Social Security Claiming Strategies: How to Decide

A Social Security claiming strategy is a plan for when each person in a household starts benefits, anywhere from age 62 to 70. Claiming earlier means smaller monthly checks for more years. Waiting means larger checks that start later. Health, family longevity, other income, spousal and survivor benefits, and taxes all shape which age may fit a family.

This is general education, not tax or legal advice. Every figure below comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA), the IRS or the Comptroller of Maryland, and each has a link so you can confirm it before you act. We checked them October 28, 2026. Our Social Security timing page covers how we approach the decision with clients. This article goes deeper on the strategies themselves.

How much does your claiming age change your monthly benefit?

SSA sets full retirement age at 67 for anyone born in 1960 or later. Claiming at 62 reduces the monthly benefit to 70% of the full amount, a 30% reduction that generally lasts for life (SSA full retirement age chart, checked October 28, 2026). Each month you wait past full retirement age adds two thirds of 1%, which is 8% a year, until the increase stops at 70 (SSA delayed retirement credits, checked October 28, 2026).

The graphic below shows what that looks like for a hypothetical person whose benefit at age 67 is $2,000 a month.

The percentages for ages 62 to 67 are SSA's (SSA full retirement age chart, checked October 28, 2026). The percentages for 68 to 70 apply SSA's 8% a year delayed retirement credit (SSA, checked October 28, 2026). Your own amounts depend on your earnings record, so check your estimates in your my Social Security account.

This is a hypothetical example and is not representative of any specific investment. Your results may vary.

Download the guide: Social Security Benefits Visual Explainer, 2026 (PDF). It is a printable copy of the graphic above, from fpPathfinder.com, used with permission.

Each row has a trade-off. A larger check starts later, so the household needs other money for the years before it begins, and the larger amount pays off only if the person lives long enough to collect it. A smaller check starts sooner but stays smaller. Neither choice is wrong in every case.

Should you claim early or wait?

The graphic frames it as two sets of circumstances, and we find that a useful starting point.

You might claim early if:

• You have poor health and poor family longevity.
• You do not have enough money or income to continue delaying to a later age.

You might claim later if:

• You have good health and good family longevity.
• You have enough money or income to continue delaying to a later age.

These are starting points, not rules. Most families land somewhere between the two lists, and the answer often turns on questions the lists do not cover, such as a spouse's age, taxes, or whether you are still working. The useful question is less "how long will I live on average" and more "how long might I need this income, and what else could pay the bills until it starts."

Medicare does not wait. Delaying Social Security does not delay Medicare. SSA advises signing up for Medicare at 65 even if you delay retirement benefits, because missing the window may delay coverage and cost more (SSA, checked October 28, 2026). Our Medicare enrollment deadline article explains the penalty.

Changing your mind. If you claim and regret it, SSA allows a withdrawal of the application only within 12 months of when benefits began, and you must repay everything received, including Medicare premiums SSA withheld (SSA FAQ and SSA POMS GN 00206.005, checked October 28, 2026). The repayment can be large, so treat that option as a safety net rather than a plan.

How do claiming strategies work for married couples?

For a couple, claiming is a household decision with two checks and a possible third question about who is left when one spouse dies. Three pieces matter most.

The spousal benefit. A spouse may receive up to half of the worker's full retirement age benefit. The spouse generally must be at least 62, or caring for a qualifying child, and the worker must have filed. A spouse who claims at 62 may receive as little as 32.5% of the worker's full retirement age amount (SSA benefits for spouses, checked October 28, 2026). The spousal benefit does not grow if it is claimed after the spouse's full retirement age (SSA research note, checked October 28, 2026). That changes the waiting math for the lower earner.

The survivor benefit. When one spouse dies, a survivor who qualifies for both a survivor benefit and a retirement benefit chooses one, and the two are not added together (SSA survivor benefits, checked October 28, 2026). In practice that means the higher earner's claiming age may set the income the surviving spouse lives on, possibly for decades. It is one of the most important points for couples.

A common pattern, and its limits. Some couples consider having the lower earner claim earlier while the higher earner waits. That approach may supply some income while the larger check grows, and it may leave a larger survivor benefit in place. The trade-off is lower household income in the early years, and it depends on both spouses' health, ages and savings. It is one option to model, not a recommendation.

