At Social Security, we know that preparedness is the key to a secured financial future. The steps you take today will shape your life when you’re no longer working. For women, it’s especially important to be ready when retirement comes knocking.
In 2014, the Census Bureau reported that women usually earn 79 cents for every dollar earned by men. In addition to this wide pay gap, women are also shown to have less saved for retirement than their male counterparts. Pair these statistics with women living longer and it drives home an urgency message. Your preparation for the future must begin today.
Social Security is here to help with benefits, information, and tools to help you secure today and tomorrow. Here’s how you get started:
- Sign up for a my Social Security A personal, my Social Security account is the portal to your retirement. You can review your earnings, get your Social Security Statement to see how much you’re slated to get as retirement, disability, and Medicare benefits. Go to socialsecurity.gov, click on Sign in/Up, and follow the steps to create your secure account. It’s easy!
- Visit our Retirement Estimator to get a projected snapshot of what your retirement future looks like based on your actual Social Security earnings record. You can plug in some basic information to get an instant, personalized estimate of your future benefits.
- If you don’t have a retirement account, consider signing up for the U.S. Treasury Department’s myRA. It’s a simple, safe, and affordable starter retirement account that helps Americans without access to employer-based retirement plans save for their financial future. It’s free to open an account, there are no annual fees, and myRA carries no risk of losing money. With myRA, you can fund your account via payroll deduction, or from your checking or savings account. Visit gov to get started today.
Social Security wants every woman to have control of her financial future. Follow these simple steps today and you’ll be well on your way.
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Thanks,
please call me at 313-401-8802
I bern waiting for a hearing for long time worked since i was 12 yrs old was disable 9 never really know how seiously it was didnt what to be treatded speical really now i feel the affect now i worked 12-26 off and more on hearing taken long and DSS is given me ahard time lost two house cause of the county was my husbands depended for 18 yrs please help
None of the suggestions listed will do anything for pay gaps, longevity issues or the fact that women tend toward lower paying jobs and take time off to raise a family. So the 3 steps to secure a financial future are meaningless.
The spouse who is working should be paying in to the stay-at-home psrent’s retirement benefits, should anyone make that conscious decision to leave the (paid) work-force. Bringing other human beings into the world is truly an awesome responsibility. Preparaton is best done before the horse is out of the barn….in an ideal world.
Incidentally, women start in the work force, up until the age of 30, making more money than males their same ages.
Im changing my sex then! Do I have to wear my strap on 24/7???
Trouble is every person circumstances are different.
Women do in fact have lower earnings that is a
fact that no one can deny. Health is a major factor
in people’s lives. Many are not married so that
is a major factor. It would ideal if everything was
as easy as they describe.
Social Security, is still by an large the best program and return for the “majority” of Americans.
That said, can it and should it be improved upon? Absolutely! Begin by mandating all American citizens and US businesses participate in and contribute to SS.
Is there political return for political leadership to undermine and move more people away from Social Security?
Absolutely! “Special Business Interest Groups and corporate investment interests”.
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Yes social security should be lower to 60, years instead of 65, most job if you’re working and health fail you, it’s hard to get what you paid in and no other job will hire you at that age. Think about that.
The earliest age you can apply for reduced retirement benefits is 62. You can create a My Social Security account to review your earnings record and get an estimate of your future benefits. Thanks!
How do I go about paying taxes on my social security income.?
Thank you for your question Jacqueline. Some people may have to pay federal income taxes on their Social Security benefits. This usually happens only if you have other substantial income. If you get Social Security, you can ask us to withhold funds from your benefit and we will credit them toward your federal taxes. See Withholding Income Tax From Your Social Security Benefits, and our “Frequently Asked Questions” web page for more information. For further income tax questions, you will need to contact the IRS. Their toll-free number is 1-800-829-1040. We hope this information helps!
Government Pension Offset (GPO) is unfair to teachers who are, historically, paid less than their required education and certification warrant. I am a retired teacher who paid into my state’s teacher retirement fund because SS was not offered. When my husband of 61 years died, I learned that I will receive “0” of his social security survivor’s benefits. He died on July 06, 2016, and today, May 6, 2017, I still have received NONE of his survivor’s benefits even though we worked together to rear a responsible currently contributing son, ran an Independent automotive parts store even though I also taught public school for 27 years of that time. I am on my own — a teacher’s retirement based on the low wages paid to teachers in my state.
