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Social Security Column
By Erin Thompson
Social Security Public Affairs Specialist in Toledo, OH
Did you know that you can apply for Medicare online even if
you are not ready to retire?
Applying online can take
less than 10 minutes. There are no forms to sign and
usually no required documentation. We’ll process your
application and contact you if we need more information.
Visit
www.ssa.gov/benefits/medicare to begin. There, you can
apply for Medicare and find other important information.
People are usually eligible for Medicare at age 65. If you
want to start receiving Medicare at age 65, your initial
enrollment period begins three months before your 65th
birthday and ends three months after that birthday.
Some Medicare
beneficiaries may qualify for Extra Help
to pay for the monthly premiums, annual deductibles, and
co-payments related to the Medicare Prescription Drug
program. You must be receiving
Medicare, have limited resources and income, and reside in
one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia to qualify
for the Extra Help. More information on Extra
Help is available at
www.ssa.gov/benefits/medicare/prescriptionhelp.
You may also be interested
in reading these publications:
·
Apply
Online for Medicare — Even if You Are Not Ready to Retire
www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10530.pdf.
·
When
to Start Receiving Retirement Benefits
www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10147.pdf.
Help a friend or family
member by sharing this information. It can improve the
quality of their life.
It’s never too early to
start planning for retirement, and our online tools can make
your planning easier. Visit
www.ssa.gov/myaccount to access your
my
Social Security
account, get a personalized estimate of your
retirement benefits based on your earnings record, and find
out how your benefit amount increases depending on the age
you start them. Don’t have a
my
Social Security account?
You can create one at
www.ssa.gov/myaccount.
You can also review your
entire earnings history in your
my
Social Security account.
It is important that your earnings history is correct
because we base your benefit amount on the earnings reported
to us. If you find an error,
the publication, How to Correct Your Social Security
Earnings Record, at
www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10081.pdf, tells you how to get
your information corrected.
When you’re ready to apply
for Social Security retirement benefits, you can complete
our online application in as little as 15 minutes at
www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement. We will contact you if
we need any further information. You can check the status
of your application with your personal
my
Social Security account
too.
You can apply online for
Social Security retirement benefits, or benefits as a
spouse, if you meet all of the following criteria:
·
Are at least 61 years and
nine months old.
·
Are
not currently receiving benefits on your
own Social Security record.
·
Have not already applied
for retirement benefits.
·
Want your benefits to
start no later than four months in the future. (We cannot
process your application if you apply for benefits more than
four months in advance.)
Find out more about our
online services at
www.ssa.gov/onlineservices.
the many things you can do online with social security
Are you looking for new
ways to save time? Check out our online services available
through your secure my
Social Security account.
We have lots to offer you online whether you receive
benefits from Social Security or not.
If you do not currently
receive benefits, you can:
·
Request a replacement
Social Security card.
·
Review your earnings
history and see an estimate of your future Social Security
benefits.
·
Compare benefit amounts
depending on what age you start receiving benefits.
·
Apply for retirement
benefits when you are ready.
·
Check the status of your
Social Security application.
If you already receive
benefits, you can:
·
Get a benefit verification
or proof of income letter.
·
Request a replacement
Social Security or Medicare card.
·
Set up or change direct
deposit.
·
Change your address.
·
Get a replacement Social
Security 1099 form (SSA-1099).
·
Opt-out of certain mailed
notices.
Your personal
my
Social Security
account includes a secure Message Center where you can
receive sensitive communications. For example, you can view
your annual cost-of-living adjustments before you would
normally receive them in the mail. You will receive both
mailed and online notices unless you opt-out of receiving
notices by mail that are available online.
We designed these online
features to save you time. Create your personal
my
Social Security account
today at
www.ssa.gov/myaccount.
We offer many other online
resources at
www.ssa.gov/onlineservices. Please let friends and
family know they can access them from the comfort of their
home or office, and on the go from their mobile phones.
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