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Filing For Benefits

May 22, 2023

Can I Apply For Widow's Benefits By Phone?

May 22, 2023

How Far In Advance Do I Need To Apply For Social Security Benefits?

May 20, 2023

How Should I Complete My Application In Order To Be Assured Of Getting My Full Age 70 Rate?

April 30, 2023

Is It Better To File For Benefits Online Or In Person?

April 22, 2023

What's So Important About When I Should Apply?

April 10, 2023

What Do I Need To Do To Switch From Spousal Benefits To My Own Benefits At Age 70?

April 6, 2023

How Do I Answer The Following Questions On My Online Application?

April 2, 2023

Will Social Security Pay Me For Past Months When I Was Unable To Apply Due To Surgery?

March 4, 2023

What Should I Do If I Made A Mistake On My Online Application?

March 2, 2023

Why Is Social Security's Online Application Rejecting My Answer?

February 27, 2023

Should I Apply For My U.S. Benefits Before Or After I Move To Canada?

February 22, 2023

Is It True That I'm Too Old To Apply For Child In Care Spousal Benefits?

February 16, 2023

Will My Wife Automatically Receive A Spousal Bump When I Apply For My SS?

February 16, 2023

Can You Confirm The Status Of My Application?

February 12, 2023

Did I Start My Online Application Too Early?

January 30, 2023

What Date Should I Submit My Paperwork To Receive Social Security?

November 4, 2022

Can I Apply Online For My Spousal Benefit?

August 8, 2022

What Is The Name Of The Online Application?

December 21, 2022

Which Month Should I Choose As My Benefit Start Date?

November 18, 2022

Has Social Security Created An Online Mechanism To Allow People Who Already Receive Their Own Benefits To Claim Spousal Benefits?

November 16, 2022

How Soon Can I Sign Up?

November 15, 2022

What Do We Need To Do To Prepare For Our Phone Appointment?

October 25, 2022

How Does My Wife Go About Applying For Her Full Benefits?

October 20, 2022

When Should I Apply For My Benefits?

October 18, 2022

When Should I Be Contacting Social Security To Apply For My Benefits?

October 5, 2022

Will My Wife Automatically Switch To Spouse's Benefits When I File For My Benefits?

September 15, 2022

Will I Lose Benefits If I Don't Complete The Application I Started In March 2022?

August 28, 2022

Can I Start A New Application If I Allow The Previous Application I Started To Lapse?

August 25, 2022

Can I Apply Online For Social Security?

August 16, 2022

How Far In Advance Can I Apply For Benefits And When Will I Receive My First Payment?

July 27, 2022

Is It True That You Can Only File A Survivor Claim Up To Thirty Days In Advance?

July 2, 2022

Does Social Security Pay Up To 6 Months Of Retroactive Benefits If A Person Files Late?

June 20, 2022

How Can I Get My Social Security Benefits?

June 5, 2022

Can You Explain What's Meant By A Protective Filing Date?

May 13, 2022

How Do I Answer The Application Question About Eligibility For Foreign Benefits?

May 5, 2022

How Should My Wife Answer These Application Questions?

May 1, 2022

How Can I Defer My Social Security Income For Tax Purposes?

April 29, 2022

How Can I Help By Brother Apply For SSI Disability?

April 21, 2022

What Should I Do About The Notice I Received From Social Security About My Claim?

April 18, 2022

When Should I File For My Own Benefits?

April 18, 2022

Would A Husband Be Limited To Claiming Six Months Of Retroactive Spousal Benefits?

April 17, 2022

Which Is The Correct Month That I Should Get My First Payment?

April 4, 2022

Why Isn't My Wife Getting The 50% Spousal Option?

April 4, 2022

Will I Need To Know My Exact Marriage Date When I Apply?

March 10, 2022

How Can I Delay Receiving Payment For My First Five Months Of Benefits?

March 10, 2022

How Can I Safely Fix It If I Started To Complete The Wrong Online Application?

February 27, 2022

Can I Apply Online For My Benefits If I'm Already Receiving Spousal Benefits?

February 22, 2022

How Do I Get The Application For Medicare And SSDI?

February 19, 2022

When Is The Earliest That I Can File For My Maximum Benefit?

February 9, 2022

How Long Will It Take My Benefits To Start?

February 1, 2022

Is There A Way For My Wife To Recover The Difference Between Her Own Benefit And Her Spousal Benefit?

January 31, 2022

When Should I Apply For My Own Benefits?

January 30, 2022

How Do I Apply For Widow's Benefits If Social Security Offices Are Closed?

January 24, 2022

When Should I Apply For Social Security?

