How Social Security Helps Pay For Medicare
In addition to automatically enrolling you in Medicare, if you are receiving Social Security or Railroad Retirement Board benefits, your Medicare Part B premium will be automatically deducted from your monthly benefit payment.
If you are not receiving Social Security or Railroad Retirement Board benefits yet, you will get a bill called a Notice of Medicare Premium Payment Due . Bills can be paid for by check or money order, a credit or debit card, or through online bill pay services.
In conclusion, as youre starting to think about Medicare and retirement, do some research and make sure you understand how your Social Security benefits can or will play a role.
Footnotes
What About Taxes On Social Security
Social Security benefits may be taxable, depending on your “combined income.” Your combined income is equal to your adjusted gross income , plus non-taxable interest payments , plus half of your Social Security benefit.
As your combined income increases above a certain threshold , more of your benefit is subject to income taxâup to a maximum of 85%. For help, talk with a CPA or tax professional.
In any case, if you’re still working, you may want to postpone Social Security either until you reach your full retirement age or until your earned income is less than the annual limit. In no situation should you postpone benefits past age 70.
So Why Do I Care When I Turn 65
When you turn 65, you are eligible for Medicare, which matters if you are concerned about health care costs.
In the United States of America, there is absolutely no way to ignore the fact that you are about to turn 65 years old, because Medicare wont let you.
Six months prior to turning 65, you begin to receive mailings from private insurance companies offering you so-called Medigap policies which will cover the costs not covered by the standard Medicare Parts A and B, which are provided by the federal government.
It is estimated that one out of every three Medicare recipients utilize a Medigap policy to defray medical care costs.
To confuse people even more about whether Social Security cares that you are turning 65, you must go to the Social Security website, ssa.gov, to sign up initially for Medicare. Your official information from Medicare will come in the mail from the Social Security department of the federal government.
Otherwise, the main reason to anticipate turning 65 is that you are likely to pay less for food at all of the restaurant chains in America which offer discounts to senior citizens.
Don’t Miss: When Are Social Security Benefits Taxable
When Can I Retire If I Was Born In 1964
David Bolton
As the youngest baby boomer , your full retirement age is 67 for Social Security. This means that your retirement window will start in 2026.
In the past, everyone had the same full retirement age: 65. However, this changed after Congress passed legislation that meant that the full-benefit retirement age increased gradually. While early retirement benefits are still available at age 62 with a permanent reduction of about 70% of the full benefit amount, your full retirement age is determined by when you were born and remains 67 for those born in 1964.
If you were born in 1964, your retirement window starts when youâre 62 and that will be in 2026. This is when you begin taking early Social Security benefits. However, your Social Security benefits will hit a peak in 2031 when you attain the full retirement age of 67.
In this brief but insightful article, weâll take a look at everything regarding your retirement age and more specifically for the last baby boomers who were born in 1964.
Ssa Benefits And Medicare
So lets go back to how your full retirement age and Medicare may interact. The biggest thing is that in the past, at age 65, you both got your SSA benefits and became Medicare eligible. This meant you could use your SSA benefits to help pay for Medicare. However, with the full retirement age being at least a year or more past 65, you need to think carefully about when you take your SSA benefits if you want to use them for Medicare costs.
You May Like: Start Small Business Tax Benefits
Whats The Difference Between 62 And 65 Social Security Benefits
62, you will get 79.6 percent of the monthly benefit because you will be getting benefits for an additional 60 months. 65, you will get 91.9 percent of the monthly benefit because you will be getting benefits for an additional 24 months.
How to find out if your Social Security benefits will be reduced at full retirement age?
To find out how much your benefit will be reduced if you begin receiving benefits from age 62 up to your full retirement age, use the chart below and select your year of birth. This example is based on an estimated monthly benefit of $1000 at full retirement age. Year of Birth 1. Months between age 62 and full retirement age 2. At Age 62 3.
Taking Social Security: How To Benefit By Waiting
For those who are able to do so, it may make sense to wait even longer, because youll receive a larger monthly benefit even more than your full benefit. Every month past your full retirement that you delay, Social Security will increase your check by about 0.7 percent per month.
If your full retirement age is 66, then heres how much your check would increase:
| Retirement age | New benefit | A $1,000 check becomes |
|---|---|---|
| $1,320 |
So if your full retirement age is 66, then if you can wait two more years and claim benefits at age 68, youll increase your monthly check by 16 percent. In this case, if your full benefit were $1,000 a month, your new benefit would become $1,160 per month. And youll still receive cost of living adjustments on top of this amount, typically raising your payout a little each year.
Workers have other ways to grow their Social Security benefits, too, but its important to start early.
