And it goes both ways. Men can collect spouse/widowers benefits under the same conditions (ten year duration,etc) Something to think about. If you know both Social Security Numbers, Contact Social Security at 1 800 772 1213 for an appointment to discuss your eligibility.

If you're unsure about this, visit your local Social Security office and sit down with a representative. If you are worried about a crowd, you can phone for an appointment at 1 800 772 1213. People with appointments are seen before walk-ins.

Go see your Social Security Office. You'll should call and make and appointment first. As other posters have said, the rules are many. If you have also worked and paid social security taxes, that will be considered. Basically, the amount you might get is computed in several ways and then the maximum benefit one is used. The various cases may be (1) your wages and lifetime contribution alone, ( 2) 50% of your spouce's amount, or (3) if disabled, the disabled amount. If you were born after a certain date, the full retirement age is increased above 65. At one time, the full retirement age was to increase in steps from 65 to 67. I have been retired long enough to have lost track of the current rules. If you are elgible at age 65 for full retirement, you can take early retirement (as early as 62) with a reduction in payments. The reduction is based on the average life expectancy. When I retired, life expectancy was age 77, e.g., half of your population group will have expired by age 77. The reduction works out to be 5/9 percent per month early, thus if you retire 3 years early, the reduction is (36 months x .05)/9 or 0.20 which is 20%. Is this bad? It depends on how long you will live. If you do not expect to live beyond 77, then early retirement is not a loss. You loose only if you live beyond 77. Here's why. If you retired at the normal age of 65, then the time span to 77 is 12 years; if retired at age 62, the time span to 77 is 15 years. Check it out. You'll find that the total money paid out over the longer time is exactly the same as that of the shorter span. For example, suppose the normal payout was $100 per month. The amount for 12 years is 12 x 12 x 100 = 14,400. Now suppose that you retired 3 years early. The payout is $80 per month. The amount for 15 years is 15 x 12 x 80 = 14,400. After age 77, the early payout plan is less than the other and the difference increases each year. Since I retired, life expectancy may have increased to 78 years. These calculations give amounts based on the current value of the dollar. As time goes by, there are COLA increases that will increase the payout to offset inflation to some degree. In my experience, the SS cost increase numbers do not fully cover the real inflation of the basics.

Haha. The email is clearly real. I got one and thought nothing more of it until coming upon this thread. There's an irony with this. Two-step authorization measures are implemented, in part, precisely because people get hysterical about security and perceived risks. So the very measure used to address those who are worried about security, is distrusted by those same people and leads to more feelings of risk and insecurity. Too many folks, especially oldsters, don't want to be confronted with truth or fact that conflicts with a view they've reached and want to cling to. It's unbelievable. Those of you who want to think of the email as being phony are entitled to do so. Just don't be shocked with what happens the next time you try to sign in to the SSA website (you'll be asked to supply a cell phone number to receive a text). I just tried it out, it works fine. Those who don't have a cellphone can call or visit a SSA office. This isn't a big deal, it's just an added security step for web access. Yawn.