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When should I claim Social Security?

Enter your year of birth and the benefit your Social Security Statement shows at full retirement age. See your monthly check at any age from 62 to 70, what each age pays over your lifetime, and the break-even age when waiting comes out ahead. Claiming at 62 pays 70% of the full benefit; waiting until 70 pays 124%.

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Social Security claiming age calculator

Full retirement age: 67. Born January 1? Enter the year before.

From your Social Security Statement at ssa.gov/myaccount.

Totals count benefits up to this birthday. At 62, life expectancy is about 82 for men and 85 for women.

Ages to compare, from 62 to 70 by year and month

Claim at (age 1 to compare)

70% of your full benefit: $1,400 a month.

Or at (age 2 to compare)

100% of your full benefit: $2,000 a month.

Or at (age 3 to compare)

124% of your full benefit: $2,480 a month.

Claiming at 70 pays the most by 85

You'd get $2,480 a month, 124% of your full benefit, and collect $446,400 by 85 in today's dollars. Claiming at 62 pays $1,400 a month and $386,400 by 85; waiting catches up at 80 and 5 months. Claiming at 67 pays $2,000 a month and $432,000 by 85; waiting catches up at 82 and 6 months. Live past a break-even age and the later claim stays ahead for life.

Claim at 62
$1,400 a month
70% of your full benefit
$386,400 by 85
Claim at 67
$2,000 a month
100% of your full benefit
$432,000 by 85
Claim at 70Most by 85
$2,480 a month
124% of your full benefit
$446,400 by 85
Lifetime benefits by age · today's dollarsClaim at 62Claim at 67Claim at 70

When waiting pays off

  • Claim at 67 instead of 62: ahead from 78 and 8 months
  • Claim at 70 instead of 62: ahead from 80 and 5 months
  • Claim at 70 instead of 67: ahead from 82 and 6 months
Year-by-year table
By ageClaim at 62Claim at 67Claim at 70
62$0$0$0
63$16,800$0$0
64$33,600$0$0
65$50,400$0$0
66$67,200$0$0
67$84,000$0$0
68$100,800$24,000$0
69$117,600$48,000$0
70$134,400$72,000$0
71$151,200$96,000$29,760
72$168,000$120,000$59,520
73$184,800$144,000$89,280
74$201,600$168,000$119,040
75$218,400$192,000$148,800
76$235,200$216,000$178,560
77$252,000$240,000$208,320
78$268,800$264,000$238,080
79$285,600$288,000$267,840
80$302,400$312,000$297,600
81$319,200$336,000$327,360
82$336,000$360,000$357,120
83$352,800$384,000$386,880
84$369,600$408,000$416,640
85$386,400$432,000$446,400

Your benefit at every age from 62 to 70

Claim atShare of full benefitA monthBy 85
6270%$1,400$386,400
6375%$1,500$396,000
6480%$1,600$403,200
6586.7%$1,733$415,920
6693.3%$1,866$425,448
67 · full retirement age100%$2,000$432,000
68108%$2,160$440,640
69116%$2,320$445,440
70124%$2,480$446,400 (the most)

Your own retirement benefit only, in today's dollars: cost-of-living adjustments raise every claiming age by the same share from 62 on. Spousal and survivor benefits follow their own rules, and taxes are not included.

Monthly amounts are rounded down to the dollar, as Social Security pays them. An educational estimate, not financial advice.

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Claiming age in four numbers

Claim at 62
70%
Claim at 67
100%
Claim at 70
124%
62 vs 70 break-even
Age 80 and 5 months

Shares of the full benefit, for anyone born in 1960 or later (full retirement age 67).

When is the best age to claim Social Security?

There's no single best age, and the Social Security Administration says so itself. For anyone born in 1960 or later, claiming at 62 pays 70% of the full benefit for life, waiting until 67 pays 100% and waiting until 70 pays 124%. Waiting from 62 to 70 comes out ahead in total from about age 80 and 5 months, so the longer you expect to live, the more waiting pays. Your health, whether you're still working, other savings to live on meanwhile and a spouse who may outlive you all weigh in.

