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Thinking about retiring in 2008? Contact Social Security now!
By Daniel Moraski
If you’re thinking about retiring next year, now is the time to contact Social Security. This will give us time to process your claim and take care of any problems that might arise so that your benefit checks can begin on time.
We generally encourage people to notify us about three months before the year that they plan to retire. In some cases, your choice of retirement month could mean additional benefits for you and your family. The computation varies based on your earnings for the year and the month in which you file.
Social Security rules permit people to work and receive retirement benefits at the same time, so it could be to your advantage to have your benefits begin in January even if you don’t plan to retire until later in the year. This would allow you to apply earnings in excess of the annual limit to those months and still receive some payment for the year. Your benefit amount will be adjusted at your full retirement age for months you did not receive a full payment. For your application to be effective in January 2008, you should file for benefits any time before January 31, 2008.
The amount a person can earn and still receive benefits increases each year with increases in average wages. Of course, once you reach full retirement age, your benefits will not be reduced no matter how much you earn.
To apply for benefits, visit your local office or call 1-800-772-1213. Or, better still, you can use our most convenient method and apply over the Internet. You can apply for retirement, disability and spouse’s benefits online. Thousands of people have taken advantage of this convenient, easy way to apply for benefits at www.socialsecurity.gov/applyforbenefits.
You should also visit Social Security’s financial planning website at www.socialsecurity.gov/planners. You can use the calculators there to help plan your retirement or determine what benefits you or your family may qualify for in the unfortunate event of disability or death. Simply enter your estimated income for the years ahead to get an idea of what your benefit payments could be. It also provides detailed information about how marriage, divorce, self employment, government jobs and other life or career events can affect your Social Security.
These are just a few of the many things that you can do when you visit us online at www.socialsecurity.gov.
Daniel Moraski is the Social Security Administration Public Affairs Specialist in Springfield Massachusetts.