About Social Security and
Medicare…
Social Security pays retirement, disability, family and survivors
benefits. Medicare,
a separate program run by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services, helps pay for inpatient
hospital care, nursing care, doctors’ fees, drugs
and other medical services and supplies to people age 65 and
older, as well as to people who have been receiving Social
Security disability benefits for two years or more. Medicare
does not pay for long-term care, so you may want to consider
options for private insurance. Your Social Security covered
earnings qualify you for both programs. For more information
about Medicare, visit www.medicare.gov or
call 1-800-633-4227 (TTY 1-877-486-2048 if
you are deaf or hard of hearing).
Retirement — If
you were born before 1938, your full retirement age is 65. Because
of a 1983 change in the law, the full retirement age will increase
gradually to 67 for people born in 1960 and later.
Some people retire
before their full retirement age. You can retire as early as 62 and
take benefits at a reduced rate. If you work after your full retirement
age, you can receive higher benefits because of additional earnings
and credits for delayed retirement.
Disability — If
you become disabled before full retirement age, you can receive disability
benefits after six months if you have:
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enough credits from
earnings (depending on your age, you must have earned six to
20 of your credits in the three to 10 years before you became
disabled); and |
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a physical or mental impairment that’s
expected to prevent you from doing “substantial” work
for a year or more or result in death. |
If you are filing
for disability benefits, please let us know if you are on active
military duty or are a recently discharged veteran, so that we can
handle your claim more quickly.
Family — If
you’re
eligible for disability or retirement benefits, your current or divorced
spouse, minor children or adult children disabled before age
22 also may receive benefits. Each may qualify for up to about
50 percent of your benefit amount.
Survivors — When
you die, certain members of your family may be eligible for benefits:
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your spouse age 60 or older (50 or older if disabled, or any age if caring for your children younger than age 16); and |
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your children if unmarried and younger than age 18, still in school and younger than 19 years old, or adult children disabled before age 22. |
If you are divorced,
your ex-spouse could be
eligible for a widow’s or widower’s
benefit on your record when you die.
|
Extra Help with
Medicare — If
you know someone who is on Medicare and has limited income and resources,
extra help is available for prescription
drug costs. The extra help
can help pay the monthly premiums, annual deductibles and prescription
co-payments. To learn more or to apply, visit www.socialsecurity.gov or
call 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778).
Receive benefits and still work...
You can work and still get retirement or survivors benefits. If
you’re younger than your full retirement age, there are limits
on how much you can earn without affecting your benefit amount.
When you apply for benefits, we’ll tell you what the limits
are and whether work would affect your monthly benefits. When you
reach full retirement age, the earnings limits no longer apply.
Before
you decide to retire...
Carefully consider the advantages and disadvantages of early retirement.
If you choose to receive benefits before you reach full retirement
age, your monthly benefits will be permanently reduced.
To help you decide
the best time to retire, we offer a free booklet, Social
Security — Retirement
Benefits (Publication No. 05-10035), that provides specific
information about retirement. You can calculate future retirement
benefits on our website at www.socialsecurity.gov by
using the Social
Security Benefit Calculators.
Other helpful free
publications include:
—Understanding
The Benefits (No.
05-10024)
—Your
Retirement Benefit: How It Is Figured
(No. 05-10070)
—Windfall
Elimination Provision (No. 05-10045)
—Government
Pension Offset (No.
05-10007)
—Identity Theft And Your Social
Security Number
(No. 05-10064)
We also have other
leaflets and fact sheets with information about specific topics such
as military service, self-employment or foreign
employment. You can
request Social Security publications at our website, www.socialsecurity.gov,
or by calling us at 1-800-772-1213. Our website
has a list of frequently asked questions that may answer questions
you have. We have easy-to-use online applications for benefits that
can save you a telephone call or a trip to a field office.
You may also qualify
for government benefits outside of Social Security. For more information
on these benefits, visit www.govbenefits.gov. |
www.socialsecurity.gov
