Social Security Claiming Calculator

Claiming early locks in a smaller check for life; waiting grows it. See which age pays the most given how long you expect to live.

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Best claiming age

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We reduce the full-retirement-age benefit for claiming early (5/9 of 1% per month for the first 36 months, 5/12 of 1% beyond) and add 8% per year of delayed credits after full retirement age up to 70. Lifetime totals multiply the monthly benefit by the months from claiming to your life expectancy. This ignores taxes, spousal and survivor strategies, and cost-of-living adjustments.
About this calculator

When to claim Social Security: 62, 67 or 70?

Updated October 2026

You can start Social Security retirement benefits any time from 62 to 70. Claiming early locks in a smaller check for life; waiting earns a larger one. This calculator shows your monthly benefit at each key age, the break-even ages between them, and which age pays the most in total for the life expectancy you enter. With the defaults, a full-retirement-age benefit of $2,500 becomes $1,750 at 62 or $3,100 at 70. Waiting from 62 to 70 pays off if you live past about 80 and 4 months.

How your claiming age changes the check

Your full retirement age (FRA) is 67 if you were born in 1960 or later. Claiming before FRA reduces your benefit 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 FRA adds delayed retirement credits of 8% a year until 70. For a $2,500 FRA benefit:

Claim atMonthly benefitCompared with FRA
62$1,750−30%
63$1,875−25%
64$2,000−20%
65$2,167−13.3%
66$2,333−6.7%
67 (FRA)$2,5000%
68$2,700+8%
69$2,900+16%
70$3,100+24%

The gap between 62 and 70 is large: the age-70 check is 77% bigger than the age-62 check, for life, and both rise with the same cost-of-living adjustments each year.

Break-even ages

Claiming early gives you more checks; waiting gives you bigger ones. The break-even age is when the total collected from waiting catches up with the total from claiming earlier. With an FRA of 67:

  • 67 vs 62: about age 78 and 8 months.
  • 70 vs 67: about age 82 and 6 months.
  • 70 vs 62: about age 80 and 4 months.

These ages don't depend on the size of your benefit, only on the claiming rules. A 65-year-old today has a good chance of living past 80, and for married couples the odds that at least one spouse lives into their 90s are higher still.

Reasons to claim earlier

  • Your health or family history suggests a shorter life expectancy.
  • You need the income now and the alternative is high-interest debt.
  • You are the lower earner in a couple and the higher earner is waiting; your own benefit matters less for survivor income.

Reasons to wait

  • Longevity insurance. A larger inflation-adjusted check is the best protection against outliving your savings.
  • Survivor benefits. When one spouse dies, the survivor keeps the larger of the two benefits. If the higher earner waits until 70, the surviving spouse gets that bigger check for life. This is often the strongest reason to delay, and it is not captured in a single-person break-even.
  • Lower withdrawals. Living on savings from 62 to 70 and then claiming the larger check can reduce how much your portfolio needs to provide later. The retirement withdrawal calculator helps test that plan.

Other things that affect the decision

  • The earnings test. If you claim before FRA and keep working, Social Security temporarily withholds some benefits once earnings pass an annual limit. The withheld amounts are credited back after FRA.
  • Taxes. Up to 85% of benefits can be taxable depending on your other income. See the Social Security tax calculator.
  • Medicare. Enrollment generally starts at 65 regardless of when you claim Social Security.

Not sure what your full retirement age benefit is? Your Social Security statement at ssa.gov shows it, or estimate it with our Social Security calculator.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best age to claim Social Security?

It depends on health, income needs and marriage. Purely on lifetime dollars, waiting until 70 wins if you live past about 80 compared with claiming at 62. For married higher earners, waiting also raises the survivor benefit.

How much is Social Security reduced at 62?

With a full retirement age of 67, claiming at 62 reduces the benefit by 30%. A $2,500 full benefit becomes $1,750 a month for life.

How much more do I get by waiting until 70?

Delayed retirement credits add 8% a year after full retirement age, so waiting from 67 to 70 raises the benefit by 24%. A $2,500 benefit becomes $3,100 a month.

What is the Social Security break-even age?

With a full retirement age of 67, waiting until 67 instead of claiming at 62 breaks even at about 78 and 8 months, and waiting until 70 instead of 62 breaks even at about 80 and 4 months.

Does this calculator include spousal benefits?

No. It compares one person's own benefit. Spousal and survivor benefits can change the best strategy, especially for the higher earner in a couple.

Sources: Social Security Administration rules on early retirement reductions and delayed retirement credits for people born in 1960 or later. Lifetime totals ignore cost-of-living adjustments and taxes. Not financial advice; check your own record at ssa.gov.

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