Can you collect Social Security earlier than your scheduled date?

If so, what happens?|||62 is the earliest you can start to collect and starting to collect benefits before 65-67, depending on your birth year will DECREASE your monthly benefit PERMANENTLY by up to 25% if your full retirement age is 67 and you retire at 62|||There are a couple of ways...





1) Early retirement. You can collect up to 3 years prior to the date of your full retirement age (depends on the year you were born). They make you take a percentage cut (like 20-30% of your monthly benefit)





2) Disability. Can be any age but you have to prove you can't work. If you're below 55 you must prove you can't do ANY work - that means you cant sit at a desk, flip burgers, answer phones etc. If you're over 55 you have to prove you can't do what you've done in the past (at any time in your life - summer jobs in high school count as experience - not just your career) SSA doesn't expect you to be trainable after 55.





You would need a lawyer to assist you in the process of getting your benefits. The process can take 2+ years even with representation.|||You need 40 quarters of credits (that is, having been paying into social security for a period of 10 years) to be eligible. The number is lower for widows and disability, and can often vary on a case-by-case basis. |||No, unless you are disabled, then you can apply for social security disability and get full benefits.|||Age 62 is the earliest - but you collect 25% less than if you waited for your "normal" qualification age.|||jjjjj