Social Security
To qualify for benefits, you must first have worked in jobs
covered by Social Security. Then you must have a medical condition
that meets Social Security's definition of disability. In
general, Social Security pays monthly cash benefits to people
who are unable to work for a year or more because of a disability.
Benefits usually continue until you are able to work again
on a regular basis. There are also a number of special rules,
called "work incentives," that provide continued
benefits and health care coverage to help you make the transition
back to work.
If you are receiving Social Security disability benefits
when you reach full
retirement age, your disability benefits automatically
convert to retirement benefits, but the amount remains the
same.
Full Retirement Age:
If your full retirement age is older than 65 (that
is, you were born after 1937), you still will be able to take
your benefits at age 62, but the reduction in your benefit
amount will be greater than it is for people retiring now.
Here's how it works. If your full retirement age is 67,
the reduction for starting your
Age To Receive Full Social Security Benefits
(Called "full retirement age" or "normal retirement
age.")
Note: If you qualify for benefits as a Survivor,
your full retirement age may be different.
|
Year of Birth*
|
Full Retirement Age
|
|
1937 or earlier
|
65
|
|
1938
|
65 and 2 months
|
|
1939
|
65 and 4 months
|
|
1940
|
65 and 6 months
|
|
1941
|
65 and 8 months
|
|
1942
|
65 and 10 months
|
|
1943-54
|
66
|
|
1955
|
66 and 2 months
|
|
1956
|
66 and 4 months
|
|
1957
|
66 and 6 months
|
|
1958
|
66 and 8 months
|
|
1959
|
66 and 10 months
|
|
1960 and later
|
67
|
| *If you were born on January 1st of any
year you should refer to the previous year. |
The earliest you can start receiving Social Security retirement
benefits will remain age 62.
How to Apply:
You should apply for disability benefits as soon as you become
disabled. If you are ready to apply now, you can do so by:
- Completing an application online at www.ssa.gov.
- Calling our toll-free telephone number 1-800-772-1213.
If you are deaf or hard of hearing, you can call us at TTY
1-800-325-0778.
- Calling or visiting your
local Social Security office.
When Your Benefits Start
If your application is approved, your first Social Security
benefit will be paid for the sixth full month after the date
we find that your disability began.
For example, if your disability began on June 15, 2003, your
first benefit would be paid for the month of December 2003,
the sixth full month of disability. Social Security benefits
are paid in the month following the month for which they're
due. This means that the benefit due for December would be paid
to you in January 2004, and so on.
FAQs - RETIREMENT
Q. Are my benefits figured on my last five years of earnings?
A. No. Retirement benefit calculations are based on your average
earnings during a lifetime of work under the Social Security
system. For most current and future retirees, Social Security
will average your 35 highest years of earnings. Years in which
you have low earnings or no earnings may be counted to bring
the total years of earnings up to 35.
Q. I stopped work at the end of last year at age 52. I don't
expect to work again before I start my Social Security benefits
when I turn 62. Will I still get the same benefit amount you
showed for age 62 on the Social Security Statement that you
recently sent me?
A. Probably not. When Social Security averaged out your 35 highest
years of earnings to estimate your benefits on your Statement,
it assumed you would continue to work up to age 62, making the
same earnings you made last year. If, instead, you have $0 earnings
each year over the next 10 years, your average earnings will
probably be less and so will your benefit. You can use Social
Security's Benefit
Calculators to see how this will affect your monthly benefit
amount.
Q. Will my retirement pension from my job reduce the amount
of my Social Security benefit?
A. If your pension is from work where you also paid Social Security
taxes, it will not affect your Social Security benefit. However,
pensions based on work that is not covered by Social Security
(for example, the federal civil service and some state, local,
or foreign government systems) probably will reduce the amount
of your Social Security benefit. For more information, see the
following fact sheets which you may review and download by clicking
on the title: "Windfall
Elimination Provision" and "Government
Pension Offset" on the Social Security website
at www.ssa.gov.
Q. My wife and I both worked under Social Security. Her
Social Security Statement says she can get $850 a month at full
retirement age and mine says I would get $1450. Do we each get
that our own amount? Someone told me we could only get my amount,
plus one-half of that amount for my wife.
A. Since your wife's own benefit is more than one-half of your
amount, you will each get your own benefit. If your wife's own
benefit were less than half of yours (that is, less than $725),
she would receive her amount plus enough on your record to bring
it up to the $725 amount.
Q. If I work after I start receiving Social Security retirement
benefits, will I still have to pay Social Security and Medicare
taxes on my earnings?
A. Yes. Any time you work in a job that is covered by Social
Security--even if you are already receiving Social Security
benefits--you and your employer must pay the Social Security
and Medicare taxes on your earnings. The same is true if you
are self-employed; you are still subject to the Social Security
and Medicare taxes on your net profit.
Q. Someone told me that Social Security has a financial
planning service. I don't understand the connection between
financial planning and Social Security.
A. Social Security is not in the financial planning business.
However, Social Security can offer you a free Social Security
Statement to help you in assessing your financial planning needs.
