02/22/2026
Take Social Security early or late? The perennial debating point about retirement needs another look.
For years, the experts have been telling us that delaying benefits to age 70 is a terrific deal. The 24% boost you get from starting at age 70 rather than 67 more than makes up, by a long shot, for forgoing three years of payouts.
Is that really the case? Yes and no. It still pays to wait. But it pays a somewhat disappointing amount.
Here are four questions to ponder before making a decision: https://www.forbes.com/sites/baldwin/2026/02/21/how-much-do-you-really-gain-by-delaying-social-security-benefits/?utm_campaign=ForbesMainFB&utm_source=ForbesMainFacebook&utm_medium=social (Illustration: Macy Sinreich for Forbes; Images: Shutthiphong Chandaeng and Zahoor Salmi via Getty Images)