The case
Linda is 61 and has read her Social Security letter eleven times. Her sister Denise has a firm opinion, and so does everyone else. Her husband Tom is 63 and will live on whichever check is left.
So we put the three choices through the same test: what each one pays, the age where waiting catches up, what the running totals look like at 80, 85 and 90, and what Tom would live on if Linda goes first.
The verdict
Aim for 67. In this example, waiting from 62 to 67 makes Linda's check $600 a month bigger, and the larger check is the one Tom would live on if Linda goes first.
This is a verdict for Linda's facts, not yours. Her numbers are an example we chose. Use the free tool below to test your own.
Free tool for this case
Claim Check: put in your own numbers and see the same checks the case ran.
What is inside the video
- The letter: what the three numbers on the statement mean
- Everyone has advice, and Denise's plan, tested
- The rules: what claiming early costs and waiting earns
- The part most videos skip: what Tom lives on
- Receipts: where every number comes from
- The verdict, and three things to do this week
Sources used in the video
- SSA, Retirement Age and Benefit Reduction
- SSA, Delayed Retirement Credits
- SSA, Receiving Benefits While Working
- Congressional Research Service report on survivor benefits (shown on screen in the video)
- Your own statement is free at ssa.gov
Linda and Tom are fictional. The narration is a synthetic voice and the illustrations are made with AI tools. Educational only, not financial, tax or legal advice. Tax figures are federal and leave out state income tax. How we check our numbers.