When to claim Social Security.
The single most consequential Social Security decision — and the one most people get wrong. The federal-employee timing math, the earnings-test trap, the claim do-over if you filed too early, and the mistake that costs the median claimer six figures.
Every guide in this cluster
When to Claim Social Security: The Federal Employee Edition
The claiming decision is different for federal employees. The FERS supplement interaction, the post-WEP-repeal CSRS landscape, and the math that actually matters when you have a federal pension as income floor.
The Social Security Earnings Test Trap in 2026
Work while claiming early and Social Security withholds $1 for every $2 over $24,480. What counts, what doesn’t, and the parallel FERS Supplement earnings test.
The Social Security Do-Over: Withdraw, Suspend, and Restart (2026)
Claimed Social Security too early? Form SSA-521 lets you withdraw within 12 months; suspension at full retirement age earns 8% a year. Plus a boost calculator.
89.8% of Americans Make This Social Security Mistake
An NBER study found the median claimer loses $182,370 in lifetime benefits by claiming too early. The break-even math, and when early claiming is actually right.
Over Half of Americans Don’t Understand This Social Security Fact
The trust fund “runs out” in 2033 — but that doesn’t mean benefits stop. What the 23% projected shortfall actually means, and why the “going broke” framing misleads retirees into claiming early.
Back to the full pillar
This is one cluster of the Social Security pillar. Explore claiming basics, spousal and survivor strategy, and the tax rules in the full pillar.
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