TIMING ANALYSIS · 62 / 67 / 70
Most couples claim at the wrong age — and the survivor pays for life.
The Social Security
Timing Guide.
The 62 / 67 / 70 decision, the survivor-benefit math most couples never model, and the one-sitting worksheet families fill in before they file — built on 2026 figures from primary SSA and IRS sources, with no rounding.
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A 20-page timing analysis, not a sales sheet.
The math the Social Security Administration uses, the variable most couples forget, and a worksheet a household can complete in one sitting and hand to a fee-only fiduciary or a claims specialist before any irreversible filing decision.
The three ages — and the math behind them.
62, 67, and 70 are not a menu; they are points on one continuous schedule. The guide walks the exact 30% early-claim reduction, the 8%-a-year delayed credits that reach 124% at 70, the 2026 benchmark figures, and the three break-even comparisons in plain nominal dollars.
Survivor math — the variable most couples never model.
When the first spouse dies, the survivor keeps the larger of the two checks — not both. The higher earner's claim age sets that floor for the rest of the survivor's life. The guide walks the widow(er)'s-limit rule and a worked 15-year widowhood example.
The worksheet, the overrides, and the sources.
Spousal and deemed-filing rules, the earnings test, federal taxation thresholds, the six variables that override the math, a print-and-fill decision worksheet, a glossary, and every primary SSA, IRS, and U.S. Code source behind the figures.
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