What Full Retirement Age Means
Full retirement age is the age at which Social Security calculates your benefit as 100 percent of your primary insurance amount — the base payment the program has determined you earned. It is not the earliest age you can claim, and it is not the age you must claim. It is the specific age the Social Security Administration uses as the reference point for calculating how much you receive if you claim before it, at it, or after it.
Your full retirement age depends on the year you were born. The Social Security Administration raised this age gradually starting in 1983, moving it from 65 to 67 for people born in 1960 or later. If you were born between those years, your full retirement age falls somewhere in between.
Knowing your full retirement age matters because it directly affects the math behind your monthly payment. Claiming before full retirement age reduces your benefit permanently. Claiming after it increases your benefit permanently. The difference between claiming at 62 and claiming at 70 can be tens of thousands of dollars over your lifetime.
Key Takeaways
- Full retirement age ranges from 65 to 67 depending on your birth year, with 67 explore to anyone born in 1960 or later.
- You can claim Social Security as early as 62, but your monthly payment will be permanently reduced if you claim before full retirement age.
- Delaying your claim past full retirement age increases your monthly payment by roughly 8 percent per year until age 70.
- The Social Security Administration's website and your personal account statement both show your specific full retirement age.
- Full retirement age affects spousal and survivor benefits as well as your own retirement benefit.
Full Retirement Age by Birth Year
The Social Security Administration uses a table to determine full retirement age based on birth year. Anyone born before 1938 has a full retirement age of 65. For people born between 1938 and 1960, the age increases in two-month increments. For anyone born in 1960 or later, full retirement age is 67.
| Birth Year | Full Retirement Age |
|---|---|
| 1937 or earlier | 65 |
| 1938 | 65 and 2 months |
| 1939 | 65 and 4 months |
| 1940 | 65 and 6 months |
| 1941 | 65 and 8 months |
| 1942 | 65 and 10 months |
| 1943–1954 | 66 |
| 1955 | 66 and 2 months |
| 1956 | 66 and 4 months |
| 1957 | 66 and 6 months |
| 1958 | 66 and 8 months |
| 1959 | 66 and 10 months |
| 1960 or later | 67 |
If you were born on January 1 of any year, Social Security counts you as born in the previous year for this calculation. You can find your exact full retirement age on your Social Security statement, which the Administration mails to you each year, or by creating an account on ssa.gov and viewing your personal record.
How Full Retirement Age Affects Your Monthly Payment
Social Security uses your full retirement age to calculate a primary insurance amount, or PIA. This is the benefit you would receive if you claimed exactly at full retirement age. If you claim earlier, your payment is reduced by a percentage that depends on how many months early you claim. If you claim later, your payment increases by a percentage for each month you delay.
Claiming at 62 — the earliest possible age — results in a reduction of roughly 30 percent if your full retirement age is 67. The reduction is smaller if your full retirement age is 66 and larger if it is 65. The exact percentages vary by birth year because the Social Security Administration adjusts them to keep the program's long-term costs roughly equal regardless of when you claim.
Delaying past full retirement age increases your benefit by approximately 8 percent per year. This increase, called delayed retirement credits, continues until age 70. After 70, your benefit does not increase further, so there is no financial reason to delay claiming past that age.
Full Retirement Age and Spousal or Survivor Benefits
Your full retirement age also determines the full amount of benefits available to your spouse and children based on your earnings record. A spouse can claim a spousal benefit as early as 62, but the reduction is larger than it is for your own retirement benefit — typically around 32 to 35 percent at age 62 if your full retirement age is 67.
Children and a surviving spouse caring for children under 16 can claim at any age, but the total amount all family members can receive is capped at roughly 150 to 180 percent of your primary insurance amount. The exact cap depends on your birth year and the Social Security Administration's current bend points, which change annually.
If you die before claiming, your survivors — spouse, children, and dependent parents — may receive benefits based on your full retirement age and your earnings record. The amount each survivor receives depends on their relationship to you and their age, but again, the household total is capped at a percentage of your primary insurance amount.
Finding Your Full Retirement Age
The simplest way to find your full retirement age is to create a my Social Security account at ssa.gov. Once you log in, your account displays your full retirement age prominently on the main page. You do not need to search for it or calculate it yourself.
If you receive a paper Social Security statement in the mail, it also lists your full retirement age. The Social Security Administration stopped mailing statements automatically to everyone, but you can request one by phone at 1-800-772-1213 or through your online account.
You can also use the table above if you know your birth year. If you were born on the first day of a month, use the previous year's row. If you were born on any other day, use your actual birth year's row.
Claiming Before, At, or After Full Retirement Age
You can claim Social Security as early as age 62, regardless of your full retirement age. Claiming early means a permanently lower monthly payment, but you begin receiving benefits sooner. The trade-off is whether the total amount you receive over your lifetime is higher or lower than if you had waited.
Claiming exactly at full retirement age gives you your full primary insurance amount with no reduction and no increase. This is the reference point the Social Security Administration uses for all other calculations.
Claiming after full retirement age increases your monthly payment. The increase continues month by month until age 70. After 70, there is no additional increase, so most people do not claim after 70 unless they have other reasons to delay — such as still working and being subject to the earnings test.
The Earnings Test and Full Retirement Age
If you claim before full retirement age and continue working, Social Security reduces your benefit based on your earnings. In 2024, the program reduces your benefit by one dollar for every two dollars you earn above a certain threshold. The threshold changes annually.
Once you reach full retirement age, the earnings test no longer applies. You can earn any amount without a reduction to your benefit. This is one reason some people choose to delay claiming until full retirement age if they plan to keep working.
The earnings test applies only to you, not to your spouse or other family members claiming on your record. If your spouse claims early and works, their benefit is reduced, but your benefit is not affected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I find out my full retirement age without creating an online account?
Yes. You can call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 and ask. You can also use the birth year table above. If you receive a paper statement, it lists your full retirement age. You do not need an online account to find this information.
Does full retirement age change after I turn 62?
No. Your full retirement age is determined by your birth year and does not change. The Social Security Administration set this age when you were born and it remains the same throughout your life, even if Congress changes the rules for people born in future years.
If I claim at 62, will my benefit ever increase to the full retirement age amount?
No. The reduction you receive for claiming early is permanent. Your monthly payment will never increase to what it would have been at full retirement age, even if you live to 100. However, your benefit does increase annually with cost-of-living adjustments.
What happens to my full retirement age if I become disabled?
Your full retirement age does not change. However, if you are receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), your benefit automatically converts to a retirement benefit at full retirement age, with no reduction. The amount stays the same; only the program name changes.
Does my spouse's full retirement age depend on their birth year or mine?
Your spouse's full retirement age depends on their own birth year, not yours. Each person has their own full retirement age based on when they were born. Your spouse's spousal benefit is calculated using both their full retirement age and yours.