Many people can start receiving Social Security retirement benefits as early as age 62. However, the earlier you begin taking your retirement benefits prior to your full retirement age, the more your benefits will be reduced. SSA has a handy calculator that you can use to calculate the effect of early retirement. If you delay taking your benefits from your full retirement age up to age 70, your benefit amount will actually increase. Further, a person that is over 62 but not yet full retirement age can also be eligible for Social Security Disability, and often that disability payment amount is higher than your early retirement benefit amount. Disability applications take around six months to be processed. However, taking retirement may also reduce your final disability benefit amount. Disability benefits are reduced by less than 1% for every month you receive a retirement benefit prior to the first month you are due a disability benefit. The result is usually a final disability payment that is higher than your retirement benefit, but not as high as it would be if you did not take the early retirement. If your disability application is approved, the Social Security Administration will pay you whichever benefit is higher (retirement or disability) at the earliest possible date.