Old strategies that no longer work. Many articles still describe "file and suspend" and "restricted application" strategies. The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 ended them. For people who turn 62 on or after January 2, 2016, filing for a retirement benefit generally means being deemed to file for a spousal or divorced spouse benefit as well when they are eligible for both (SSA filing rules, checked October 28, 2026). If an article was written before 2016, be cautious about acting on it.

What changes for widows, divorced spouses and families with a child with a disability?

Widows and widowers. Survivor payments start at 71.5% of the deceased spouse's benefit and increase the longer the survivor waits, up to 100% at the survivor's full retirement age, which falls between 66 and 67 (SSA survivor benefits, checked October 28, 2026). SSA notes a survivor can start one benefit and switch to the other later, for example starting with the survivor benefit and moving to a retirement benefit at 70 if that payment is higher. Survivor benefits also carry earnings limits that depend on age.

Divorced spouses. An ex-spouse who was married at least 10 years may be eligible for benefits on the former spouse's record (SSA family benefits eligibility, checked October 28, 2026). Other conditions apply, such as marital status and age, so confirm eligibility with SSA before you rely on it.

A child with a disability. This is where Social Security and our special needs work meet. SSA lists a child of any age who developed a disability at age 21 or younger as potentially eligible for family benefits on a parent's retirement record (SSA family benefits eligibility, checked October 28, 2026). That can make a parent's claiming date matter to the whole household. How such a benefit interacts with SSI and Medicaid depends on the person's situation, so review it with your family's attorney before you file. Our special needs planning page and ABLE accounts page explain the related benefit rules.

How do work, taxes and pensions affect the decision?

Working before full retirement age. If you claim before full retirement age and keep working, SSA withholds $1 of benefits for every $2 you earn above $24,480 in 2026. In the year you reach full retirement age, the limit is $65,160 and SSA withholds $1 for every $3 above it, counting only earnings before the month you reach that age. Withheld benefits are not lost, because SSA increases your monthly benefit at full retirement age to account for them (SSA earnings test exempt amounts, checked October 28, 2026). The cash-flow gap in the meantime is real, which is one reason some people who are still working consider waiting.

Taxes. Part of your benefit may be taxable at the federal level. For a single filer, part may be taxable when income, counting half of the benefit, exceeds $25,000, and up to 85% may be taxable above $34,000. For joint filers the thresholds are $32,000 and $44,000 (IRS and SSA, checked October 28, 2026). Maryland does not tax Social Security benefits (Comptroller of Maryland, checked October 28, 2026). Withdrawals from other accounts raise the income that decides how much of your benefit is taxed, and income also drives Medicare premium surcharges, so claiming and withdrawals are easier to plan together. See our tax planning page, our IRMAA guide and our retirement income page.

Public pensions. Many Maryland families include a city, county or state employee. The Social Security Fairness Act, signed January 5, 2025, ended the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset, which had reduced Social Security for people with pensions from work not covered by Social Security. SSA says December 2023 was the last month those rules applied, and some people may need to file an application (SSA, checked October 28, 2026). If you were told years ago that a pension would reduce your benefit, it is worth asking again. Pension elections are a separate decision and may be hard to change, so review them with the plan administrator first. Our Baltimore financial planning page describes how we coordinate pension and Social Security choices.

If you are retiring before 65, our article on financial planning for early retirement covers how Social Security fits with health coverage and gap-year income.

What questions should you settle before you claim?

Use this list with your spouse, your advisor, and your tax professional.

• What is my full retirement age, and what does SSA estimate I would receive at 62, 67 and 70?
• If I am married, what would the survivor benefit be, and how does the higher earner's claiming age change it?
• How would we pay expenses until a delayed benefit starts, and for how many years?
• Am I still working, and would the earnings test withhold part of my benefit?
• How much of my benefit may be taxable, and how do my planned withdrawals change that?
• Am I enrolling in Medicare at 65 regardless of when I claim?
• Is anyone else eligible for benefits on my record, such as a child with a disability or a former spouse?
• Do I have a public pension, and has it been reviewed since the Social Security Fairness Act?
• How does each advisor I speak with get paid, and would any recommendation earn them a commission?

We publish every cost on our pricing page. If a plan calls for insurance and you buy it through us, we are paid a commission on that transaction, and we disclose the exact commission in percentages and in dollars before you are asked to decide anything.

Maryland Financial Advocates and LPL Financial do not provide legal advice or tax services. Please consult your legal advisor or tax advisor regarding your specific situation.

This material is for general information and educational purposes only and is not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. Investing involves risk including the loss of principal.