You can apply up to four months before you want your retirement benefits to start. You must be at least age 62 for the entire month to be eligible to receive benefits.
You can start receiving your Social Security retirement calculator benefits as early as age 62, but the benefit amount will be lower than your full retirement benefit amount.

If you start receiving your benefits before your full retirement age, we will reduce your benefits based on the number of months you receive benefits before you reach your full retirement age.

If you wait until age 70 to start your benefits, your benefit amount will be higher because you will receive delayed retirement credits for each month you delay filing for benefits. There is no additional benefit increase after you reach age 70, even if you continue to delay starting

Most jobs take Social Security taxes out of your paycheck so you can get a monthly benefit in your 60s. Some jobs, like state and town government positions, don't pay Social Security taxes and therefore don't contribute to your eligibility.

Eligibility for yourself

You're eligible if:

You're 62 or older
You've worked and paid Social Security taxes for 10 years or more

Because of your own work

You're eligible if:

You're 62 or older
You've worked and paid Social Security taxes for 10 years or more
Due to a current or former spouse's work

If you've worked and paid Social Security taxes for 10 years or more, you'll get a monthly benefit based on that work. Then, we'll see if you're eligible to get additional money based on a current or former spouse's work.

If you haven't worked and paid Social Security taxes for 10 years or more, we'll still see if you're eligible for a monthly benefit based on a current or former spouse's work.

The requirements vary based on whether you're married, divorced, or widowed. Once you apply and tell us about your current and past marriages, we'll ensure that you get the highest monthly benefit you're eligible for. You won't have to talk to an ex-spouse if you're divorced and we won't tell them about your application.

Your children may be eligible for a monthly benefit because of your work if they are:

Under age 18 Age 18 or 19 and attend elementary or high school full time
Are any age and have a disability Information You Need To Apply For Retirement Benefits Or Medicare.

Your date and place of birth and Social Security number; The name, Social Security number and date of birth or age of your current spouse and any former spouse. You should also know the dates and places of marriage and dates of divorce or death (if appropriate); The names of any unmarried children under age 18, age 18-19 and in elementary or secondary school, or disabled before age 22; Your bank or other financial institution's Routing Transit Number and the account number.

Your citizenship status; Whether you or anyone else has ever filed for Social Security benefits, Medicare or Supplemental Security Income on your behalf (if so, we will also be asked for information on whose Social Security record you applied); Whether you have used any other Social Security number; If you are applying for retirement benefits, the month you want your benefits to begin; and If you are within 3 months of age 65, whether you want to enroll in Medical Insurance (Part B of Medicare).

The name and address of your employer(s) for this year and last year; The amount of money earned last year and this year. If you are filing for benefits in the months of September through December, you will also need to estimate next year's earnings;A copy of your Social Security Statement or a record of your earnings. If you do not have a Statement, you can view your Social Security Statement online by creating an account and signing in with us. 

Even if you do not have a record of your earnings or you are not sure if they are correct, please fill out the application. We will help you review your earnings when you apply;
The beginning and ending dates of any active U.S. military service you had before 1968;
Whether you became unable to work because of illnesses, injuries or conditions at any time within the past 14 months. 

If "Yes," we will also ask the date you became unable to work;Whether you or your spouse have ever worked for the railroad industry; Whether you have earned Social Security credits under another country's social security system; and Whether you qualified for or expect to receive a pension or annuity based on your own employment with the Federal government of the United States or one of its States or local subdivisions.

You may need to show certain documents in order to pay benefits. If you apply online, a list of documents you need to see will appear at the end of the application, along with instructions on where to submit them. The documents you may asked for are:

your original birth certificate or other proof of birth (You may also submit a copy of your birth certificate certified by the issuing agency proof of U.S. 

citizenship or lawful alien status if you were not born in the United States

a copy of your U.S. military service paper(s) (e.g., DD-214 - Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) if you had military service before 1968
a copy of your W-2 form(s) and/or self-employment tax return for last year.

Even if you don't have all the documents we need, you should still submit the application and any documents you do have. You can provide the missing documents later or we may be able to help you get them.

In many cases, your local Social Security office can contact your state Bureau of Vital Statistics and verify your information online at no cost to you. If we can't verify your information online, we can still help you get the information you need.

If you delay submitting the application, you could lose some benefits you may be due.

If you mail any documents to us, you must include the Social Security number so that we can match them with the correct application. Do not write anything on the original documents. Please write the Social Security number on a separate sheet of paper and include it in the mailing envelope along with the documents. If you do not want to mail these documents, you may bring them to a Social Security office.

Do not mail foreign birth records or any documents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), formerly the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), especially those you (the applicant) are required to keep with you at all times. These documents are extremely difficult, time-consuming and expensive to replace if lost. Some cannot be replaced. Instead, bring them to a Social Security office where they will be examined and returned.

You can apply: Online; or By calling our national toll-free service at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) or visiting your local Social Security office. Call ahead to make an appointment.

If you do not live in the U.S. or one of its territories, you can also contact your nearest U.S. Social Security office, U.S. Embassy or consulate.