{
 "ok": true,
 "query": "when should i take social security",
 "results": [
  {
   "question": "When should I take Social Security?",
   "url": "https://theretirementdecisionlab.com/answers/when-should-i-take-social-security/",
   "short_answer": "You can claim as early as 62, get your full benefit at full retirement age (67 if you were born in 1960 or later), and earn a larger check for each year you wait, up to age 70.",
   "answer": "You can claim as early as 62, get your full benefit at full retirement age (67 if you were born in 1960 or later), and earn a larger check for each year you wait, up to age 70. Claiming at 62 cuts the monthly benefit by about 30% for someone whose full retirement age is 67, and the cut is permanent. Waiting past full retirement age raises it 8% for each year you delay, until 70. Waiting pays off if you live long enough to collect the larger check for many years. Claiming earlier can make sense if you need the income now, have health concerns, or want to leave savings invested longer. Married couples have more to weigh. When the higher earner delays, the surviving spouse's benefit can be higher too, because the survivor keeps the larger check. You can see your own estimates at different ages in a my Social Security account.",
   "sources": [
    {
     "title": "Retirement Age and Benefit Reduction",
     "publisher": "Social Security Administration",
     "url": "https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/agereduction.html"
    },
    {
     "title": "Delayed Retirement Credits",
     "publisher": "Social Security Administration",
     "url": "https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/delayret.html"
    },
    {
     "title": "Social Security Handbook § 720: Delayed Retirement Credit",
     "publisher": "Social Security Administration",
     "url": "https://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/handbook/handbook.07/handbook-0720.html"
    }
   ],
   "facts_checked": "2026-10-06",
   "next_review": "2027-04-06",
   "relevance": 5.2
  },
  {
   "question": "Is my Social Security taxable?",
   "url": "https://theretirementdecisionlab.com/answers/is-my-social-security-taxable/",
   "short_answer": "Part of it can be. If half your benefits plus all your other income is above $25,000 (single) or $32,000 (married filing jointly), up to 50% of your benefits can be taxed, and up to 85% at higher incomes.",
   "answer": "Part of it can be. If half your benefits plus all your other income is above $25,000 (single) or $32,000 (married filing jointly), up to 50% of your benefits can be taxed, and up to 85% at higher incomes. The IRS calls this combined income: half your Social Security, plus pensions, IRA withdrawals, wages, and even tax-exempt interest. The 85% tier starts above $34,000 (single) or $44,000 (married filing jointly). The rule is the same if you live abroad. US citizens are taxed on worldwide income wherever they live.",
   "sources": [
    {
     "title": "Publication 915, Social Security and Equivalent Railroad Retirement Benefits",
     "publisher": "IRS",
     "url": "https://www.irs.gov/publications/p915"
    },
    {
     "title": "U.S. citizens and resident aliens abroad",
     "publisher": "IRS",
     "url": "https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/us-citizens-and-resident-aliens-abroad"
    }
   ],
   "facts_checked": "2026-10-06",
   "next_review": "2027-02-15",
   "relevance": 3.5
  },
  {
   "question": "What is my full retirement age for Social Security?",
   "url": "https://theretirementdecisionlab.com/answers/what-is-my-full-retirement-age-for-social-security/",
   "short_answer": "It is 67 if you were born in 1960 or later. It is 66 if you were born from 1943 to 1954, and it rises by two months per birth year for people born 1955 to 1959.",
   "answer": "It is 67 if you were born in 1960 or later. It is 66 if you were born from 1943 to 1954, and it rises by two months per birth year for people born 1955 to 1959. Full retirement age is the age when Social Security pays 100% of the benefit your earnings record has earned. The Social Security Administration sets it by birth year: 66 for 1943 to 1954, 66 and 2 months for 1955, 66 and 4 months for 1956, 66 and 6 months for 1957, 66 and 8 months for 1958, 66 and 10 months for 1959, and 67 for 1960 and later. Anyone turning 62 in 2026 was born in 1964, so their full retirement age is 67. Everyone still under 66 today is in the 67 group. The age matters because every claiming choice is measured from it. Claim before it and the check is cut for life, about 30% at 62 when full retirement age is 67. Claim after it and the check grows 8% for each full year you wait, up to age 70. Example: if your benefit at 67 is $2,000 a month, it would be $1,400 at 62 (70% of $2,000) and about $2,480 at 70 (124% of $2,000). Full retirement age is a reference point, not a target. It does not tell you when to claim. That depends on your other income, your health, and, if you are married, what your spouse would receive as a survivor.",
   "sources": [
    {
     "title": "Benefits Planner: Retirement | Retirement Age and Benefit Reduction | SSA",
     "publisher": "Social Security Administration",
     "url": "https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/agereduction.html"
    },
    {
     "title": "Benefits Planner: Retirement | Born in 1960 or later | SSA",
     "publisher": "Social Security Administration",
     "url": "https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/1960.html"
    },
    {
     "title": "Retirement Benefits (Publication No. 05-10035, January 2026)",
     "publisher": "Social Security Administration",
     "url": "https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10035.pdf"
    }
   ],
   "facts_checked": "2026-10-06",
   "next_review": "2027-04-06",
   "relevance": 3.5
  }
 ],
 "more": "https://theretirementdecisionlab.com/",
 "disclaimer": "Education only. Not financial, tax, investment, immigration or legal advice."
}