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A. You can. Social Security will accept your application for early benefits when you're 61 years 9 months. Regardless of how old you are, the agency generally recommends that you apply three months before you would like the first payment to arrive.
Generally, you need 10 years of work in a job in which you pay Social Security taxes to be eligible for retirement benefits. You can apply for these benefits as early as age 62 or as late as age 70, with the monthly amount going up the longer you put it off.