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My Biggest Retirement Mistake: Collecting Social Security Early 

Claiming benefits at the minimum age can shore up cash flow but comes with a cost


spinner image john kruzynski leaning on a postal box
Decades of delivering mail took a physical toll on John Kruzynski, pictured near his home on Long Island, New York, but the former U.S. Postal Service worker says retiring early has taken a financial toll.
Jackie Molloy

John Kruzynski remembers it all too well. He was 57 and fed up with his job after decades serving as a letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service in Queens, New York. Budget cuts were leading to longer hours and extra work. Not to mention the toll on his body from decades of delivering mail. 

“I had heel spurs from walking [so much] over the years,” says Kruzynski, now 63. That was on top of the arthritis in his left hip and knee.

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Instead of soldiering on as the pain got worse, he opted for an early retirement. He had 30 years under his belt (including a stint in the U.S. Navy, which counted toward his federal government service). That made him eligible for a Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) supplement, an element of the pension system for U.S. government employees. 

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Gregory Reid

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The supplement provides an income bridge for federal workers who want to retire before the normal minimum retirement age — in Kruzynski’s case, 62. Leaving early meant a 15 percent reduction in his pension, he says, but with his wife already retired, it made sense to enjoy time with her at home in the Long Island town of West Hempstead, and to heal his battered body, even if it meant less money in his pocket.

Or did it? Kruzynski says he is glad he left the Postal Service when he did, but he does regret one ripple effect from the decision. His supplement and pension weren’t enough to maintain his lifestyle as long as he hoped it would. To cover the shortfall, he opted to claim Social Security retirement benefits as soon as he could, at age 62.

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Had he waited until his full retirement age of 67, Kruzynski would have received his full benefit — 100 percent of the amount calculated from his lifetime earnings history. Starting his benefits five years early is putting more money in his pocket overall, but with a significant trade-off: a permanent, 30 percent reduction in his monthly Social Security payment.

For Kruzynski, “the criteria to retire [early] was you had to be at least 56 years old and at least 30 years on the job, which I had,” he says. “If I would have waited, I would have more pension, more money in my 401(k) and more money from Social Security. I’ll never get to 100 percent.” 

Nonetheless, he and his wife make it work. He initially thought he’d have to work part-time in retirement to make ends meet, but he hasn’t needed to, at least not yet. Instead, they downsized to cut costs.

“We saved a lot of money by getting rid of one car. There’s insurance, car maintenance, inspection and registration,” he says. They also shopped around and found cheaper auto and homeowner’s insurance.

“The fact of the matter is, I would have been much better off financially if I would have waited to retire at 62,” Kruzynski says — he could have secured his full pension and put off claiming Social Security. “But I care more about quality of life.”

What the pro says

Kruzynski is far from alone in opting to grab his Social Security when he could, even if it meant a smaller payout. Among the 3.4 million people who claimed retirement benefits in 2022, nearly 1 in 4 did so at age 62, according to the most recent data available from the Social Security Administration. 

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“Filing at 62 means income begins early but at a cost — a 30 percent reduction on cash flow,” says Heather Schreiber, founder of HLS Retirement Consulting in Canton, Georgia, and the writer of Heather Schreiber’s Social Security Advisor, a newsletter for financial professionals. Smaller benefit payments also mean smaller cost-of-living adjustments, in dollar terms, she notes.

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Heather Schreiber
Courtesy Schreiber

Feeling like he needed the income was not Kruzynski’s only motive for claiming early; he says he was also worried about Social Security going bankrupt.

Fears for the program’s future are not unfounded. Social Security will not stop paying benefits as long as U.S. workers keep paying Social Security taxes. But the program’s cash reserves are running short, and benefits could be cut by around 20 percent unless Congress acts in the next decade to shore up the system’s finances.

Schreiber thinks that unlikely: “In its 89-year history, the program has never reached insolvency.” But even if it does happen, she says, “current beneficiaries would not be grandfathered from benefit cuts. Filing early would only challenge a retiree even further to make ends meet.”

There are valid reasons to start Social Security early, but deciding when to claim should be part of a broad plan that considers your retirement expenses, other income sources (such as a savings plan or pension) and your and your spouse’s health.

“Thinking beyond the knee-jerk reaction requires careful planning to avoid making costly mistakes,” Schreiber says — especially with what is, for many retirees, the one guaranteed source of income that “will pay for as long as they live and could also continue to a surviving spouse.”

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