How many months in advance should you apply for social security benefits?

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  • When should i claim social security

    • Social security 62 vs 67 vs 70...

    When To Start Benefits

    See "When to Start Receiving Retirement Benefits" for additional information about factors you should consider when you make this important decision.

    Social security retirement age chart

  • Social security retirement age chart
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  • Social security 62 vs 67 vs 70
  • How much social security will i get if i make $25,000 a year
  • Social security age 72


    • Important: You must be at least 61 years and 9 months old to apply for benefits.

    • The earliest you can apply for retirement benefits is four months before you want your benefits to start.

      If you want your benefits to start more than four months in the future, you need to apply for benefits at a later date.

    • If you are already age 62, your benefits could start as early as this month.

    Reminder: If you were born on the 1st of the month, we figure your benefit (and your full retirement age) as if your birthday was in the previous month.

    If you are under full retirement age and you work after you start receiving benefits, we may withhold some of your benefits if you have excess earnings.

    However, after you reach full retirement age, we will recalculate your benefit amount to give you credit for any month(s) in which you did not receive your full monthly benefit because of your earnings.

    If

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