Your Full Retirement Age if You Were Born in 1958
If you were born in 1958, your full retirement age — the age at which Social Security pays you your complete benefit amount — is 66 and 10 months. This is the age you reach in 2024 or 2025, depending on your birth month.
Full retirement age matters because it determines three things: when you can claim your full benefit without any reduction, how much you lose if you claim earlier, and how much extra you gain if you delay. The Social Security Administration uses a sliding scale based on your exact birth date, so the month you were born in 1958 affects the precise month you hit full retirement age.
You can claim Social Security as early as age 62, but doing so reduces your monthly payment permanently. You can also wait past full retirement age and claim as late as 70, which increases your monthly payment by about 8 percent for each year you wait. Understanding your full retirement age helps you decide which strategy makes sense for your situation.
Key Takeaways
- People born in 1958 reach full retirement age at 66 and 10 months, with the exact month depending on which month in 1958 they were born.
- Claiming before full retirement age reduces your monthly benefit permanently, with the reduction larger the earlier you claim.
- Waiting past full retirement age until 70 increases your monthly benefit by roughly 8 percent per year of delay.
- Your birth month determines your exact full retirement age month, so check your Social Security statement or the official chart to find your precise date.
How the Full Retirement Age Chart Works
The Social Security Administration publishes a chart that shows full retirement age by birth year and birth month. For people born in 1958, the chart shows ages ranging from 66 and 8 months (for those born in January) to 66 and 10 months (for those born in December). Each month of birth adds a small increment.
This gradual increase exists because Congress changed the law in 1983. Before that year, full retirement age was 65 for everyone. The new law raised it gradually for people born after 1937, adding two months per year until reaching 67 for people born in 1960 and later. People born in 1958 fall in the middle of this transition, so their full retirement age is between 66 and 67.
You can find your exact full retirement age by looking up your birth month on the official Social Security chart, or by logging into your account at ssa.gov and viewing your statement. Your statement shows your full retirement age clearly.
What Happens if You Claim Before Full Retirement Age
You can claim Social Security at 62, but your monthly payment will be permanently reduced. For someone born in 1958, claiming at 62 means you receive roughly 70 percent of your full retirement age benefit. The exact percentage depends on how many months before your full retirement age you claim.
The reduction is permanent — it does not increase later when you reach full retirement age. If you claim at 62 and receive $1,200 per month, that $1,200 (adjusted for cost-of-living increases) is your baseline for life. You do not get a raise to the full amount once you turn 66 and 10 months.
Claiming early makes sense if you need the money now, expect a shorter lifespan, or have other income sources. It does not make sense if you are in good health and expect to live into your 80s, because you will receive less total money over your lifetime by claiming early.
What Happens if You Wait Past Full Retirement Age
If you delay claiming past 66 and 10 months, your monthly benefit grows. For each year you wait, your benefit increases by about 8 percent. This increase continues until age 70, after which there is no additional benefit to waiting.
Someone born in 1958 who waits from full retirement age to 70 will receive roughly 24 percent more per month than they would at full retirement age. If your full retirement age benefit would be $2,000 per month, waiting until 70 could give you roughly $2,480 per month for life.
Waiting makes sense if you are in good health, do not need the money yet, and want to maximize your lifetime benefit. It also makes sense if you have a spouse or ex-spouse who may receive benefits based on your record, because their benefits increase when yours do.
How Earnings Affect Your Benefit Before Full Retirement Age
If you claim before full retirement age and continue working, Social Security reduces your benefit based on your earnings. For 2024, Social Security reduces your benefit by $1 for every $2 you earn above $23,400 per year. This limit changes each year.
The earnings limit applies only in the year you claim and in years before you reach full retirement age. Once you reach 66 and 10 months, you can earn as much as you want with no reduction to your benefit, even if you have not yet claimed.
If you are still working and thinking about claiming before full retirement age, calculate whether the reduced benefit plus your wages will give you more money than waiting and continuing to work. Social Security has a benefits calculator on its website that can help with this decision.
Understanding Your Social Security Statement
Your Social Security statement, available at ssa.gov, shows your full retirement age clearly. It also shows your estimated benefit at full retirement age, your estimated benefit if you claim at 62, and your estimated benefit if you wait until 70. These estimates are based on your actual earnings record.
The statement assumes you continue working at your current pace until full retirement age. If you plan to retire earlier or later, or if your earnings will change significantly, the estimates may not reflect your actual situation. But they give you a realistic starting point for planning.
You should review your statement every few years to make sure Social Security has your correct earnings history. Errors are rare but do happen, and correcting them now is easier than correcting them after you claim.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I was born on December 31, 1958?
People born on December 31, 1958 are considered born in 1958 for Social Security purposes, so your full retirement age is 66 and 10 months. Social Security uses your birth month, not your exact birth date, to determine full retirement age.
Can I change my mind after I claim?
You can withdraw your claim within 12 months of claiming and repay all benefits you received. After 12 months, you cannot withdraw. You can suspend your benefits at full retirement age and let them grow until 70, but this is different from withdrawing your claim.
Does my full retirement age change if I keep working?
No. Your full retirement age is fixed based on your birth year and month. It does not change based on when you claim or how long you work. Working longer may increase your benefit amount because recent higher earnings replace older lower earnings in the calculation, but it does not change your full retirement age.
What if I was born outside the United States?
Your full retirement age is the same regardless of where you were born. Social Security uses your birth date, not your citizenship or birthplace, to determine full retirement age. You must have a valid Social Security number and meet work history requirements to receive benefits.
Is there a penalty for claiming at full retirement age?
No. Claiming at your full retirement age of 66 and 10 months gives you your complete benefit with no reduction. There is no penalty for claiming exactly at full retirement age — the penalty only applies if you claim before it.