Recommended Reading: Social Security And Spousal Benefits
The Age When You Begin Claiming Social Security Benefits
You can begin claiming Social Security retirement benefits as early as age 62. However, claiming before your full retirement age will lead to a permanent reduction in your benefit amount. The longer you wait, the larger your benefit will beuntil you reach age 70, at which point additional delays do not result in further increases.
Waiting has a positive impact on your benefit amount. For instance, if you were born in 1961, earned $100,000 each year, and claimed your benefits in 2023 at age 62, you could receive $19,704 per year. If instead you wait until your FRA and continue to work, your benefits would increase to $30,408 per yeara 54% boost. If you wait until age 70, your benefits would be $38,760 per year, or 97% more than your early benefits. These increases are permanent.
The trade-off with any decision to delay is that you wont receive benefits during those early years. For many people, it makes sense to delay claiming, says Young. If you live a normal life expectancy, then the effective rate of return you get by waiting for a higher payment is reasonable. However, if you dont expect to live long, or are single and not worried about outliving your funds, then it may be wise not to delay.
Your Full Retirement Age
Source: ssa.gov.
The Downside Of Claiming Early: Reduced Benefits
Consider the following hypothetical example. Colleen is 62 as of 2022. If Colleen waits until age 67 to collect, she will receive approximately $2,000 a month. However, if she begins taking benefits at age 62, she’ll receive only $1,400 a month. This “early retirement” penalty is permanent and results in her receiving 30% less year after year.
However, if Colleen waits until age 70, her monthly benefits will increase another 24% over what she would receive at her FRA, to a total of $2,480 per month.1 If she were to live to age 89, her lifetime benefits would be about $112,000 more, or at least 24% greater, because she waited until age 70 to collect Social Security benefits.2
Also Check: Apply For Retirement Social Security Benefits
What If I Delay Taking My Benefits
If you retire sometime between your full retirement age and age 70, you typically earn a “delayed retirement” credit for your own benefits . For example, say you were born in 1960, and your full retirement age is 67. If you start your benefits at age 69, you would receive a credit of 8% per year multiplied by two . This means your benefit would be 16% higher than the amount you would have received at age 67.
Delayed Retirement Credits For Waiting Past Full Retirement Age
Similar to the downwards adjustment for starting retirement benefits early, theres also an increase for delaying retirement past full retirement age. Originally, these delayed retirement credits were miniscule, at just 1%/year for waiting, but 1977 Social Security amendments increased delayed retirement credits to 3%/year, and the 1983 Greenspan Commission amendments ultimately phased delayed retirement credits all the way up to 8%/year for delaying past full retirement age.
As a result, with a full retirement age of 66, the maximum delay to age 70 would result in delayed retirement credits of 8%/year x 4 years = a 32% increase.
Read Also: How Long Does It Take To Receive Social Security Benefits
Have A Question About This Topic
Investment tools and strategies that can enable you to pursue your retirement goals.
Contact
Check the background of your financial professional on FINRA’s BrokerCheck.
The content is developed from sources believed to be providing accurate information. The information in this material is not intended as tax or legal advice. Please consult legal or tax professionals for specific information regarding your individual situation. Some of this material was developed and produced by FMG Suite to provide information on a topic that may be of interest. FMG Suite is not affiliated with the named representative, broker – dealer, state – or SEC – registered investment advisory firm. The opinions expressed and material provided are for general information, and should not be considered a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any security.
We take protecting your data and privacy very seriously. As of January 1, 2020 the California Consumer Privacy Act suggests the following link as an extra measure to safeguard your data: Do not sell my personal information.
Copyright 2022 FMG Suite.
What If I Take Benefits Early
If you choose to take your own Social Security benefit before your full retirement age, be aware that the benefit is permanently reduced by five-ninths of 1% for each month. If you start more than 36 months before your full retirement age, the worker benefit is further reduced by five-twelfths of 1% per month for the rest of retirement.
For example, let’s assume you stop working at age 62. If your full retirement age is 67 and you elect to start benefits at age 62, the reduced benefit calculation is based on 60 months. So, the reduction for the first 36 months is 20% and then another 10% for the remaining 24 months. Overall, your benefits would be permanently reduced by 30%.
Read Also: Opportunity Zones Tax Benefits Explained
Do Survivor Benefits Increase After Full Retirement Age
If you are the surviving spouse who is claiming benefits based on your deceased partner’s work record, there is no benefit to waiting until after FRA to claim your benefits. You do not earn delayed retirement credits, so your benefit will not increase.
However, if you are the higher-earning spouse, delaying your claim for benefits until after FRA can result in your widow receiving more monthly income, as your widowed partner will receive the higher of the two monthly benefits you were each receiving.
How Much Do You Get
The full level of the State Pension is £179.60 a week in the 2021/22 tax year, which produces an annual income of £9,339.20.
