Dear Liz: If I retire at 66 but don’t collect my Social Security until 70, will my benefit increase or stay the same since I wouldn’t be working? I can’t find this answer anywhere! Thanks so much.
Answer: Your benefit will increase eight percent each year you put off starting benefits between your full retirement age (currently 66, but rising to 67) and age 70. You get those “delayed retirement credits” whether or not you continue working.
Many people erroneously think the two decisions—when to quit work and when to start Social Security—have to be linked. In fact, they can be entirely separate.
You can retire years before you start Social Security and vice versa. Given the built-in benefit increase for waiting to begin Social Security checks, it often makes sense to tap other retirement money if you can while you wait for your check to max out.