For many senior citizens, their financial survival depends on Social Security.
Social Security was established in 1935, and since then, employees in the United States have been paying into Social Security system. Social Security benefits provide retirement income for those who are eligible. There are a number of factors that determine your eligibility for benefits, such as your employment history, age and year of birth.
Work History
What you pay into Social Security during your lifetime factors into how much you are entitled to receive. Pensions received from federal civil service jobs and some other government jobs can reduce or eliminate your benefit amount.
Age
Recipients of Social Security become eligible to receive benefits when they reach a certain age. Those eligible for Social Security benefits can begin collecting full retirement between the ages of 65 to 67, depending on the year they were born. It is possible to begin collecting benefits earlier (at age 62) regardless of what year you were born. Yet, those who begin receiving benefits earlier, earn less per month than if they wait for full retirement.
Birth Year
Eligibility for full retirement varies, according to the year of birth. Those born prior to 1938 are eligible for full retirement at age 65. Those born in 1938 or later are eligible between age 65 and 67. For each year until 1959, the age requirement increases gradually, increasing from age 65 to 67.
Relationship
Surviving spouses and minor children are sometimes eligible for Social Security benefits from their qualifying deceased parent or deceased spouse. If the surviving spouse is disabled, it is possible to become eligible for survivors benefits at age 50. Children under the age of 16 or disabled children of any age are typically eligible for benefits from a deceased parent eligible under Social Security.
Non-Citizen
Non-citizens paying into Social Security must meet the same requirements as citizens of the United States, before collecting Social Security benefits. Plus, they must prove they are in this country legally. For non-citizen workers assigned a Social Security number on or after January 1, 2004, they must also prove they were assigned their number based on their authorization to work in the country after this time or that they were admitted as a nonimmigrant visitor as a alien crewman or business.
Disability
Disability allows some to become eligible for Social Security benefits before reaching the minimum age requirement. A qualifying disability must prevent the applicant from working for a year or more, or be considered fatal. Another factor in disability eligibility is the length of time the applicant paid into Social Security.
Current Laws
Current laws and rules regarding Social Security benefits are subject to change. For example, the age eligibility for full retirement was 65, before it change to 65 to 67. For current Social Security eligibility requirements, visit the Social Security Administration website.
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