A divorced person does not always have to wait for an ex-spouse to retire before collecting Social Security on that ex’s record. A divorced spouse who was married for 10 years, is unmarried now, and is 62 or older can be paid on an ex who has not filed, as long as the divorce has…

A widow or widower does not have to wait until full retirement age to get Social Security money after a spouse dies. Survivor benefits can start as early as age 60, at a reduced amount. A surviving spouse can then switch to a higher retirement benefit on their own record as late as age 70,…

Social Security does not pay benefits for the month a person dies. Because payments arrive a month behind, the deposit that shows up the following month has to be sent back. When a retiree dies in July, for example, the August payment is not the family’s money to keep. The Social Security Administration spells this…

Social Security’s own watchdog says the agency set the wrong start date for benefits on a large number of adults who get childhood disability benefits, and that many of them were paid too little because of it. An audit report dated September 25, 2026 estimates that 50,194 beneficiaries had an incorrect entitlement date. It projects…

Social Security adds 8% to a retirement check for each full year a worker waits past full retirement age to claim, and the increases stop at age 70. The raise applies to anyone born in 1943 or later, which covers nearly everyone now deciding when to claim. After 70, waiting adds nothing. The Social Security…

Retirees who have already started collecting Social Security can pause their checks once they reach full retirement age and earn a bigger benefit later. The pause is open to anyone who has reached full retirement age but is not yet 70. During it, the Social Security Administration (SSA) adds delayed retirement credits for each month…

Workers who turn 62 in 2027 will have their Social Security benefit figured on higher bend points. The two dollar thresholds in the formula rise to $1,340 and $8,077, up from $1,286 and $7,749 for people who turn 62 this year. The change sets how much of a worker’s lifetime earnings is counted at each…

The most a spouse can collect from Social Security is half of the worker’s benefit at full retirement age. A spouse who claims before reaching that age of their own gets a smaller share of the half, and the cut grows with every month of waiting skipped. The Social Security Administration’s retirement age and benefit…

Social Security pays benefits to the children of retired or disabled workers, and the most a child can receive is half of the parent’s full benefit. A family limit can lower that amount when several people collect on one worker’s record. For a grandparent or parent on Social Security with kids at home, the child…

Social Security gives people 60 days after they receive a decision letter to ask for a second look, a step the agency calls reconsideration. Miss that window and the original decision usually stands, whether it denied a disability claim, cut a payment or set an overpayment. The Social Security Administration says the request has to…