January 16, 2022

How Can I Get My Application Filed?

January 12, 2022

Can My Wife Apply For Spousal Benefits If My First Benefit Payment Is Pending?

January 10, 2022

When Should I Apply In Order To Make Sure That Social Security Uses My 2021 Earnings?

January 5, 2022

What Do I Do If I Started An Application But Decided Not To Apply Now?

October 10, 2021

Will SSA Require Me To Submit Documentation For My Claim?

October 9, 2021

Will I Be Able To File For SS After I Move Overseas?

October 6, 2021

Do You Think My Online Application Will Go Through?

October 4, 2021

Can I Apply For My Own Benefits Online Before I Turn 70?

September 28, 2021

Can I Apply Online To Switch From Spousal Benefits To Drawing My Own Benefits?

September 8, 2021

Where On Social Security's Website Can I Apply To Switch To My Own Benefits?

September 4, 2021

Should Social Security Automatically Increase My Wife's Benefit Amount?

September 3, 2021

Can My Wife Apply For Her Own Benefits Online?

August 27, 2021

Do I Need To Set Up A New Online Account To Apply For My Own Benefits?

August 23, 2021

Is It Correct That Social Security Considers You To Become Age 70 In The Month Of Your Birthday?

August 21, 2021

Will I Need To Reapply When I'm Age 70?

August 2, 2021

Can I Apply As Early As August Or September If I Want To Claim Benefits Effective With December?

July 23, 2021

Will My Benefits Automatically Switch To My Full Benefit Amount When I Reach Age 70?

July 22, 2021

What Month Should I Start My Benefits To Receive My Full Age 70 Rate?

July 18, 2021

How Do I Apply?

July 6, 2021

How Can I Get Benefits On My Husband's Account?

June 25, 2021

How Do I Answer This Application Question?

June 24, 2021

Why Isn't Social Security Responding?

June 10, 2021

Can My Wife And I File At The Same Time?

June 10, 2021

When Should My Wife Submit Her Application?

May 8, 2021

Will My Wife's Benefits Be Automatically Adjusted To Include Spousal Benefits?

May 7, 2021

How Much Time In Advance Should I Contact Social Security To Switch To My Own Benefits?

April 24, 2021

Why Am I Not Allowed To Apply Online For Divorced Spousal Benefits?

April 17, 2021

Is It True That I Can Only Apply For My Benefits At My Local Office?

April 12, 2021

What Month Should I Choose As My Month To Start My Benefit?

April 7, 2021

Can I Apply For Spousal Benefits At The Same Time That My Spouse Applies?

April 7, 2021

When Can My Wife File Her Application For Spousal Benefits?

April 6, 2021

When Should I Apply For My Benefits?

April 3, 2021

Will My Wife's Spousal Benefits Automatically Change To Her Own Benefits At Age 70?

March 10, 2021

Will My Wife Automatically Start Getting Her Own Benefits At Age 70?

February 22, 2021

When Should My Husband Apply In Order To Make Sure He Receives The Last Year's 8% Increase?

February 20, 2021

When Can I Start My Application?

February 3, 2021

Can I Refuse To Receive Death Benefits From My Ex-Spouse?

January 25, 2021

How Does My Wife Request To Change From Her Own Benefit To A Spousal Benefit?

January 16, 2021

Where Can I Fill Out An Application For My Wife's Death Benefits?

January 15, 2021

How Should I Answer This Application Question?

January 6, 2021

Does My Application Date Affect The Fact That I Want To Receive My Benefits After My 70th Birthday?

December 31, 2020

What Month Should I File My Claim In Order To Get My Full Benefit Amount?

December 29, 2020

When Should I Start Applying For My Benefits?

December 25, 2020

Which Month Should I Choose To Start My Benefits In Order To Receive My Full Age 70 Rate?

December 5, 2020

Will Social Security Automatically Trigger My Wife's Additional Spousal Benefit?

December 2, 2020

How Do My Wife And I Go About Filing For Benefits?

About the Author

Laurence J. Kotlikoff 

Laurence J. Kotlikoff is a William Fairfield Warren Professor and Professor of Economics at Boston University, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Fellow of the Econometric Society, and a Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research.
Professor Kotlikoff received his B.A. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania in 1973 and his Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University in 1977. Kotlikoff is the Director of the Fiscal Analysis Center.
A New York Times Bestselling author, he has written nineteen books and hundreds of professional articles and op-eds. He is a frequent television and radio guest. His columns have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, London Financial Times, the Boston Globe, Bloomberg, Forbes, Yahoo.com, Fortune, and other major publications. In 2014, The Economist named him one of the world's 25 most influential economists