When You Can Claim Social Security: Full Retirement Age by Birth Year
Your full retirement age depends on the year you were born
Your full retirement age is the age at which Social Security considers you may be able to access to receive your complete benefit amount — not the earliest age you can claim, and not the age you must claim. 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.
This matters because claiming before your full retirement age reduces your monthly payment permanently. Claiming after it increases your payment. The difference between claiming at 62 and waiting until 70 can be hundreds of dollars per month for the rest of your life. Understanding your specific full retirement age is the first step in deciding when to claim.
Key Takeaways
- Full retirement age ranges from 66 to 67 depending on your birth year, and it is different from the earliest age you can claim (62) or the age that gives you the largest payment (70).
- If you claim before your full retirement age, your monthly benefit is reduced by a percentage that depends on how many months early you claim.
- If you delay claiming past your full retirement age, your benefit increases by about 8 percent per year until age 70, when increases stop.
- You can find your exact full retirement age on your Social Security statement or by using the Social Security Administration's online calculator.
Full retirement age by birth year
The Social Security Administration gradually raised the full retirement age starting with people born in 1943. The shift happened in two-year increments, then paused, then resumed. Here is the breakdown:
| Birth Year | Full Retirement Age |
|---|---|
| 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 and later | 67 |
If you were born on January 1, use the previous year's full retirement age. Social Security treats January 1 births as if they occurred in the prior year for benefit calculation purposes.
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 depends on how many months before your full retirement age you claim. If your full retirement age is 67 and you claim at 62, you are claiming 60 months early, which reduces your benefit to about 70 percent of what you would receive at 67.
This reduction is permanent. Even after you reach your full retirement age, your payment will not increase to what it would have been if you had waited. The only exception is if you claim and then change your mind within a specific window — but that window is narrow and comes with its own rules. For most people, claiming early is a trade-off: you get payments sooner but smaller payments for the rest of your life.
Claiming early can make sense if you have health reasons to believe you will not live into your late 70s, or if you need the money now and have no other options. It is a personal decision that depends on your circumstances, not a mistake or a good choice in the abstract.
What happens if you delay past your full retirement age
For every year you delay claiming past your full retirement age, your benefit grows by about 8 percent per year. This increase continues until age 70. If your full retirement age is 67 and you wait until 70, your monthly payment will be about 24 percent higher than it would be at 67.
Delaying makes the most financial sense if you expect to live well into your 80s or beyond, or if you have other income and do not need Social Security yet. It also makes sense if you are still working and earning enough that claiming would trigger the earnings test — a rule that temporarily reduces your benefit if you earn above a certain amount before reaching your full retirement age.
You cannot earn delayed retirement credits past age 70. Once you reach 70, there is no financial advantage to waiting longer. At that point, the decision becomes whether you want the money or not.
How your full retirement age affects other family benefits
Your full retirement age is not just about your own payment. It also determines when your spouse and children can receive their full family benefits based on your record. A spouse can receive up to 50 percent of your full retirement age benefit amount at their own full retirement age, but they receive less if they claim earlier.
Children under 19 (or up to 23 if in high school full-time) can receive benefits on your record, and their full benefit amount is also tied to your full retirement age. If you claim early, their benefits are reduced too. If you delay, their benefits increase. This is one reason some people delay claiming even if they need the money — to maximize what their family members receive.
Where to find your exact full retirement age
The easiest way to confirm your full retirement age is to check your Social Security statement. You can create a my Social Security account at ssa.gov to view your statement online. The statement lists your full retirement age clearly, along with estimates of what you would receive if you claimed at different ages.
If you do not have an online account, you can call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) and ask. You can also visit your local Social Security office in person. Having this number in front of you before you make any claiming decision is worth the few minutes it takes to look it up.
How claiming age affects your lifetime benefits
Social Security is designed so that the total amount you receive over your lifetime is roughly similar whether you claim early, at full retirement age, or late — but only if you live to an average age. The trade-off is between getting smaller payments for more years or larger payments for fewer years.
The "break-even" age — the point at which waiting to claim catches up to claiming early — is usually in the early 80s. If you live past that age, you will have received more total money by waiting. If you do not, you will have received more by claiming early. This is not a prediction you can make with certainty, which is why the decision involves some guesswork.
What matters most is that you understand the trade-off and make a choice that fits your situation, not a choice based on fear or pressure to decide quickly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change my mind after I claim Social Security?
Yes, but only within limits. If you claimed within the last 12 months, you can withdraw your claim and repay what you received, which resets your record as if you never claimed. After 12 months, you cannot withdraw. However, you can suspend your benefits at your full retirement age and let them grow until 70, though this is rarely done anymore because the rules changed in 2015.
Does my full retirement age change if I work longer?
No. Your full retirement age is fixed based on your birth year and does not change based on when you actually retire from work. You can work past your full retirement age and still claim Social Security whenever you choose. Working longer may increase your benefit amount because Social Security recalculates your benefit each year based on your earnings record, but your full retirement age itself stays the same.
What if I was born outside the United States?
Your full retirement age is determined by your birth year, not where you were born. If you are a U.S. citizen or have a valid visa, the same full retirement age rules apply to you. If you are not a citizen, there are additional rules about where you can receive benefits, but your full retirement age is still based on your birth date.
Is my full retirement age the same as my normal retirement age?
Yes, these terms mean the same thing. Social Security uses both phrases interchangeably. Your full retirement age, normal retirement age, and primary insurance amount age all refer to the same thing: the age at which you receive your complete, unreduced benefit.
What happens to my benefits if I die before reaching my full retirement age?
Your family members may still receive survivor benefits based on your earnings record, even if you never claimed Social Security yourself. A widow or widower at full retirement age can receive up to 100 percent of what you would have received. Younger survivors receive reduced amounts. The amount depends on your earnings history, not on when you would have claimed.