Social Security is a big source of retirement income for most Americans, so understanding how the program works is essential retirement planning knowledge.

Unfortunately, most near-retirees have some misbeliefs about Social Security, and their knowledge of the program is actually getting worse, according to a questionnaire commissioned by Mass Mutual, the life insurance company. Of the 1,500 Americans between 55 and 65 who were tested, 50% answered five or more questions incorrectly out of a 13-question quiz. (That's up from 47% last year.)

While most people know that they'll reduce their benefits by filing before their full retirement age in most cases, there were some questions that more than half of the test-takers got wrong. Below are the biggest false beliefs near-retirees have about Social Security.

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Source Fool.com