Here are the worst ages to claim Social Security. Is your timing all wrong?

Many radical wonderment what the “perfect” property is to assertion Social Security benefits.

Filing astatine the close property tin importantly impact your status income, and avoiding definite ages whitethorn beryllium conscionable arsenic important for maximizing benefits.

With that successful mind, present are the ages you should astir apt debar if you don’t privation to permanently trim your payment check.

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The property of eligibility is besides the astir fashionable property to assertion benefits. According to the Bipartisan Policy Center, 29% of retirees assertion benefits astatine 62. (1)

Claiming arsenic aboriginal arsenic imaginable gives you much clip to bask a dependable and fixed monthly root of income. However, that income is guaranteed to beryllium smaller.

If you commencement receiving Social Security astatine 62, your monthly benefits volition beryllium 30% little than if you hold until the afloat status property (FRA) of 67 and 44% little than if you started claiming astatine property 70. (2)

A 44% simplification successful monthly income is highly consequential successful retirement. According to the Urban Institute, aboriginal claims exposure individuals to higher longevity risk, or, successful different words, little beingness benefits if you unrecorded longer. (3) It tin besides person a tangible interaction connected your subsister benefits for your spouse and babelike children.

These factors marque 62 1 of the worst ages to assertion benefits.

If you’re lone a twelvemonth oregon 2 distant from your FRA, it whitethorn beryllium worthy waiting to assertion Social Security. The Social Security Administration (SSA) calculates aboriginal oregon delayed benefits based connected your FRA benefit.

Because the reductions for claiming aboriginal are smaller the person you are to FRA, waiting conscionable a abbreviated clip tin effect successful a noticeably higher monthly benefit.

Delaying a assertion astatine 65 oregon 66 tin boost your monthly payout by 8% per twelvemonth until property 70. Because this summation is guaranteed by the SSA, it functions likewise to a fixed-income investment, similar a enslaved oregon Treasury. However, the effectual 8% “yield” is apt higher than what you tin gain successful the fixed-income market.

For comparison, 10-year U.S. Treasury bonds were yielding 4.17% arsenic of Dec. 16, 2025, portion AAA-rated firm bonds, arsenic of Dec. 12, 2025, offered 5.37% connected average. (4,5)

Simply put, delaying by a mates of years tin beryllium a financially beneficial strategy.