Jane Burigsay
Courtesy: Social Security Administration
We’re often asked, “What’s the best age to start receiving retirement benefits?” There is no single answer for everyone. The most important thing is to make an informed decision about when to apply for benefits based on your individual and family circumstances.
Would it be better for you to start getting benefits early, with a smaller monthly amount for more years — or wait for a larger monthly payment over a shorter timeframe? The answer is personal, depending on several factors, such as your current cash needs, current health, and family longevity. You should also consider plans to work in retirement and other sources of retirement income. Most importantly, study your
future financial needs and obligations, and calculate your future Social Security benefit.
We encourage you to weigh all the facts carefully before making the crucial decision about when to begin receiving Social Security benefits. This decision affects the monthly benefit you will receive for the rest of your life, and may affect benefit protection for your survivors.
The New SSA Retirement Portal
Our new retirement portal is more user-friendly — easier to navigate, whether you’re ready to learn about, apply for or manage your retirement benefits. The redesigned portal makes it simpler for you to find and read about retirement benefits, with fewer pages and clearer information. We condensed and rewrote most of the pages to make them more understandable. The portal is compatible with mobile devices so you can learn and do what you want on the site, from wherever you want.
Our webpage includes retirement publications, benefit calculators, retirement-benefits estimates, full-retirement-age information and spouse benefits.
You and your loved ones can access all of these resources at ssa.gov/benefits/retirement.
Jane Burigsay is the Social Security Administration’s public affairs specialist in Hawai’i.
