--- title: Is Waiting Until 70 for Social Security Worth It If You're in Poor Health? description: When you're considering when to claim Social Security, it's important to consider your health and longevity. authors: - name: Marc Guberti url: https://money.com/author/marc-guberti/ bio: Marc Guberti is a personal finance writer who hosts Breakthrough Success, a podcast where he teaches listeners how to grow their businesses and achieve personal transformations. at_money_since: 2024 articles: 443 covers: - Retirement - Banking - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Economy and Politics - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Pets - Professional Services - Shopping - Taxes published: '2026-10-23T13:00:33.000Z' section: Retirement word_count: 467 canonical: https://money.com/social-security-delay-poor-health/ type: Article source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![Senior couple using laptop at home](https://img.money.com/2026/10/Explainer-70-Social-Security.jpg) You’ll often hear that it’s best to put off claiming Social Security until age 70 so you can maximize your benefit. But that’s not the best decision for everyone. When you should tap into your government benefits will come down to your specific circumstances, including your other sources of income, retirement savings and goals. It’s also important to consider your health, since it can take roughly a decade to break even, meaning that the value of waiting outweighs the financial benefit of claiming earlier. ## The break-even age Your break-even age typically comes in your late 70s or early 80s. The Social Security formula rewards longevity. People who live into their 90s are well-rewarded for waiting until 70 to claim Social Security. However, people who pass away in their early or mid-70s end up leaving money on the table by waiting to access benefits until turning 70. ## When claiming earlier makes sense A serious health diagnosis or a history of low longevity in your family may warrant claiming benefits early. It can also be more favorable to claim early if you are single and have no dependents who are relying on survivor benefits. These factors may mean you should consider receiving Social Security early, especially if doing so can help you retire or shift to part-time work. An early claiming window can introduce more financial flexibility right now. The extra cash from a smaller benefit may be enough to achieve the same core goals that you can reach if you wait until age 70. Not everyone has a substantial change to their monthly income by waiting until age 70, and some people have large enough nest eggs where they can make a lower government check work comfortably. ## The exception: a spouse Claiming Social Security gets a bit more complicated if you are the higher-earning spouse. The longer you work and delay benefits, the higher the survivor benefit will be in case you pass away before your spouse. If your spouse is younger and has a better health history, it may be better to delay claiming Social Security for a few more years until you reach age 70. Not only do you secure a higher benefit when you claim, but you also give your spouse an extra layer of financial protection. ## Speak with the professionals It’s a good idea to speak with an expert such as a financial advisor to understand the right path for your finances. You can also ask your doctor for an honest outlook on your health to determine if you are likely to live well into your 80s. Then, run your financial numbers with a planner to assess the optimal time to take out Social Security. Gather your expenses and figure out what your retirement costs will look like before committing to a claiming window. ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/social-security-delay-poor-health/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Retirement", "item": "https://money.com/retirement/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Social Security", "item": "https://money.com/social-security/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Is Waiting Until 70 for Social Security Worth It If You're in Poor Health?" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://money.com/#website", "url": "https://money.com", "name": "Money", "publisher": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://money.com/social-security-delay-poor-health/#webpage", "url": "https://money.com/social-security-delay-poor-health/", "name": "Is Waiting Until 70 for Social Security Worth It If You're in Poor Health?", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://money.com/#website" }, "datePublished": "2026-10-23T13:00:33.000Z", "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://money.com/social-security-delay-poor-health/" }, "inLanguage": "en-US", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://money.com/social-security-delay-poor-health/#breadcrumb" } }, { "@type": "Article", "headline": "Is Waiting Until 70 for Social Security Worth It If You're in Poor Health?", "articleSection": "Retirement", "image": [ { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2026/10/Explainer-70-Social-Security.jpg", "width": 2121, "height": 1414, "caption": "Explainer-70-Social-Security" } ], "author": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Marc Guberti", "url": "https://money.com/author/marc-guberti/", "@id": "https://money.com/author/marc-guberti/#author", "description": "Marc Guberti is a personal finance writer who hosts Breakthrough Success, a podcast where he teaches listeners how to grow their businesses and achieve personal transformations.", "worksFor": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } } ], "publisher": "https://money.com/#organization", "datePublished": "2026-10-23T13:00:33.000Z", "description": "When you're considering when to claim Social Security, it's important to consider your health and longevity.", "abstract": "When you're considering when to claim Social Security, it's important to consider your health and longevity.", "@id": "https://money.com/social-security-delay-poor-health/", "inLanguage": "en-US", "wordCount": 467, "about": [ { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Retirement", "sameAs": [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retirement" ] }, { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Social Security (United States)", "sameAs": [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Security_(United_States)" ] } ] } ] } ```