Mar
30
2011
By Guest (not verified)
my husband was told by his government retirement counselor that he could retire at 59 1/2, collect on his government pension(fers) and also draw on his social security until he turns 62. i cannot find anything on the ss website that mentions retirement at 59 1/2. am i missing something?
Social Security retirement benefits start at age 62
In general, Social Security reduced retirement benefits start at age 62. "Full" Social Security retirement benefits start at age 65 or later, depending on your birth year.
If you are a surviving widow(er), you can receive reduced survivor benefits at age 60. If you're disabled, you can receive disability benefits (including SSI) at essentially any age.
So the statement "retire at 59 1/2, collect on his government pension (fers) and also draw on his social security until he turns 62" does not ring accurate.
There is a Special Retirement Supplement (FERS Supplement) that provides payments to early (before age 62) retirees. It substitutes for the Social Security part of your total FERS benefit until age 62, when most people become eligible for Social Security. The purpose of the supplement is to provide a level of income before age 62 similar to what you will receive at age 62 as part of a Social Security benefit. The supplement stops at age 62 even if you are not eligible for Social Security.
http://www.opm.gov/retire/pre/election/benefits/srs.htm