If you begin claiming at 62, you'll get only 70% of your standard benefit if your FRA is 67 or 75% if your FRA is 66. Every month you delay benefits increases your checks slightly until you reach the maximum benefit at 70. This is 124% of your standard benefit if your FRA is 67 or 132% if your FRA is 66.

Receiving Social Security benefits under your FRA could cause you to lose some of that money back to the government if your income is high enough. The Social Security Earnings Test withholds $1 from your checks for every $2 you earn above $18,240 in 2020 if you will be under your FRA all year. If you'll reach your FRA in 2020, it'll take $1 for every $3 you earn over $48,600 if you reach this amount before your FRA. Once you're past your FRA, the government recalculates your benefit to include the amount it withheld.

Certain family members can claim benefits on your work record if doing so would give them more money than they're eligible for on their own work record. Eligible family members include:

Spouses

Ex-spouses, if the marriage lasted for at least 10 years and they have not remarried

Children under 18, or up to 19 if still enrolled in high school

Children of any age who were disabled before 22 -- that is, not earning more than $1,260 per month in 2020, having a medical condition that results in severe functional limitations and that is expected to last 12 months or longer or result in death

Spouses and ex-spouses must be at least 62 in order to claim benefits, and spouses and children must wait for the worker to begin claiming benefits themselves before they can claim family benefits on their record.

Disability benefits

Social Security disability benefits are available to adults 18 or older who are unable to work due to a physical or mental disability that is expected to last at least 12 months or result in death. You may still be eligible even if you haven't earned 40 credits, depending upon your age at the time of your disability. Your benefit is determined by your average lifetime earnings, so individuals who earned more while they were working will receive larger disability checks.

You must provide the government with information about your work history and your medical condition, including relevant supporting documents, when you apply. The Social Security Administration will review your case to decide if you are eligible. If it rules in your favor, you'll receive disability checks for as long as your disability lasts or the rest of your life, depending on the condition. If it rules against you, you may request a reconsideration or appeal to an administrative law judge.

Family members may be able to claim benefits on a disabled worker’s work record if they are:

A spouse 62 or older or of any age if caring for a disabled worker’s disabled child or child 16 or younger

Ex-spouses who were married to the disabled worker for at least 10 years and have not remarried if they meet the same criteria as spouses

Unmarried children up to 18, or 19 if still attending high school

Children of any age who were disabled before 22

Survivors benefits

Survivors benefits are benefits for the family members of deceased workers who qualified for Social Security.