{"id":9307,"date":"2023-08-17T18:16:35","date_gmt":"2023-08-17T18:16:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/?p=9307"},"modified":"2023-08-17T18:16:35","modified_gmt":"2023-08-17T18:16:35","slug":"are-you-age-70-or-older-and-not-yet-receiving-benefits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/2023\/08\/17\/are-you-age-70-or-older-and-not-yet-receiving-benefits\/","title":{"rendered":"ARE YOU AGE 70 OR OLDER AND NOT YET RECEIVING BENEFITS?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Social Security Column<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>By Erin Thompson<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Social Security Public Affairs Specialist, Toledo, OH <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Retirement is not one-size-fits-all.\u00a0 It can mean different things to different people. Perhaps you have not applied for Social Security retirement benefits because you&#8217;re still working or are delaying applying so you can get the higher benefit.\u00a0 If you\u2019re age 70 or older, you should apply now for the benefits you\u2019re owed.\u00a0 Your benefits will not increase if you continue to delay applying for them because you are 70 or older.<\/p>\n<p>Did you know that you can receive benefits even if you still work?\u00a0 Your earnings can increase your monthly benefit amount \u2013 even after you start receiving benefits.\u00a0 Each year that you work, we check your earnings record.\u00a0 It\u2019s possible your latest year of earnings is one of your highest 35 years.\u00a0 If so, we will automatically recalculate your benefit amount and pay you any increase due.<\/p>\n<p>You can claim your retirement benefits now.\u00a0 The best and easiest way to apply is with a personal\u00a0<em>my<\/em>\u00a0Social Security\u00a0account.\u00a0 You can create your free account\u00a0at www.ssa.gov\/myaccount.\u00a0 Once you create your account, you can get an estimate of how much you might receive each month based on when you want to start receiving benefits and then apply.<\/p>\n<p>In your account, you can also:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Access our publications \u2013 like the fact sheet for workers ages 70 and up.<\/li>\n<li>Find your\u00a0<strong>Full Retirement Age<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Learn about\u00a0<strong>benefits for your spouse and family members<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Apply<\/strong>\u00a0for benefits.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Manage<\/strong>\u00a0your benefits once you start receiving them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>We\u2019re here to help you secure today and tomorrow and we invite you to learn more about applying for retirement benefits at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ssa.gov\/apply\/\">www.ssa.gov\/apply<\/a> on our website.\u00a0 Please share this information with those who need it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>REPRESENTATIVE PAYEES HELP YOU MANAGE YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Some people who receive monthly Social Security benefits or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments may need help managing their money.\u00a0 When we receive information that indicates you need help, we\u2019ll work with you to find the most suitable representative payee to manage your benefits.\u00a0 A representative payee is someone who receives your monthly benefit payment on your behalf and must use the money to pay for your current needs, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Personal care items.<\/li>\n<li>Housing and utilities.<\/li>\n<li>Medical and dental expenses.<\/li>\n<li>Rehabilitation expenses (if you have a disability).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you need help managing your benefits, tell a Social Security representative that there is someone you want to be your representative payee.\u00a0 Your representative payee should be someone you trust and see often, and who clearly understands your needs.\u00a0 Social service agencies, nursing homes, or other organizations are also qualified to be a representative payee.\u00a0 Ask them to contact us.<\/p>\n<p>You can write to us within 60 days of being assigned a representative payee if you don\u2019t agree that you need one or if you want a different representative payee.<\/p>\n<p>We also offer Advance Designation, which allows you to designate someone to be your representative payee in the future.\u00a0 There may come a time when you can no longer make your own financial decisions.\u00a0 You and your family will have peace of mind knowing that someone you trust may be appointed to manage your benefits for you.<\/p>\n<p>You can submit your Advance Designation request when you apply for benefits or after you are already receiving benefits.\u00a0 You may do so through your personal <em>my<\/em> Social Security account at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ssa.gov\/myaccount\/\">www.ssa.gov\/myaccount<\/a> or by calling and speaking to a Social Security representative.<\/p>\n<p>You can find more information at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ssa.gov\/payee\/\">www.ssa.gov\/payee<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>FOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT SOCIAL SECURITY THAT CAN HELP YOU PLAN YOUR RETIREMENT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Social Security benefits are part of the retirement plan of almost every American worker.\u00a0 If you\u2019re among the many people covered under Social Security, you should know what your future benefit may be.\u00a0 Monthly benefit payments will likely be an important part of your retirement income.<\/p>\n<p>We base your benefit payment on how much you earned during your working career.\u00a0 Higher lifetime earnings result in higher benefits.\u00a0 If there were some years you didn\u2019t work or had low earnings, your benefit amount may be lower than if you had worked steadily.\u00a0 If you never worked and did not pay Social Security taxes, you may be eligible for spouse\u2019s retirement benefits.\u00a0 You must be at least 62 years old, and your spouse must already be receiving retirement or disability benefits.<\/p>\n<p>Our retirement page at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ssa.gov\/retirement\/\">www.ssa.gov\/retirement<\/a> is a great place to start mapping out your retirement plan.\u00a0 For example, have you considered:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Which factors may affect your retirement benefits?<\/li>\n<li>What is the right time for you to start receiving your retirement benefits?<\/li>\n<li>What you need to do after you apply for retirement benefits?<\/li>\n<li>What documents you need to provide us for your retirement application?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You can use your personal <em>my<\/em> Social Security account at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ssa.gov\/myaccount\/\">www.ssa.gov\/myaccount<\/a> to get an instant estimate of your future retirement benefits.\u00a0 You can also see the effects of starting your retirement benefits at different ages.<\/p>\n<p>You may also wonder about:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Benefits for a spouse or children.<\/li>\n<li>How work affects your benefits.<\/li>\n<li>Whether you will have to pay taxes on your benefits.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You can learn more at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ssa.gov\/retirement\/\">www.ssa.gov\/retirement<\/a>.\u00a0 Please share this information with family and friends to help them prepare for their retirement.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Social Security Column By Erin Thompson Social Security Public Affairs Specialist, Toledo, OH Retirement is not one-size-fits-all.\u00a0 It can mean different things to different people. Perhaps you have not applied for Social Security retirement benefits because you&#8217;re still working or are delaying applying so you can get the higher benefit.\u00a0 If you\u2019re age 70 or [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"wf_post_folders":[188],"class_list":["post-9307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-economy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9307","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9307"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9307\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9308,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9307\/revisions\/9308"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9307"},{"taxonomy":"wf_post_folders","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wf_post_folders?post=9307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}