Before you decide to retire...

Carefully consider the advantages and disadvantages of early retirement. If you choose to receive benefits before you reach full retirement age, your monthly benefits will be reduced.

You can work and still get retirement and survivors benefits. If you're younger than your full retirement age, there are limits on how much you can earn without affecting your benefit amount. When you apply for benefits, we'll tell you what the limits are and whether work will affect your monthly benefits. When you reach full retirement age, the earnings limits no longer apply.

To help you decide the best time to retire, we offer a free publication, When To Start Receiving Retirement Benefits (Publication No. 05-10147), that identifies the many factors you should consider before applying. Most people can receive an estimate of their benefit based on their actual Social Security earnings record by going to our Retirement Estimator. You also can calculate future retirement benefits by using the Social Security Benefit Calculators.