What Your Full Retirement Age Actually Is
Your full retirement age — the age at which Social Security pays you 100 percent of your benefit — depends on the year you were born, not on current policy changes. Congress set this schedule in 1983 and it has not moved. If you were born between 1943 and 1954, your full retirement age is 66. If you were born between 1955 and 1960, it falls somewhere between 66 and 67. If you were born in 1960 or later, your full retirement age is 67.
No recent legislation has altered this timeline. Social Security's trustees have proposed changes to the program's long-term finances, but those proposals have not become law. Your full retirement age remains exactly what it was last year and the year before.
This matters because claiming before your full retirement age reduces your monthly payment permanently, and claiming after it increases your payment. Knowing your actual full retirement age helps you decide when to claim and how much to expect.
Key Takeaways
- Full retirement age is determined by your birth year and ranges from 66 to 67 for people born between 1943 and 1960 or later.
- Congress has not changed the full retirement age schedule since 1983, and no recent law has altered it.
- Claiming before your full retirement age reduces your monthly benefit by roughly 6 to 7 percent per year you claim early.
- Claiming after your full retirement age increases your benefit by roughly 8 percent per year, up until age 70.
- You can find your exact full retirement age on your Social Security statement or by using the Social Security Administration's online calculator.
How Your Birth Year Determines Your Full Retirement Age
The Social Security Administration uses a sliding scale based on birth year. People born in 1943 through 1954 have a full retirement age of 66. For those born between 1955 and 1960, the age increases by two months for each year of birth — so someone born in 1955 has a full retirement age of 66 and 2 months, while someone born in 1960 has a full retirement age of 67.
If you were born in 1960 or later, your full retirement age is 67. This is where the schedule stops; it does not increase further for younger workers.
You can confirm your full retirement age by logging into your my Social Security account at ssa.gov. Your statement shows your birth date and your full retirement age side by side. If you do not have an online account, you can call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 and ask directly.
What Happens If You Claim Before Your Full Retirement Age
You can claim Social Security as early as age 62, but doing so permanently reduces your monthly payment. The reduction is roughly 6 to 7 percent for each year before your full retirement age that you claim. If your full retirement age is 67 and you claim at 62, you lose about five years of increases — a reduction of roughly 30 percent or more from what you would receive at 67.
This reduction is permanent. Even after you reach your full retirement age, your payment stays at the reduced amount. Social Security does not raise it back up. The only exception is if you withdraw your claim within 12 months of filing and repay all benefits you received; this option is rarely used and has strict limits.
Early claiming makes sense for some people — those with serious health problems, those who need income when ready, or those who have other resources and want to take benefits while they can. But the trade-off is a smaller check every month for the rest of your life.
What Happens If You Claim After Your Full Retirement Age
If you wait past your full retirement age to claim, your benefit grows. Social Security adds roughly 8 percent to your monthly payment for each year you delay, up until age 70. After 70, the benefit stops growing, so there is no financial reason to wait longer.
If your full retirement age is 67 and you wait until 70, you receive roughly 24 percent more per month than you would at 67. Over a long retirement, this larger payment can add up to more total money, even though you collected fewer checks overall.
Delayed claiming works best if you are in good health, have other income to live on, and expect to live well into your 80s or beyond. The break-even point — where the total money from delayed claiming catches up to early claiming — is usually around age 80 or 81, depending on your exact ages and benefit amount.
Why Congress Has Not Changed Full Retirement Age Recently
Social Security's trustees publish annual reports on the program's finances. These reports note that the trust fund that pays retirement benefits will be depleted sometime in the 2030s if no changes are made. At that point, incoming payroll taxes would cover only about 80 percent of scheduled benefits.
Various proposals to address this shortfall have circulated in Congress, including raising the full retirement age, increasing payroll taxes, means-testing benefits, or some combination of these. However, no proposal has become law. The full retirement age schedule remains exactly as Congress set it in 1983.
Any change to full retirement age would require new legislation. Such a change would likely include a long phase-in period — Congress would not suddenly raise the age for people already near retirement. But as of now, no such law exists.
How to Find Your Exact Full Retirement Age
The fastest way is to create or log into your my Social Security account at ssa.gov. The account shows your full retirement age on your Social Security statement, along with your estimated benefit amounts at different claiming ages.
If you prefer not to use an online account, you can call Social Security's main line at 1-800-772-1213. Have your Social Security number and birth date ready. A representative can tell you your full retirement age in a few minutes.
You can also read a PDF chart from the Social Security Administration's website that lists full retirement age by birth year. This chart is free and requires no account.
How Full Retirement Age Affects Your Benefit Amount
Social Security calculates your benefit based on your 35 highest-earning years. The amount shown on your statement assumes you claim at your full retirement age. If you claim earlier, the payment is reduced. If you claim later, it is increased.
Your full retirement age is the reference point for all these calculations. It is not the age you must claim, and it is not the age you will receive the most money overall — that depends on how long you live. It is straightforward the age at which Social Security pays your full, unreduced benefit.
Understanding this distinction helps you make a claiming decision that fits your situation. Someone in poor health might claim at 62 and get a smaller check but collect for more years. Someone in excellent health might wait until 70 and get a much larger check but collect for fewer years. Your full retirement age is the middle ground, where neither early nor delayed claiming applies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has Congress voted to raise full retirement age to 69 or 70?
No. Congress has not voted to change full retirement age since 1983. Various proposals have been discussed, but none have become law. Your full retirement age is still determined by your birth year and ranges from 66 to 67.
If I was born in 1960, is my full retirement age 67 or 68?
It is 67. The full retirement age schedule stops at 67 for anyone born in 1960 or later. It does not increase further for younger workers.
Can I change my full retirement age by working longer?
No. Your full retirement age is fixed based on your birth year. Working longer does not change it. However, working longer can increase your benefit amount because Social Security replaces one of your lower-earning years with a higher-earning year.
What if I claim at 62 but change my mind at 65?
You can withdraw your claim and stop receiving benefits, but only within 12 months of your first payment. If you do, you must repay all benefits you received. After 12 months, you cannot withdraw your claim, and your reduced benefit amount stays in place for life.
Does my full retirement age change if I move to a different state?
No. Full retirement age is determined by federal law and your birth year. It does not change based on where you live.