Social Security's own planning guide puts it plainly: there is no “best age” for everyone. Claiming early gets you a smaller check for longer; waiting gets a bigger one for less time, and the amount you start with sets your benefit for the rest of your life. What tips it:

  • Health and family history. Waiting only pays if you live past the break-even age, between about 77 and 85 depending on the ages you compare. If a serious illness makes that unlikely, claiming earlier collects more.
  • How long you might live. Planning for the average is risky: more than half of 62-year-old women live to 85. A bigger check that rises with inflation is insurance against running short in your 90s.
  • A spouse. If you're the higher earner, your benefit sets what your widow or widower can get, so waiting raises the income of whichever of you lives longer.
  • Work. Claiming before full retirement age while earning more than $24,480 a year means some benefits are held back, then credited back from full retirement age.
  • Other money to live on. Waiting means living on savings, a pension or a paycheck in the meantime. If you can't, claiming earlier may be the only way to pay the bills.

According to Social Security's 2023 period life table, a 62-year-old man can expect to live to about 82 and a woman to about 85. Averages hide a wide spread:

Chance that a 62-year-old lives to each age
Lives toMenWomen
7087%92%
7576%84%
8062%72%
8543%55%
9023%34%
958%14%
1001%3%

The table assumes 2023 death rates for the rest of each person's life, for the whole Social Security population. Your own odds depend on your health, habits and family history.

How much is Social Security reduced if I claim early?

By 5/9 of 1% for each of the first 36 months before your full retirement age, and 5/12 of 1% for each month beyond that. Claiming at 62 cuts the benefit by 30% for anyone born in 1960 or later, and by 25% for people born from 1943 to 1954, whose full retirement age is 66. The reduction lasts for life.

Early claiming reduction, with a full retirement age of 67 and a $2,000 full benefit
Months earlyClaim atReductionA month
12666.67%$1,866
246513.33%$1,733
366420%$1,600
486325%$1,500
606230%$1,400

The first three years early cost 6⅔% each, and any further years 5% each. The rule is set in Social Security's regulations, and the reduction stays when you reach full retirement age: claiming at 62 means 70% of your benefit for life, plus cost-of-living adjustments.

How much more do you get by waiting until 70?

8% a year: delayed retirement credits add 2/3 of 1% for each month you wait past full retirement age, for anyone born in 1943 or later, and stop at 70. With a full retirement age of 67, that makes the benefit at 70 124% of the full amount, or $2,480 a month on a $2,000 benefit. With a full retirement age of 66, it's 132%.

Delayed retirement credits, with a full retirement age of 67 and a $2,000 full benefit
Claim atMonths of creditsShare of full benefitA month
670100%$2,000
6812108%$2,160
6924116%$2,320
7036124%$2,480

Credits stop at 70, so there's no reason to wait longer. Social Security's delayed retirement credit page notes that if you start before 70, the credits from the year you start are added the following January.

What is my full retirement age?

66 if you were born from 1943 to 1954, rising by two months for each year of birth from 1955 to 1959, and 67 for anyone born in 1960 or later. If you were born on January 1, use the year before.

Full retirement age and benefit at 62 and 70, by year of birth
BornFull retirement ageMonths from 62At 62At 70
1943 to 1954664875%132%
195566 and 2 months5074.2%130.7%
195666 and 4 months5273.3%129.3%
195766 and 6 months5472.5%128%
195866 and 8 months5671.7%126.7%
195966 and 10 months5870.8%125.3%
1960 or later676070%124%

Here is the whole picture: your benefit at each birthday from 62 to 70 as a share of the full benefit, by year of birth. The figures match the table Social Security's actuaries publish.

Benefit as a share of the full benefit, by claiming age and year of birth
Born626364656667686970
1943 to 195475%80%86.7%93.3%100%108%116%124%132%
195574.2%79.2%85.6%92.2%98.9%106.7%114.7%122.7%130.7%
195673.3%78.3%84.4%91.1%97.8%105.3%113.3%121.3%129.3%
195772.5%77.5%83.3%90%96.7%104%112%120%128%
195871.7%76.7%82.2%88.9%95.6%102.7%110.7%118.7%126.7%
195970.8%75.8%81.1%87.8%94.4%101.3%109.3%117.3%125.3%
1960 or later70%75%80%86.7%93.3%100%108%116%124%

What is the Social Security break-even age?

It's the age at which waiting for a bigger check has paid you as much in total as claiming earlier. For anyone born in 1960 or later it's about 78 and 8 months for waiting from 62 to 67, 80 and 5 months for 62 to 70, and 82 and 6 months for 67 to 70, whatever the size of your benefit. Live past it and the later claim stays ahead for life; die before it and the earlier claim paid more.

