Social Security Claiming Age Calculator

You can start Social Security as early as 62 or as late as 70. Claiming early permanently reduces your check; waiting past full retirement age raises it 8% a year until 70.

Enter your numbers

Year you were bornBenefit at full retirement age$/moFrom your statement at ssa.gov/myaccount.Plan to ageageYearly cost-of-living raise%2026 COLA: 2.8%

Your full retirement age67Highest lifetime total if you live to 88: claim at 69

62$1,540/mo70%

63$1,650/mo75%

64$1,760/mo80%

65$1,907/mo87%

66$2,053/mo93%

67$2,200/mo100%

68$2,376/mo108%

69$2,552/mo116%

70$2,728/mo124%

Waiting from 62 to 70 pays off if you live past: age 80
Waiting from full retirement age to 70 pays off past: age 82

Benefits shown in today's dollars before the yearly cost-of-living raise. Married couples should also weigh survivor benefits: the higher earner waiting often protects the surviving spouse.

Estimates only, not financial, tax, or investment advice.

How the amounts are calculated

Claiming before full retirement age reduces benefits by 5/9 of 1% for each of the first 36 months early and 5/12 of 1% for each month beyond that. Waiting past full retirement age adds 2/3 of 1% for each month, up to age 70.

2026 Social Security numbers

Cost-of-living adjustment: 2.8%
Average retired worker benefit: $2,071/month
Maximum benefit at full retirement age: $4,152/month
Earnings limit if working before full retirement age: $24,480

Common questions

What is the best age to claim Social Security?

There is no single best age. Claiming at 70 gives the largest check and the most inflation-protected income; claiming early can make sense with health concerns or no other savings. Married couples should consider survivor benefits.

What is my full retirement age?

67 if you were born in 1960 or later; between 66 and 67 for people born 1955 through 1959.

Official 2026 figures from: IRS: 2026 401(k) and IRA limits (IR-2025-111) · IRS: Catch-up contributions · IRS: Required minimum distributions · IRS: Publication 590-B (Uniform Lifetime Table) · IRS: Rev. Proc. 2025-19 (2026 HSA limits) · SSA: 2026 COLA fact sheet · CMS: 2026 Medicare premiums and deductibles · SSA: Cost-of-living adjustment history · BEA: Regional Price Parities by state (2024 data)