The social security benefits suffer a great influence from a number of factors of which the age of retirement is a primary one. Thus, there are several categories of retirees, some who were born before 1932 and retired at 65, others born between 1938 and 1943, with the retirement age set at 66, and finally another group of people born starting with the 60s who have the retirement age set at 67 years of age. This means that if one retires before time, the social security benefits drop with several percents depending on the age.

The same rule applies for delayed retirement too when the employee can increase the number of social security benefits with several credits, that can be then used by the spouse in case of death. From 2000, the US legal system allows for a worker’s spouse and children to receive social security benefits, but depending on the situation, individual conditions can be identified here as well. Sometimes even divorced spouses can get social security benefits after the death of retiree. Moreover disability benefits can be received if the worker has worked long enough.

For social security benefits that apply to the disabled, the applicants have to go to a legal hearing at an appointed time. The number of applications for social security benefits is incredibly large which often makes it difficult for the Administrative Law Judges to cope with the hearings. Sometimes, it may take up to ninety days before a request is solved in a hearing. Yet, waiting times can increase up to eighteen months in some parts of the country, and such cases are the least fortunate of all.

A tax free income and a higher monthly revenue, these are the two main advantages that come with social security benefits. While you receive disability services you are not counted as employed. Moreover, you should know that the amount of money you get per month depends on your average earnings during a determined period of time, such as the last 30 years. A problem these years is the increase of the number of applications for social security benefits due to the world financial crisis.

The extra retirees are in fact putting more pressure on a system that is already seriously tried by recession. Statistics indicate that 150,000 more people request their social security benefits yearly. These benefits have actually become a safety net during the recession as the chance to get a job decreases with age. Someone who closes retirement will hardly be interested in more education or be able to continue work once he/she has become unemployed.