In the United States, applying for Social Security age retirement benefits is a very important time. Most workers who have a paycheck are waiting for the right time to be able to start resting. That’s why it’s good to have a retirement plan to help us get a bigger monthly check and, of course, enjoy a well-deserved rest.
But not all workers can collect Social Security. There are two fundamental requirements to be able to apply for a retirement pension. These requirements are for the retirement pension due to age and not due to disability. For disability retirement, these rules change a bit, since each case is practically unique and the Social Security Administration has to check many more details before accepting a pension of this style.
If you are thinking of applying for Social Security, therefore, you need to be aware of the minimum requirements. You cannot apply for a retirement pension under any conditions.
To find out if you can apply for Social Security today, you only have to check that you meet two requirements. If you meet these two requirements, you will be entitled to a benefit, although the amount may not be as large as you would like. In order to increase your SSA check you need to, in addition to meeting these two requirements, do a few more things.
The minimum requirements for Social Security
The Social Security Administration has the necessary information available to all U.S. citizens. This information tells us directly what we need to do to apply for Age Retirement. We have two fundamental requirements that we must meet in order to start collecting our first SSA check.
- Age 62. Before the age of 62 it is not possible to collect Social Security. We are talking about retirement due to age, not disability. In order to apply for your Senior check, you must be this age. But when you reach 62 years of age, retirement is not mandatory, but optional. It is possible to continue working, and it is recommended in many cases.
- Having 40 work credits. Some workers wonder how to get 40 work credits. Each full year worked is equivalent to 4 full credits. Therefore, it is mandatory to work 10 years before applying for Social Security.
Although these two basic requirements for claiming Social Security are affordable, it is true that it is best to maximize them. We will not be able to get the maximum benefit in 2022 of $4,194 per month if we only work 10 years and retire at 62.
Delay your retirement as long as possible and work at least 35 years at a high salary if you want the best Social Security possible.