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I qualified for full retirement early this month (66 years, 2 months). My wife is older than I, and already started Social Security benefits, partly because of a medical issue. (Macular Degeneration, which requires an injection in one eye every 6 weeks or so, and the medicine is extremely expensive.) So, how do you decide whether to take it now, or put it off until 70? Some particulars in our case: Because we worked as missionaries until I was 51, and our work was supported financially by gifts from different congregations, friends, & family members, we didn't have a consistent income, and we also reported a lot of business expenses (for business travel away from home, etc.). We had some years where our reported income for Social Security was very low, like often less than $10k during the 90's, so my currently calculated monthly benefits are very low. (We filed as self-employed for SS purposes, if that is pertinent.) I do not have any on-going medical expenses that would be covered by Medicare, but started paying at 65, as required. I also have no known medical issues, although my paternal grandfather died of a stroke at 68, and my Dad of Alzheimer's at 90, after some 8-10 years when he was no longer reliably competent. Any advice? Anyone know how to calculate a comparison between waiting vs taking it soon. (Such as some sort of spreadsheet or formula that would compare my Medicare expenses over the total waiting period against what I would get if I took it soon.) Like how can I calculate when would I "break even" if I wait until 70?