by Dossie M Terrell

Created on: December 20, 2008   Last Updated: May 14, 2012

If you are thinking of retirement and the date is imminent, I suggest you go to this web site and read all you need to know before taking that final step http://www.socialsecurity.gov/ . You should plan to file your application not later than three months before the date you want your benefits to begin.

You will note the Social Security Administration (SSA) will send you an estimate of your monthly benefit amount. Whether or not you are thinking of retiring soon, I suggest you request this estimate of your monthly benefits; as many have discovered too late, someone else might have been using your Social Security Number. Correcting your SSA record can be a very lengthy process and even though you probably have done nothing wrong, the onus will still be on you to correct it.

There is a graph on the site listed above that provides a visual illustration to assist you in your planning process. The title of the chart is "Monthly benefit amounts differ based on the age you decide to start receiving benefits" and it uses a $1,000 base amount to show the differences in benefit amounts from age 62 through 65.

If you need more information to help you decide when to retire, tune into SSA's podcasts at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/podcasts/ to receive the latest updates.

When you do decide to retire and for personal reasons, you do not want to complete your application online and you prefer a face-to-face interview, you will need to take your birth certificate and your W-2 statement for the last year you worked to your local SSA office. Go to 1-800-772-1213 (for the deaf or hard of hearing, call the TTY number at 1-800-325-0778) for the location of your local office.

If you are married and your husband or wife is age 62 or older, he or she may also be eligible to retire based on earnings on your record. You will need to present their birth certificate, W-2 statement(s), and your marriage certificate. If you have children under age 18 or have disabilities that started before they turned 22 years of age, they may also be eligible. If you have children attending secondary schools, you should check on their eligibility to receive benefits if they are under age 22. You should take all original birth certificates with you. SSA will make copies and return the originals to you. You will note the site listed above affords you the opportunity to apply online; that is up to you. Many folks do not want to relinquish original documents and prefer to take them to the office. You may do this even though you are filing online.

If you have foreign documents, there may be extra scrutiny. It is not the representative who is giving you a difficult time, it is the rule of law. There have been many incidences of fraudulent documents being submitted over the years, especially baptismal records, so extra care is made to ensure all documents are genuine. If you do not have a birth certificate or a baptismal record, you should have at least three documents that are more than five years old where the dates of birth are the same. Old school records are acceptable.

If your documents have disparate dates, an SSA representative will need to make a determination of your age, which may or may not be the date you have always used. The determination will be based on the preponderance of the evidence. You will have the right to an appeal, but it won't change the determination unless you have additional evidence of age to the contrary.

Even though you may be 65 or over and have no plans to retire, you should still apply for Medicare to have access to drugs and doctors services (part B). If you were born in 1938 or prior, you may receive all your benefits and retain all your earnings.

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