To apply for Social Security at 62, you can file online at ssa.gov/iclaim, by phone at 1-800-772-1213, or in person at a local Social Security office, and you can submit the application up to four months before you want payments to start. The paperwork side is straightforward. The decision behind it is not: claiming at 62 permanently reduces your monthly benefit by about 30% compared to waiting until your full retirement age of 67, and Medicare doesn’t start until 65, so you’ll need to cover your own health insurance in between.
Whether You Qualify at 62
You need at least 40 work credits to collect retirement benefits. You earn up to four credits a year by working and paying Social Security taxes; in 2026 each credit requires $1,890 in covered earnings, so $7,560 in a year maxes you out. Forty credits works out to roughly ten years of work.1Social Security Administration. Social Security Credits
There’s a timing quirk worth knowing. You must be 62 for an entire month before benefits can begin. Social Security follows an old rule that says you “attain” an age the day before your birthday, so if your 62nd birthday falls on the 1st or 2nd of a month, you’re treated as 62 for that whole month and can receive benefits starting then. Everyone else waits until the month after they turn 62.2Social Security Administration. Benefits Planner: Retirement Age and Benefit Reduction
What Filing at 62 Costs You
Your full retirement age is 67 if you were born in 1960 or later. Claiming at 62 means starting 60 months early, and Social Security reduces your benefit for each of those months. The result is a 30% permanent cut to your own retirement benefit.2Social Security Administration. Benefits Planner: Retirement Age and Benefit Reduction A check that would have been $1,000 a month at 67 drops to $700 at 62. That reduction never goes away, though your payments do rise each year with cost-of-living adjustments (the 2026 COLA is 2.8%).3Social Security Administration. Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Information
Spousal benefits take a bigger hit. The maximum spousal benefit is 50% of the higher-earning spouse’s full retirement amount, and claiming that spousal benefit at 62 reduces it by 35%.2Social Security Administration. Benefits Planner: Retirement Age and Benefit Reduction A $500 spousal benefit at full retirement age would shrink to $325.
Does claiming early cost you money over a lifetime? Smaller checks for more years eventually get overtaken by the larger check you’d receive by waiting. That break-even point lands around age 73 or 74 when comparing benefits started at 62 to benefits started at 67. If you expect to live well past your mid-70s, waiting generally pays more overall. If health or finances make that unrealistic, filing early puts money in your hands sooner.
Documents and Information to Gather
Having everything ready before you start keeps you from having to pause partway through. Social Security asks for:
- Your Social Security number and your original birth certificate, or a copy certified by the issuing agency. Photocopies and notarized copies aren’t accepted.
- Proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful immigration status if you weren’t born in the United States. Documents must be originals or certified copies and cannot be expired.
- Names and addresses of your employers for this year and last year, plus a copy of your most recent W-2.
- Your bank’s routing number and your account number for direct deposit.
- Names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and marriage and divorce dates for any current or former spouses. Also names and birth dates of any unmarried children under 18, children 18–19 still in school, or children disabled before age 22.
If you’re self-employed, bring your most recent federal tax return with Schedule C (or Schedule F for farming) and Schedule SE, which reports self-employment tax. Schedule SE is required if your net earnings were $400 or more, even if you owed no income tax.5Social Security Administration. If You Are Self-Employed
No bank account? Federal benefits must be paid electronically, and the Direct Express prepaid debit card is the alternative. There’s no signup cost, no monthly fees, and one free ATM withdrawal per deposit each month. You can enroll by calling 800-333-1795.6U.S. Department of the Treasury – Bureau of the Fiscal Service. Direct Express
Don’t let a missing document stop you from filing. Social Security lets you submit the application while you’re still tracking something down and provide the missing item afterward.
How to Submit Your Application
You can apply up to four months before you want benefits to start.7Social Security Administration. More Info: When To Start Benefits Filing early gives Social Security time to process everything so your first payment isn’t delayed.
Online
The online application at ssa.gov/iclaim is the fastest route. Sign into your my Social Security account, answer questions about your work history, income, family, and bank details, and submit electronically. You can save your progress and come back. After submitting, you’ll get a confirmation number to track the application.
By Phone or In Person
Call 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) to complete the application with a representative, or make an appointment at your local Social Security office. Both take longer than filing online, and in-person appointments may need to be booked weeks ahead.
