Social Security claiming age calculator

Enter your year of birth and your benefit at full retirement age to see what you would get at any starting age from 62 to 70, and the break-even ages.

Your monthly benefit if you start at 65

$2,080

13.3% less than at full retirement age (67)

At 62: $1,680
At 67: $2,400
At 70: $2,976

Born in 1964, your full retirement age is 67. Starting at 65, you would get $2,080 a month, $24,960 a year, against $2,400 at full retirement age and $2,976 at 70.

Waiting until full retirement age pays more in total once you are about 80 years old. Waiting until 70 pays more in total once you are about 81 years and 8 months old. This ignores cost-of-living increases, taxes and returns on the money.

Amounts are rounded down to the dollar, as in the Social Security Administration’s tables. They do not include cost-of-living increases, income tax on benefits or Medicare premiums.
You must be at least 62 for the entire month to receive benefits. If you were born on the 1st of a month, SSA figures your benefit as if your birthday were in the previous month.
If you delay your benefits past 65, still sign up for Medicare within 3 months of your 65th birthday: waiting longer can make Part B and Part D cost more.

I’m not an accountant or a financial advisor. This is an estimate, for information only. Check with a professional before you decide.

Your numbers

example: change the numbers

Year of birth

It decides your full retirement age: 66 for 1943 to 1954, rising by 2 months a year to 66 and 10 months for 1959, and 67 for 1960 and later. If you were born on January 1st, use the previous year.

Your monthly benefit at full retirement age

The amount in today’s dollars on your Social Security Statement (my Social Security account) for starting at full retirement age.

Age you start: years

The age when you want the first benefit, from 62 to 70. You must be at least 62 for the whole month.

Age you start: extra months

Months on top of the years, from 0 to 11. After age 70 a delay adds nothing, so 70 and 0 is the latest.

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Starting at different ages (before tax, no cost-of-living increases)

Start at	Monthly benefit	Compared with full	Total by age 80	Total by age 85
Age 62	$1,680	70.0%	$362,880	$463,680
Your choice (65)	$2,080	86.7%	$374,400	$499,200
Full retirement age (67)	$2,400	100.0%	$374,400	$518,400
Age 70	$2,976	124.0%	$357,120	$535,680

How it works

Your full retirement age depends on your year of birth: 66 for 1943 to 1954, then 2 more months for each year to 66 and 10 months for 1959, and 67 for 1960 and later.
Starting early cuts your benefit by 5/9 of 1% for each of the first 36 months before full retirement age and 5/12 of 1% for each month beyond that: 30% at 62 if your full retirement age is 67. Starting late adds 2/3 of 1% for each month after full retirement age, 8% a year, up to age 70.
The break-even age is when the total received by waiting catches up with the total from starting earlier: (late benefit × late month − early benefit × early month) ÷ (late benefit − early benefit), counted in months.

Worked example

Born in 1964 with $2,400 at full retirement age (67): at 62 you get $1,680 (30% less), at 65 $2,080, at 70 $2,976 (24% more). Waiting until 67 instead of 62 pays more in total after about 78 years and 8 months; waiting until 70 instead of 67 after about 82 years and 6 months.

Sources

Text checked on October 13, 2026

Good to know

The best age depends on your health, how long you expect to live, whether you are still working, your spouse’s benefit and your other savings: the calculator only shows the arithmetic.
Your benefit at full retirement age comes from your Social Security Statement. The calculator does not work out that amount: it only applies the early and late adjustments to it.
Waiting is like buying a bigger monthly check for life. It protects against living a long time, but it costs you the checks you give up while you wait.
Working before full retirement age can temporarily reduce your benefits if you earn more than a yearly limit: see the Social Security earnings limit calculator.
Up to 85% of your benefits can be taxable, depending on your other income: see the taxable benefits calculator.

Frequently asked questions

What is my full retirement age?

It is 66 if you were born from 1943 to 1954, 66 and 2 months for 1955, 66 and 4 months for 1956, 66 and 6 months for 1957, 66 and 8 months for 1958, 66 and 10 months for 1959, and 67 for 1960 and later.

How much less do I get if I start at 62?

If your full retirement age is 67, 30% less: a $1,000 benefit becomes $700. If it is 66, 25% less, $750. The reduction is 5/9 of 1% a month for the first 36 months early and 5/12 of 1% after that.

How much more do I get if I wait until 70?

8% more for each year past full retirement age, so 24% more if your full retirement age is 67 ($1,240 instead of $1,000) and 32% more if it is 66. Benefits stop growing at 70.

At what age does waiting pay off?

With full retirement age 67, waiting from 62 to 67 pays more in total after about age 78 and 8 months, and waiting from 67 to 70 after about age 82 and 6 months, ignoring cost-of-living increases, taxes and returns.

Do I need to claim Social Security to sign up for Medicare?

No. If you delay your benefits, still sign up for Medicare within 3 months of your 65th birthday: waiting longer can make your Part B and Part D cost more.