The statement gives you a breakdown of all the wages reported
under your social security number as well as estimates of what
Social Security benefits you and your family would be eligible
for.
Once you know what to expect from Social Security, you can
plan your other financial needs. Social Security encourages
you to visit the Ball
Park Estimate calculator of the American Savings Education
Council and study your other retirement income options, and
FirstGov for
Seniors to learn more about retirement planning. They offer
comprehensive information on Savings, Investment, Pensions,
Medical insurance, and Housing at their Seniors Retirement Planner.
FAQs - DISABILITY (see also
"Tips for Applying for Disability
Benefits")
Q. I'm a 30-year-old woman and have been dividing my life
between home and periods of work. How much work do I need to
make sure I have Social Security disability insurance?
A. That is a good question. Some people don't realize they need
recent work under Social Security to qualify for disability
benefits. After age 30, you must have 20 credits (5 years) of
work in the 10 years before your disability started. Credits
are assigned to calendar years based on the amount of your earnings
for that year. In 2004, you earn one credit for every $900 in
earnings, up to a maximum of four credits for the year. In 2005,
that amount increases to $920. Check www.ssa.gov for more information
about the time period in which you need your credits in order
to qualify for disability benefits.
Q. If my disability must be expected to last at least a
year in order for me to qualify, does this mean I have to wait
a year to get benefits?
A. No, you don't have to wait a year after becoming disabled
before you can receive benefits. You should apply for the benefits
as soon as you can. If you are approved, your payments will
begin after a 5-month waiting period that starts with the month
Social Security decides your disability began.
Q. If I qualify, is there a time limit on how long I can
receive disability benefits?
A. No. You will continue to receive your disability benefits
as long as your condition keeps you from working. But your case
will be reviewed periodically to see if there has been any improvement
in your condition and whether
you are still eligible for benefits. If you are still disabled
when you reach full retirement age, your disability benefit
will be automatically converted to a retirement benefit of the
same amount.
Q. If I am eligible for Social Security disability benefits,
am I also eligible for Medicare benefits?
A. If you receive disability benefits, you become eligible for
Medicare 24 months after the first month for which you are entitled
to receive a disability payment.
Q. Where can I get a list of the impairments that Social
Security considers to be disabling?
A. Disability
Evaluation Under Social Security (SSA Pub. No. 64-039) contains
the medical criteria that Social Security uses to determine
disability. This 205-page book is intended primarily for physicians
and other health professionals.
FAQs - SURVIVORS
Q. My father died recently at age 65. Can my mother collect
his Social Security benefits? She just turned age 58.
A. Unless your mother is disabled, she would not be eligible
for monthly survivors benefits based on your father's earnings
record until she is age 60. At that age, her benefit would be
71½ percent of his basic benefit amount. If she waits
until she reaches her full retirement age, she will receive
100 percent of his amount. (Disabled widows or widowers can
receive benefits as early as age 50.)
Q. My wife recently died of cancer, leaving me to support
our two children, ages 5 and 7, and myself. A concerned friend
told me to go to the local Social Security office and ask about
survivors benefits. What should I take with me when I go to
the Social Security office?
A. When applying for survivors benefits for yourself and your
children, you should have your and your wife's Social Security
numbers, your and your children's birth certificates, and the
children's Social Security numbers. You will also need to provide
evidence of your wife's death and your marriage. The documents
need to be originals or copies certified by the issuing agency.
Uncertified photocopies aren't acceptable. We will return the
documents to you. It's best to call Social Security's toll-free
telephone number first to set up an appointment so you won't
have to wait. The telephone number is 1-800-772-1213.
Q. How can I find out who are listed as my beneficiaries
on my Social Security record? I want to make sure my ex-spouse
isn't on there and doesn't get anything.
A. Social Security records do not have "named beneficiaries."
The Social Security Act specifies which family members can receive
benefits on your record when
you retire, become
disabled, or die. Social Security cannot pay benefits to
people who do not meet the requirements of the law, nor can
we refuse to pay benefits to people who do meet those requirements--even
if you ask us not to. But any payments we make to your former
spouse based on your record will not affect the amounts that
can be paid to a subsequent spouse or your children.
Q. I recently received a flyer in the mail about insurance.
It stated that all you get when your spouse dies is a lump-sum
death payment of $255. Is this true? Are my husband and I paying
7.65 percent in Social Security taxes for this small sum of
money?
A. While it's true that Social Security has a lump-sum death
payment of $255, Social Security provides much more to the survivors
of a deceased worker--for an average family, it provides protection
equivalent to a $354,000 insurance policy. The Social Security
disability program for an average family is equivalent to a
private disability insurance policy worth over $233,000. And,
of course, Social Security provides retirement benefits that
last as long as you live and increases each year with increases
in the cost of living. You and your husband will each receive
an annual Social Security Statement, giving you estimates of
your potential monthly benefits. You can also use the Benefit
Calculators on the www.ssa.gov
website to estimate your benefits.
This resource was developed in 2004. Some of the content may be out of date or no longer relevant. PHA is working to update and re-organize this guide. We apologize for any inconvenience.