Break-even ages for anyone born in 1960 or later
Waiting fromToComes out ahead from age
626377
626577 and 8 months
626778 and 8 months
627080 and 5 months
656780
657081 and 8 months
677082 and 6 months
697084 and 6 months

In dollars, here is what a $2,000 full benefit adds up to, in today's dollars, depending on when you claim and how long you live. Claiming at 62 pays $1,400 a month, at 67 $2,000 and at 70 $2,480.

Lifetime benefits from a $2,000 full benefit, by claiming age and the age you live to
Collected byClaim at 62Claim at 67Claim at 70
75$218,400$192,000$148,800
80$302,400$312,000$297,600
85$386,400$432,000$446,400
90$470,400$552,000$595,200
95$554,400$672,000$744,000

The most at each age is in bold. Claiming at 62 leads until the late 70s; by 85, waiting until 70 has paid $60,000 more, and by 95 $189,600 more.

Should I claim Social Security early if I'm still working?

Working and claiming before full retirement age can mean benefits held back. In 2026 Social Security withholds $1 for every $2 you earn over $24,480, and in the year you reach full retirement age $1 for every $3 over $65,160, counting only earnings before that month. For 2027 the limits rise to $25,560 and $67,920. Held-back benefits aren't lost: at full retirement age your benefit is recalculated to credit those months.

Only wages and self-employment earnings count, not pensions, investment income or interest, and from the month you reach full retirement age there's no limit at all. See Social Security's guide to receiving benefits while working.

How does my claiming age affect my spouse?

A spouse can get up to half of your benefit at full retirement age, and that half doesn't grow if you wait past it. A widow or widower, though, can get up to 100% of the benefit you were receiving, delayed retirement credits included, once they reach their own full retirement age for survivor benefits. When the higher earner waits, the bigger check can outlast them. This calculator covers your own retirement benefit only.

Social Security explains spousal benefits and survivor benefits on its own pages, and its handbook confirms that a widow or widower inherits the delayed retirement credits. If you're married, plan the two claims together.

How the calculator works

  • Your full retirement age comes from your year of birth, using Social Security's table.
  • Claiming early reduces your full benefit by 5/9 of 1% for each of the first 36 months early and 5/12 of 1% for each month beyond. Claiming late adds 2/3 of 1% for each month past full retirement age, up to 70.
  • Monthly amounts are rounded down to the dollar, as Social Security pays them, and stay level in today's dollars.
  • Lifetime totals add up every monthly check from the month you claim until the birthday you plan to. The break-even age is the first month by which the later claim has paid at least as much in total.
  • Delayed retirement credits are shown in full from the first check, as in Social Security's own calculator.

Social Security claiming questions

Does the calculator include cost-of-living adjustments?

It doesn't need to. Cost-of-living adjustments raise your benefit every year from the year you turn 62, whether or not you've started it, so they lift every claiming age by the same share. The calculator shows everything in today's dollars instead. The latest adjustment, for 2027, is 3.6%.

Where do I find my benefit at full retirement age?

Your Social Security Statement, in your my Social Security account at ssa.gov/myaccount, estimates your monthly benefit at nine ages from 62 to 70. Enter the one at your full retirement age: it's your primary insurance amount, the benefit with no reduction for claiming early and no credits for waiting.

What is the earliest I can claim Social Security?

62, but you have to be 62 for the whole month to get a benefit for it, so for most people the first month is the one after they turn 62. Social Security treats anyone born on the 1st of a month as born in the month before.

Do delayed retirement credits keep growing after 70?

No. The increase stops when you reach 70, so there's nothing to gain by waiting longer. If you start before 70, credits earned in the year you start are added the following January; the calculator shows your benefit with every credit applied, as Social Security's own calculator does.

Should I claim early and invest the money?

The calculator adds up benefits without investment returns. If you'd invest early checks rather than spend them, the earnings push the break-even age later, and taxes and market losses can push it back. Waiting buys a larger check that rises with inflation for life, however long that is. Which matters more depends on your other savings and how long you expect to live.

Is this Social Security calculator financial advice?

No. It is an educational estimate of your own retirement benefit under Social Security's published rules, in today's dollars. It leaves out spousal and survivor benefits, taxes, Medicare premiums and the earnings test, and benefits can change with the law. For your exact figures, use your my Social Security account or call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213.

Sources

Rules and figures checked on ssa.gov on October 18, 2026.