications about my birthday but nope, just financial people mining data
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Nia Davis
One additional consideration for your planning: if you're married or divorced (after a marriage of at least 10 years), coordinating spousal benefits might impact your optimal claiming strategy. Also, if you're still working between 62-FRA, there's an earnings test that could reduce benefits temporarily if you claim early while earning above certain thresholds ($23,310 in 2025 if below FRA all year).
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Sean Murphy
AuthorThanks for mentioning this. I am still working full-time and plan to until at least 66, so that's another good reason to wait. I am married, but my spouse is younger than me. I'll need to look into how that affects our claiming strategy too. Lots to think about!
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Mia Alvarez
Great question! I just went through this same decision process last year. One thing that really helped me was using the SSA's online calculator at ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/estimator.html to see exactly how much my monthly benefit would be at different claiming ages. It made the numbers really concrete - like seeing that waiting from 62 to 67 would increase my monthly payment by about $800 for life. Also consider creating a my Social Security account online if you haven't already - you can see your complete earnings history and get benefit estimates without having to call anyone. The peace of mind of seeing everything laid out clearly was worth it for me!
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