The Social Security Administration will ask for details about you and your work history and possibly your spouse if you're applying for spousal benefits. Having the information close at hand can help you avoid delays in the application process. Some items you may need to provide when applying for retirement benefits include:

Older Americans are generally more confident that Social Security will be available to them than younger adults are, according to the poll. About half of U.S. adults under age 30 are “not very” or “not at all” confident that Social Security will be there for them, which is unchanged from 2023.