Should I Ask for Retroactive Benefits?

Should I Ask for Retroactive Benefits?

Dear Rusty: I turn 70 next month, October 3, and am making an application for Social Security benefits to begin in January 2026. I want the maximum Delayed Retirement Credits (DRCs) and the highest permanent monthly benefit. I do not want to leave money on the table, so should I request six months of retroactive benefits or at least retroactive to October when I turn 70? If I do this, will I lose DRCs and adversely impact my ongoing monthly bene…

Ask Rusty – Should I Ask for Retroactive Benefits?

Social Security Matters by Russell Gloor, National Social Security Advisor at the AMAC Foundation, the non-profit arm of the Association of Mature American Citizens     Dear Rusty: I turn 70 next month, October 3, and am making an application for Social Security benefits to begin in January 2026. I want the maximum Delayed Retirement Credits (DRCs) and the highest permanent monthly benefit. I do not want to leave money on the table, so should I …