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You don’t have to begin collecting Social Security by age 70, but your benefit will not increase if you delay claiming past your 70th birthday. The delayed retirement credits that boost
benefits for people who put off claiming Social Security past full retirement age stop accruing at 70, whether you've filed yet or not.
The Social Security Administration will be able to pay retroactive benefits covering up to six months prior to the month you filed the application. However, if you choose to collect
retroactive benefits, you lose any delayed retirement credits you earned for those months.
You don't have to be past 70 to collect retroactive benefits, but you do have to be past full retirement age, which is 66 and 8 months for people born in 1958, 66 and 10 months for those
born in 1959 and 67 for those born in 1960 and later.
%{postComment}%Andy Markowitz is an AARP senior writer and editor covering Social Security and retirement. He is a former editor of the Prague Post and Baltimore City Paper.
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