What  is Delay & Gain?

Throughout most of our working lives, we often dream of retirement and its promise of freedom from strict schedules, traffic jams, demanding jobs, overbearing bosses, difficult co-workers, physically tiring work, boredom or lack of wage growth.  The reasons to retire as soon as possible can easily pile up during a working life that spans decades. For many workers, the strong desire to stop working may cloud their decision about when it’s best, financially speaking, to call it quits. This could cause retirees, particularly women, to lose thousands of dollars of Social Security income over the course of their retirement, placing them in potential financial peril.

The Delay & Gain education project is for older workers who are nearing retirement. Our goal is to help near-retirees make informed, financially sound choices through an understanding of the increased Social Security benefits gained by a delay in filing their claim.

Video: How to Receive a Larger Monthly Benefit

Learn why deciding when to claim Social Security retirement benefits is one of the most important decisions a worker will ever make – and how delayed claiming can really pay-off in the long run.

Helpful Reading

Wait until age 70 to claim Social Security: ‘The return on being patient is huge,’ says economist.

All U.S. workers ages 45 to 62 would benefit from waiting until beyond age 65 to start receiving Social Security retirement benefits, recent research finds.

Is Delaying Social Security Benefits Still A Good Deal?

Columnist Steve Vernon takes a look at the strategy of delaying claiming benefits in light of recent inflation. For most people, he says, it’s still worth waiting.

Approaching age 62? What you need to know about Social Security’s 8.7% cost-of-living adjustment and claiming benefits

If you’re at or near Social Security’s retirement benefit eligibility age of 62, you may wonder if you should claim benefits to get in on the COLA increase. Experts say it’s generally still best to wait.

How to Delay Claiming Social Security Until Age 70

Waiting until you reach your full retirement age, which is typically age 66 or 67, will result in a higher monthly Social Security check. Individuals who postpone benefits until age 70 will receive the largest monthly amount possible.

U.S. Retirees Aren’t Waiting Till Age 70 to Collect Social Security

There’s big money in waiting to collect Social Security, but most U.S. seniors leave that cash on the table.

How Social Security Benefits Are Impacted at Every Age From 62 to 70

The age at which you claim is one of the two main factors determining exactly how large your benefit will be, along with your earnings record.

Are You Dreaming of an Early Retirement? The Earlier You Retire, the Greater the Risk, Experts Warn

There is no substitute for crunching the numbers on the expected costs and sources of income you will have in retirement. Simply settling on a “comfortable” nest egg figure will not cut it.

The Latest Twist in the ‘Great Resignation’: Retiring but Delaying Social Security

Stimulus checks and surging stock markets allow some early retirees to put off social security for now and secure higher monthly payments later.

Older Workers Concerned About Social Security’s Future Should not Rush to Claim Benefits Early

By now, you have probably heard that the funds Social Security relies on to pay benefits are running low.

Change to Social Security Impacts Decisions

Retirement rates have declined among workers in their early 60s as they delayed retirement to make up for the larger penalties for claiming their benefits early, a new study found.

A Woman’s Guide to Making the Most of Social Security

For each year a beneficiary postpones claiming between the full retirement age and 70, the benefit rises 8 percent.

The Social Security Retirement Age Increases in 2021

Workers with an older retirement age get smaller Social Security payments throughout retirement.

Claiming Social Security Retirement Benefits? Don’t Let these Myths Rip You Up

For most Americans, deciding when to claim Social Security retirement benefits will be one of the biggest financial decisions they ever make.

When is the Best Age for Americans to Claim Social Security?

Read this article by NCPSSM President and CEO, Max Richtman, as he discusses the benefits of delayed claiming.

Calculate the Best Time to File Your Claim

The Social Security Administration has provided an online calculator to help beneficiaries learn what their benefit will be depending on when they file their claim.

Frequently Asked Questions

Read what others are asking about delaying their benefits and ask your own questions.

What is the maximum monthly Social Security benefit one can receive? (click through for answer)

Broadcasts

A collection of radio interviews discussing the benefits of delayed claiming.

The Opposite of Ideal: Social Security Claiming Decisions, by percentage of retirees at each age