Full retirement age is 67 for anyone born in 1960 or later. If you were born from 1943 to 1954 it's 66, and in between it rises by two months per birth year — 66 and 2 months for 1955, up to 66 and 10 months for 1959. It's the age at which Social Security pays your full, unreduced benefit. You can start as early as 62, with a cut of up to 30%, or wait until 70 and earn 8% more for each year past full retirement age.
The calculator above turns your birth date into the actual month. The chart below is the one SSA publishes.
Ages from SSA's retirement age chart. SSA counts someone born on the 1st of a month as if born in the previous month.
The chart by birth year
- −30%at 62, if your full retirement age is 67a $1,000 benefit becomes $700
- 100%at full retirement age66 to 67, by birth year
- +8% / yrfor each year you wait past full retirement ageborn 1943 or later; credits stop at 70
- $24,4802026 earnings limit before full retirement age$1 withheld for every $2 above it
Source: ssa.gov (Starting your retirement benefits early, Delayed retirement credits, Receiving benefits while working), as of October 2026.
SSA's own example uses a $1,000 monthly benefit at full retirement age, and a $500 spouse's benefit:
| Born | Full retirement age | Months from 62 | At 62 you get | Cut | Spouse at 62 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1943–1954 | 66 | 48 | $750 | 25.00% | $350 (−30.00%) |
| 1955 | 66 and 2 months | 50 | $741 | 25.83% | $345 (−30.83%) |
| 1956 | 66 and 4 months | 52 | $733 | 26.67% | $341 (−31.67%) |
| 1957 | 66 and 6 months | 54 | $725 | 27.50% | $337 (−32.50%) |
| 1958 | 66 and 8 months | 56 | $716 | 28.33% | $333 (−33.33%) |
| 1959 | 66 and 10 months | 58 | $708 | 29.17% | $329 (−34.17%) |
| 1960 and later | 67 | 60 | $700 | 30.00% | $325 (−35.00%) |
Two details that change the answer for some people. If you were born on January 1, use the previous year's row. And if you were born on the 1st of any month, SSA figures your full retirement age as if your birthday were in the previous month.
Why isn't it 65? It used to be. In 1983 Congress raised the age gradually, starting with people born in 1938, until it reached 67 for those born in 1960 and later.
What claiming early costs
SSA reduces your benefit by a small percentage for each month you claim before full retirement age. At 62, with a full retirement age of 67, that's 60 months early and a 30% smaller check. Claim at 64, and the cut is smaller, because there are fewer months to count.
The advantage, as SSA puts it, is that you collect benefits for a longer period; the disadvantage is that your benefit is reduced. Which way that math falls depends on your health, your other income and your family, and SSA's own line is that each person's situation is different. Its online calculators and your my Social Security statement show estimates for your own earnings.
What waiting until 70 adds
For anyone born in 1943 or later, every year you delay past full retirement age adds 8% to your benefit — two-thirds of 1% per month. The credits stop at 70, so there's no reason to wait longer than that. If your full retirement age is 67 and you wait until 70, that's three years of credits.
One timing quirk: if you start before 70, some credits aren't applied until the following January. And once you've passed full retirement age, SSA can pay up to six months retroactively, but never for months before you reached it.
Working while you collect
If you claim before full retirement age and keep working, the earnings test applies:
- Under full retirement age all of 2026: SSA withholds $1 for every $2 you earn above $24,480.
- In the year you reach full retirement age: $1 for every $3 above $65,160, counting only earnings before the month you reach it.
- From the month you reach full retirement age: no limit at all.
Withheld money isn't lost for good — SSA recalculates your benefit later to credit the months it held back.
Medicare doesn't wait for you
Full retirement age is 66 or 67, but Medicare still starts at 65. SSA's own advice: even if you delay retirement benefits, apply for Medicare within three months of your 65th birthday, or Part B and Part D may cost you more. The Medicare enrollment guide has a calculator for that window too.
Keep the records that decide your benefit
Your benefit is based on your earnings record, so it's worth checking your my Social Security statement for missing years while you still have the W-2s to prove them. Keep the statement, your Social Security card, and your marriage and divorce papers together; the important documents for seniors guide lists the full set.
Paperlock can hold all of it in one Face-ID-locked vault and answer questions like what did my last Social Security statement estimate at 67? with the statement attached — useful when you sit down to decide.
Figures on this page come from ssa.gov as of October 2026. This is general information, not financial advice; SSA can give you an estimate based on your own record.