Social Security Benefits: Ideas To Help You Get The Most Out Of Your Social Security Income

There are numerous choices to consider, both emotionally as well as financially, as you prepare to retire. One of the biggest decisions you must make is at what age to start receiving your Social Security retirement benefits. A few of the issues you may want to consider include:

Should you begin Social Security at age 62 or 66, or even later?

At what age should your spouse start collecting Social Security?

Will you receive your spouse's benefits if he/she dies before you?

Can you collect on your spouse's earnings record if he/she earned more than you?

Are you able to collect on an ex-spouse's earnings?

In case your head wasn't spinning before, it is now! Here are some tips to help you get the maximum Social Security retirement income you are entitled to:

Improve Your Social Security Income:

Your Social Security retirement benefits is based on your top 35 years of income which means that it is advisable to get as many "high earning" years in as possible. As a result, staying at work for just one year longer at a good compensating position might make a big difference with your retirement income.

Delay Receiving Your Social Security Retirement Benefits:

Social Security penalizes you for every month you receive your Social Security before you reach your full retirement age, with the highest penalty being 25% if where you begin collecting benefits at age 62. While beginning your benefits earlier could be attractive, those people who are patient can increase their Social Security benefits by as much as 30% (including inflation increases) just by waiting until full retirement age.

Work Part-Time While in Retirement:

While you're limited in the amount you are able to earn when you're below full retirement age and receiving Social Security, after you attain full retirement age you'll be able to earn as much income as you desire without your retirement benefits being reduced. Yet another plan could be to take a part-time job when you finally retire so that you can delay receiving Social Security benefits.

Apply for Benefits Based on Your Spouse's Income:

When you're married, you are able to collect Social Security spousal benefits based on your own earnings, or you may collect half of your spouse's benefit, whichever is greater. If you and your spouse aren't the same age, you will need to do some planning to make certain you get the maximum benefits, but this is undoubtedly a strategy to think about if one spouse makes substantially more than the other, as well as if one spouse has been away from the work force for quite some time.

Take advantage of Your Ex's Benefits:

The spousal benefit pertains to ex-spouses as well. If you were married to your ex-spouse for a minimum of 10 years, and you aren't presently married to somebody else, you'll be able to collect as much as 50% of your ex spouse's benefits. You don't have to talk to your ex-spouse to apply for your benefits; in fact they may never find out unless you inform them, also it won't influence their own benefits in any way.

These are just a couple of ways to help you get the maximum Social Security benefits. Receiving your Social Security retirement benefits can be a very difficult decision and can affect the rest of your retirement, so make sure you seek advice from a specialist before you make any decisions yourself.

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