Betty D Hamilton on May 6, 2017 at 8:36 pm said:
Government Pension Offset (GPO) is unfair to teachers who are, historically, paid less than their required education and certification warrant. I am a retired teacher who paid into my state’s teacher retirement fund because SS was not offered. When my husband of 61 years died, I learned that I will receive “0” of his social security survivor’s benefits. He died on July 06, 2016, and today, May 6, 2017, I still have received NONE of his survivor’s benefits even though we worked together to rear a responsible currently contributing son, ran an Independent automotive parts store even though I also taught public school for 27 years of that time. I am on my own — a teacher’s retirement based on the low wages paid to teachers in my state.
The GPO “Government Pension Offset” and WEP are unfair to teachers in public schools. The GPO reduces the teacher retirement allowance so that in many cases, teachers cannot receive their spouse’s Social Security Survivor’s Benefits (it’s all “double dipping” even though teachers paid into a separate fund. WEP keeps teachers who frequently hold extra jobs to supplement their historically low teacher salary from collecting their OWN Social Security funds if they also collect a teacher’s retirment.
The WEP /GPO are very unfair to teachers especially and other public employees. There is current bipartisan action in the House and Senate ( HR 1205/S 915) Call your Rep. and Senators to support those bills and maybe we can get things to change!
The big problem for everyone is congress. The worst possible money managers on the planet. The theft alone after the SS contributions were lumped into the general fund should be a major concern to every American worker. Then on top of that, numerous increase cost to the contributor. More cost because of poor managers. Then on top of that congress decided to tax your benefit because they know nothing or care about managing our money. If congress is serious about fixing what they broke, they should start with a payback plan of all the funds they “borrowed” over the years.
Sad sorry situation. But don’t worry, congress has no worries about their cushy retirement ever running out of money.
I turn 65 before the end of 2017, can I apply for ssn on Jan 1, 2018 and not have a penalty taken from my ssn benefits for 2018? I turn 66 yrs old in October of 2018.
Hi Shirley, if you were born between 1/2/1943 and 1/1/1955, your full retirement age is 66 years. Full retirement age is the age at which a person may first become entitled to full or unreduced retirement benefits. If a person begins to receive benefits prior to their full retirement age, their benefits are reduced. The reduction factors are permanently applied to all of the benefits the person may qualify for. To help you plan for the future, you can use our Retirement Planner. You can also create a my Social Security account to verify your earnings, get your Social Security Statement, and much more. Remember that you can sign up for Medicare ONLY three months before your 65th birthday. We hope this information helps!
Please stop my SS card from going to address listed! That was just a temp Address thanks Mr Tilley
Hi Jerimy, to make a correction or to follow up on your application for a Social Security (replacement) card, you may have to return to the office where you filed your application. Also, on your receipt there should be a local phone number for you to call and speak to someone about the status of your card. We suggest you contact us as soon as possible. Thanks.
Hi, do you allow guest posting on blog.socialsecurity.gov ? 🙂 Please let me know on my email
I am planning on retiring at age 70 this January. At what age may my wife claim 1/2 of my full benefits?
She is now 63.
Thank you for your question, John. Benefits for your spouse can be equal to one-half of your full retirement amount if she starts receiving benefits at her full retirement age. If your spouse qualifies on her own record, we will pay that amount first. If the benefit on your record is higher, she will get an additional amount on your record so that the combination of benefits equals that higher amount. See our Retirement Planner: Benefits For Your Spouse for more information.
I am 59 and my guilt is based on what parenting rights does a single mother have I find there is no way around that without hearing who is going to take care of whom and all the respect between parent and child is lost on one simple fact that I should of been more healthy and aware of what I am going though and no amount of pleading with the courts are the people in the welfare office why isn’t my words good enough when it comes to how much love and support one person needs and if the burden is too much money in six children and I cannot see pass this accusations even as I am grown my children almost the age of me my inquiries are an assullt as well as an insult it seems on the ones who have been just that court appointed.No relief no retirement goals how reasonable can that be for a women to solve.
What is the amount for Medicare that’s deducted from my Social Security check?