Social Security can provide you, your spouse, and other eligible members of your family with benefits:
- when you retire;
- if you become disabled; and
- when you die.
Use our planners to help you better understand your Social Security protection as you plan for your financial future. Then choose a benefit calculator to get estimates of benefits you and your family may be eligible for.
Apply For Benefits Online
If you want to apply for retirement benefits, disability benefits, or just Medicare and you meet certain criteria, you can complete your application online.
- You will be asked to agree to a ‘Terms of Service Agreement’ and create or log in to your personal my Social Security account. If we are not able to process your request, you will receive specific information on how to contact us by phone or schedule an appointment.
If you are the spouse or divorced spouse of a retired or disabled worker, within 3 months of age 62 or older and you meet certain criteria, you can fill out your application for monthly benefits or just Medicare online.
For more information about ways to apply, visit Apply for Social Security Benefits.
For more information about applying for Medicare only and delaying retirement benefits, visit Applying for Medicare Only – Before You Decide.
Retirement Benefits
Use our Retirement Planner to learn:
- how you qualify for Social Security retirement benefits;
- about possible benefits you may be eligible for on someone else's record;
- which members of your family may get benefits based on your earnings record; and
- how and when you should apply.
Disability Benefits
Use our Disability Planner to find out how you and your family may qualify for benefits if you become severely disabled before you qualify for retirement benefits.
Even very young workers may already have earned disability protection. Learn more about work credits and how they affect disability benefits.
Survivors Benefits
Use our Survivors Planner to learn:
- how your family members are protected if you die or
- how you may qualify as a survivor on someone else's Social Security record.
This protection is particularly important for young families with children. Even very young workers may have this protection. Learn more about work credits and how they affect survivors benefits.
Spouse's Benefits
Even if you never worked under Social Security, you may still qualify for benefits if you are the:
- spouse or divorced spouse of a retired worker;
- spouse or divorced spouse of a disabled worker; or
- widow/widower or surviving divorced spouse of a deceased worker.
Online Tools
Use one of our benefit calculators to help you plan to:
- Get your Social Security Statement online with your personal my Social Security account to verify that your earnings are posted correctly and to get estimates of your future retirement, disability, and survivors benefits.
- If you already have enough Social Security credits to qualify for benefits, you can use our Retirement Estimator to get a personalized, instant estimate of your retirement benefits. You can enter different dates and ages to determine the best time for you to retire.
- If you want an estimate for survivors or disability benefits, or you do not already have enough Social Security credits to qualify for benefits, use one of our benefit calculators to estimate your future retirement, disability, and survivors benefits.