Waiting as long as you can to claim benefits makes sense. There's a case to be made, however, for claiming Social Security earlier rather than later.

Contrary to viral claims, Social Security has not raised the retirement age to 68. No formal proposal has reached Congress or been adopted.

For the first time since Social Security’s creation 90 years ago, the full retirement age is set to hit 67 years old in 2026. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.