What Happens After You File
Social Security processes most retirement claims within about 14 days when benefits are due immediately, or before your chosen start date if you filed in advance.8Social Security Administration. Social Security Performance Processing can stretch to several weeks when Social Security needs to verify additional documents or earnings records. A decision letter arrives by mail or through your my Social Security account showing your monthly benefit amount and your payment start date.
Benefits are paid a month behind. Your June benefit arrives in July, July’s in August, and so on. The specific day depends on your birthday:9Social Security Administration. What You Need to Know When You Get Retirement or Survivors Benefits
- Born 1st–10th: second Wednesday of the month
- Born 11th–20th: third Wednesday of the month
- Born 21st–31st: fourth Wednesday of the month
Working While Collecting
Filing at 62 doesn’t mean you have to stop working, but earning too much triggers a temporary reduction. In 2026, if you’re under full retirement age for the whole year, Social Security withholds $1 in benefits for every $2 you earn above $24,480.10Social Security Administration. Exempt Amounts Under the Earnings Test Only wages and self-employment income count. Investment income, pensions, and retirement account withdrawals don’t.
In the year you reach full retirement age, the limit jumps to $65,160 and the withholding rate drops to $1 for every $3 above that amount. Once you hit full retirement age, the earnings test disappears entirely.11Social Security Administration. 2026 Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Fact Sheet
A special first-year rule helps if you retire mid-year after high earnings. Even if your annual earnings exceed $24,480, Social Security will pay your full benefit for any month your earnings stay at or below $2,040 and you aren’t doing substantial self-employment work.12Social Security Administration. Special Earnings Limit Rule
Money withheld through the earnings test isn’t gone. Once you reach full retirement age, Social Security recalculates your benefit to credit you for the withheld months, effectively raising your monthly amount going forward.
The Medicare Gap Until 65
Filing for Social Security at 62 does not make you eligible for Medicare. Coverage generally begins at 65, leaving a gap of up to three years when you need to arrange your own health insurance.13Medicare.gov. When Can I Sign Up for Medicare? Options include staying on an employer’s group plan if you or your spouse are still working, buying coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace (where you may qualify for premium subsidies based on your lower income), or COBRA continuation coverage if you recently left a job. Factor those premiums into your budget when deciding whether the reduced check at 62 can actually cover your expenses.
As you approach 65, your Initial Enrollment Period for Medicare runs from three months before the month you turn 65 through three months after. If you’re already collecting Social Security, you’ll typically be enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B automatically. Miss the window without qualifying employer coverage and you may face a late enrollment penalty that raises your Part B premium for as long as you have coverage.14Medicare.gov. When Does Medicare Coverage Start
How Your Benefits Are Taxed
Whether your benefits get taxed at the federal level depends on your “combined income,” which is your adjusted gross income plus any nontaxable interest plus half of your Social Security benefits. The thresholds haven’t been adjusted for inflation since the 1980s and are lower than most people expect:
- Single filers: combined income between $25,000 and $34,000 makes up to 50% of benefits taxable. Above $34,000, up to 85% is taxable.
- Married filing jointly: between $32,000 and $44,000, up to 50% is taxable. Above $44,000, up to 85% is taxable.
- Married filing separately while living together: up to 85% is taxable regardless of income.
“Up to 85% taxable” doesn’t mean 85% of your benefit goes to the IRS. It means 85% of the benefit gets added to your taxable income, and you pay your normal tax rate on that portion. Most states don’t tax Social Security benefits; eight states still impose some level of tax on them as of 2026, though most offer exemptions or income thresholds that shield lower-income retirees.
Changing Your Mind After You File
If you start benefits at 62 and quickly decide it was the wrong call, you get one chance to undo it. Within 12 months of your benefit approval, you can withdraw your application by filing Form SSA-521. You must repay every dollar you and your family received, including money withheld for Medicare premiums, taxes, and any garnishments. If Medicare Part A covered medical expenses during that period, those costs must be repaid to Medicare as well. You can only use this option once.16Social Security Administration. Cancel Your Benefits Application
Miss the 12-month window and you’re locked into the reduced amount until you reach full retirement age, at which point you’d have other options for pausing payments.