Applying for Benefits Online

You may start receiving benefits as early as age 62. However, your monthly benefits will be reduced if you start them any time before "full retirement age."

If you elect to receive benefits before you reach full retirement age, you should understand how continuing to work can affect your benefits.

You should also be aware that credits may be added to your benefits they start after your full retirement age.

If you live to the average life expectancy for someone your age, you will receive about the same amount in lifetime benefits no matter whether you choose to start receiving benefits at age 62, full retirement age, age 70 or any age in between.

Please read Other Things to Consider for information about other things you should think about when you make your decision about when to begin your benefits. Some of the things you should think about before you decide include

• how long you think you will receive benefits,
• your health and
• whether anyone else in your family can get benefits on your record.

You can also use this application to apply for Medicare if you are at least 64 and 8 months old. However, you do not need to apply for monthly retirement or spouses benefits to sign up for Medicare.

If you are not ready to start your monthly cash benefits in the next four months, you can sign up just for Medicare at this time and apply for your retirement or spouses benefits later.

If you decide to apply only for Medicare, be sure that you understand how waiting until later to receive your cash benefits will affect your overall retirement financial situation.
 

1. Fill out the online application.
   After you fill out the application, you will be asked to confirm the truthfulness of your answers under penalty of perjury and your response will be recorded. You can be held liable by law for providing false or misleading information.

2. "Sign" the application electronically by clicking on the "Sign Now" button that will appear on the screen after you have finished filling out the application. 

   Note: The only person who can "sign" the application is the person who is applying for benefits. A legal representative or person helping cannot sign the application.

3. Submit any documents we may need to a Social Security office.

If you can't complete your online application for any reason, you will be able to 'continue your application later' without losing the information you entered.
 

• Your date and place of birth and Social Security number;
• Your bank or other financial institution's Routing Transit Number [more info] and the account number, if you want the benefits electronically deposited.
• The amount of money earned last year and this year. If you are filing for benefits in the months of September through December, you will also need to estimate next year's earnings;
• The name and address of your employer(s) for this year and last year;
• The beginning and ending dates of any active U.S. military service you had before 1968;
• The name, Social Security number and date of birth or age of your current spouse and any former spouse. You should also know the dates and places of marriage and dates of divorce or death (if appropriate); and
• A copy of your Social Security Statement.
  Even if the earnings on your Statement are not correct or you are not sure if they are correct, please fill out the application. We will assist you in reviewing and correcting your record after we receive the application.

  If you do not have a Statement and would like to have one, you may request one by visiting our Social Security Statement page. We will mail a Statement to you.

  Do not wait for the Statement to fill out your application. You may lose some benefits if you wait for your Statement to arrive. We will help you review your earnings history when we receive the application.

• your original birth certificate or other proof of birth [more info] (You may also submit a copy of your birth certificate certified by the issuing agency).;
• your original citizenship or naturalization papers [more info];
• a copy of your U.S. military service paper(s) (e.g., DD-214 - Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) [more info]; and
• a copy of your W-2 form(s) [more info] and/or self-employment tax return [more info] for last year.

We will return all documents and photocopies unless specifically told otherwise.

What if you don't have all of the documents?

Even if you don't have all the documents we need, you should still submit the application and any documents you do have. You can provide the missing documents later or we may be able to help you get them. If you delay submitting the application, you could lose some benefits you may be due.

Mailing your documents

If you mail any documents to us, you must include the Social Security number so that we can match them with the correct application. Do not write anything on the original documents. Please write the Social Security number on a separate sheet of paper and include it in the mailing envelope along with the documents. If you do not want to mail these documents, you may bring them to a Social Security office.

Do not mail foreign birth records or any documents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), formerly the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), especially those you (the applicant) are required to keep with you at all times. These documents are extremely difficult, time-consuming and expensive to replace if lost. Some cannot be replaced. Instead, bring them to a Social Security office where they will be examined and returned.