The amount you get might be lower, as your entitlement to State Pension depends on your National Insurance record. You need a minimum of ten years contributions or credits to get any State Pension, and 35 years on your record to get the full amount.
In some cases, the amount you get might be higher. If your State Pension is more than £179.60 a week, youll have a protected amount, which is usually as a result of you building up an entitlement to Additional State Pension under the old system.
Find out more in our guide How does the State Pension work and how much might you get?
Don’t Miss: Retirement Benefits Calculator Social Security
What Is Full Retirement Age
In the original Social Security Act of 1935, the full retirement age was 65 years old. But, improvements in life expectancy caused the Social Security Administration to increase the age of full retirement over time.
Today, the SSA has set the age of 67 as full retirement age for anyone born after 1960. It tells you that it is at full retirement age that you receive maximum Social Security benefits.
But its not true, and the SSA will tell you that!
Your monthly benefit increases for every month you do not accept Social Security benefits, up to age 70. The longer you wait, the more you are paid each month up to age 70. After you reach age 70, your monthly benefits do not increase unless there is a cost-of-living adjustment to the benefit schedule.
So what does full retirement age mean? Effectively, nothing.
According to AARP, the average Social Security benefit check in 2022 is $1,688. The maximum allowable monthly Social Security benefit payment is $3,148.
The amount is determined by how many years a person contributed to the Social Security program through their paychecks from work, and at what age they decided to start accepting benefits.
Social Security Age Of Retirement
The Social Security age of retirement used to be straightforward and the same for everyone. Not anymore.
From the first Social Security Act back in 1935 through 1983, the full Social Security age of retirement was 65. Then things got a little confusing. Due to the 1983 Amendments to the Social Security Act, the full retirement age began to gradually increase from age 65 to 67. However, it took 22-years to adjust! It slowly increased from 65 to 66, stayed at 66 for 11 years, and then began to move slowly to 67.
Whew! No wonder everyone is confused about their Social Security age of retirement.
Thankfully, these changes have mostly worked themselves through the system and now the full retirement age is based on your year of birth.
Heres how it works by birth year:
- Full retirement age 1943 1954: 66
- Full retirement age 1955: 66 and 2 months
- Full retirement age 1956: 66 and 4 months
- Full retirement age 1957: 66 and 6 months
- Full retirement age 1958: 66 and 8 months
- Full retirement age 1959: 66 and 10 months
- Full retirement age 1960: 67
The one exception to these dates is if you were born on the first day of the year. In that case, the SSA deems you to have been born in the year prior. For example, if your date of birth is Jan 1, 1960, the SSA will count your year of birth as 1959. This means that an individual would be able to receive his full benefit 2 months earlier than anticipated.
Don’t Miss: Applying For Social Security Benefit
Working Can Mean Lower Benefits Until You Reach Full Retirement Age
You can collect Social Security benefits if you continue to work and earn an income. But if you make more than a certain amount from your work and haven’t reached your full retirement age, your benefit will temporarily be smaller. Here’s a rundown of how earned income can reduce your Social Security benefits.
Medicare Enrollment Can Be Impacted By Social Security Benefits
Depending on your situation, you with either need to enroll in Medicare at age 65 or you may be able to delay. If you continue to work past age 65 and have creditable employer coverage , you can likely delay enrolling in Medicare until you lose that employer coverage. In most cases, people turning 65 will need to get Medicare during their 7-month Initial Enrollment Period to avoid financial penalties for enrolling late. Your IEP begins 3 months before the month of your 65th birthday and ends 3 months after.
Social Security benefits fit in the Medicare enrollment journey in one special way. If you are receiving either Social Security benefits for retirement or for disability, or Railroad Retirement Board benefits, you will be automatically enrolled in Medicare Part A and Part B when you first become eligible.
You May Like: What Benefits Does Medicare Provide
What Is The Full Retirement Age
The full retirement age basically refers to the age that you must attain to be eligible for full or 100% Social Security benefits. Traditionally, the full retirement age used to be age 65 but this has been increasing gradually since Congress amended the law in 1983. As such, your full retirement age will depend on when you were born.
If youâre a baby boomer born in 1964, your full retirement age is set at 67. This means that you will attain the full retirement age in 2031. This, however, doesnât mean that you have to wait until your full retirement age to start accessing your Social Security benefits. Well, your Social Security starts at 62. You can start accessing your Social Security benefits at the age of 62, which will be in 2026 if you were born in 1964.
However, your Social Security benefits will be greatly reduced if you retire at the age of 62 and start claiming Social Security benefits immediately.
With that in mind, here are a few things that you need to know.
Also Check: Parkview Retirement Community Maryville Tn