The
department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics at Rutgers University
recently held a seminar on Social Security for university faculty and staff.
Below are seven highlights shared by two presenters: Everett Lo, Deputy
Regional Communication Director for the Social Security Administration-New York
Region, and Gina Diouf, administrator of the New Brunswick, NJ Social Security
office:
¨
Social
Security affects people throughout the life cycle including their birth, first
job, marriage, divorce, widowhood, and/or retirement. It is intended to replace
a portion of income but not be a sole source of income.
¨
The
Social Security Retirement Estimator provides benefit estimates based on your Social Security earnings
record. Social Security benefits are based on a worker’s highest 35 years of
earnings.
¨
Workers
should check their Social Security statement annually to confirm that their
earnings information is accurate. To do this, use the “My Account” feature of the Social Security web site.
¨
To
qualify for Social Security retirement benefits, a person must work 10 years and
be at least age 62. If you delay benefits beyond full retirement age or FRA
(age 66 to 67 depending on birth year), extra credits apply.
¨
It does
not make sense to wait for benefits past age 70 because no additional delayed
retirement credits are available. Between age 66 and 70, there is an 8% annual
increase in benefits. In an example provided at the seminar, a benefit of $1,000
at FRA of 66 would be equivalent to a $1,320 benefit at age 70.
¨
Social
Security benefits may be taxable if individual or household income exceeds
certain limits. Social Security can withhold federal income taxes or beneficiaries
can send the IRS quarterly estimated payments.
¨
If
someone is working and receiving Social Security benefits, the earnings limit
($17,640 in 2019) applies before FRA. Future work plans are a key factor in
deciding when to claim Social Security.
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