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.

Anyway, the ability to withdraw, repay and re-apply has been taken away. Once you actually apply, you are more or less locked into your benefits. Jannie, it has not been taken away entirely. I learned from the video that there is still a 12 month window where you can "change your mind". I verified that from the SS.gov site which states: ..... " Recent change in the withdrawal rules.Effective December 8, 2010, you can only withdraw your application for retirement benefits within 12 months of your first month of entitlement and you are limited to one withdrawal per lifetime." Wildchild, I am glad you (& others) found the video so helpful. Not everyone will take the time to view it, to their possible detriment. I also looked @ the AARP website (as Franklin recommended) & they have an excellent current article with really good examples. I haven't looked to see what they might have in the way of archived articles. Chisue, I so agree with you that the argument for a *voluntary* SS-like system kind of flies in the face of how little $ soooo many people save towards retirement. I do understand that it is nearly impossible for some given their low wages. But as an example, one gal I worked with participated in the company's voluntary retirement savings plan... to the tune of $5 per month. No kidding!!!! She had no kids & was an educated woman... but obviously clueless as to how ineffective that amount was. She actually "threw money away" since the company would have matched her contributions to a much greater amount!

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.

I signed up for Social Security at age 62. I applied online. A day later a Social Security worker phoned me to ask one question and told me the amount I would receive and the date SS would start. Painless. Then about three months before I turned 65 I received my Medicare card through the mail. Because I was already getting SS I was automatically sent a Medicare card. Both Part A and Part B are shown on the card. If I chose not to pay for Part B the instructions said to mail back the card and they would send me a card for Part A only. If I chose to keep Part B with premiums deducted from my SS checks I was to separate the Medicare card from the rest of the paperwork they sent and put it in my wallet. Nothing more needed to be done. Easy peasy. I never drove anywhere to stand in any line to sign up for either Social Security or Medicare. Kessala