When Should I File for Social Security?
62, Full Retirement Age, or 70 — the right answer is the one that fits your health, your spouse, and your other income.
62, Full Retirement Age, or 70 — the right answer is the one that fits your health, your spouse, and your other income.
The three doors
Filing at 62 locks in the smallest check for life — roughly 30% less than your Full Retirement Age (FRA) benefit. Filing at FRA (66–67 for most people) gets you 100%. Waiting to 70 adds about 8% per year beyond FRA — a 24–32% raise, guaranteed and inflation-adjusted.
Who should file early
People in poor health, single filers who need the income, or those already working and stopping cold. Early filing also makes sense when there's no one to leave a survivor benefit to.
Who should wait
Married higher earners — because your check becomes your spouse's survivor benefit. Healthy people with longevity in the family. Anyone with enough bridge income (savings, part-time work, pension) to delay.
The break-even trap
Most break-even calculations land in the low 80s. If you live to 85, waiting wins. If you live to 75, filing early wins. Nobody knows their date — but the family health history is the honest input.
Filing is a household decision, not an individual one. Know your FRA number, your spouse's number, and what a survivor benefit becomes before you pick a date.
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