More Americans are tapping benefits earlier than ever — but what’s driving this trend, and is it the right move?

Retirees are paying the agency $100 for certified earnings records because "they're afraid of our systems going down." ...

thousands of Americans seem to be claiming Social Security benefits early. Pending Social Security claims totaled 580,887 in March 2025, up from 500,527 in March 2024. An administrator shared the ...

An additional 276,000 people filed for Social Security benefits so far this fiscal year, up 13% from a year ago. Anxiety ...

The agency is abandoning an initiative aimed at preventing fraud, the latest example of a failed effort by Elon Musk’s ...

There’s a reason seniors are told to think carefully before signing up for their Social Security benefits. The age at which ...

Most people, however, claim earlier, according to the SSA data. Nearly 30% of new Social Security beneficiaries claim benefits at age 62. Around 32% claim benefits after age 62 but before the FRA.

The change specifically affects Americans born in 1960 this year, because they will be turning 65 in 2025 — formerly the full ...

Since SSA installed new anti-fraud checks on claims made over the phone, only two claims out of over 110,000 were found to ...