How the starting age changes your Social Security benefit
You can start Social Security retirement benefits as early as 62, but your monthly check is permanent and depends on the month you start. Starting before your full retirement age (FRA) cuts it. Starting after FRA, up to age 70, raises it. This calculator turns those rules into numbers for your own birth date: the monthly amount at each starting age, the total you would collect by the age you choose to plan for, and the age at which waiting catches up with starting early.
Your full retirement age
FRA is 66 if you were born from 1943 to 1954. It rises by 2 months for each birth year from 1955 to 1959 (66 and 2 months for 1955, up to 66 and 10 months for 1959), and it is 67 for anyone born in 1960 or later. If you were born on the 1st of a month, Social Security figures your benefit and FRA as if you were born in the previous month, and for January 1 it uses the previous year. The age 62 rows on this page use your birth month; unless you were born on the 1st or 2nd, your first possible month at 62 is the month after your 62nd birthday, with a slightly smaller reduction.
The rules the calculator uses
- Starting early: the benefit falls 5/9 of 1% for each of the first 36 months before FRA and 5/12 of 1% for each month beyond that. With an FRA of 67, starting at exactly 62 gives 70% of your full benefit.
- Starting late: for people born in 1943 or later, delayed retirement credits add 8% a year (2/3 of 1% a month) after FRA. The increase stops at 70, so with an FRA of 67 waiting until 70 gives 124%.
- Spouse: a spouse can receive up to half of the worker's full-retirement-age benefit, minus their own benefit. Starting before the spouse's own FRA reduces that top-up (25/36 of 1% a month for the first 36 months, then 5/12 of 1%), and waiting past FRA does not increase it.
- COLA: cost-of-living increases are added from the year you turn 62, even if you have not started yet. Leave the COLA box at 0% to see everything in today's dollars.
- Rounding: monthly amounts are rounded down to a whole dollar, as Social Security does.
A worked example
Suppose your statement shows $2,000 a month at an FRA of 67 and you ignore COLAs. Starting at 62 pays $1,400 a month, starting at 67 pays $2,000, and starting at 70 pays $2,480. The 62 start collects more at first. Starting at 67 catches up with starting at 62 at age 78 and 8 months. Starting at 70 catches up with starting at 62 at age 80 and 5 months, and with starting at 67 at age 82 and 6 months. After those ages the later start has collected more in total, and its monthly check is larger for as long as you live. Taxes, Medicare premiums and investment returns on money you receive earlier are not included, so your own break-even ages can differ.
How to read the totals
The result panel shows the starting age with the largest total by the planning age you enter. That planning age is your assumption, not a prediction: nobody knows how long they will live. The second table therefore shows totals at ages 75, 80, 85, 90 and 95, with the largest in each column shaded, so you can see how the answer changes. For average remaining years at each age, see the Social Security period life table linked below. The calculator counts one payment for every month from the starting age up to the planning age and, to keep things simple, applies all delayed credits from the start.
Working while you collect
If you start before FRA and keep working, the earnings test can withhold part of your benefit. In 2026 Social Security withholds $1 for every $2 you earn above $24,480 a year. In the year you reach FRA it withholds $1 for every $3 above $65,160, counting only the earnings before the month you reach FRA. In 2027 the limits rise to $25,560 and $67,920. From FRA on, earnings no longer reduce your benefit, and the withheld amounts are added back to your monthly benefit. This calculator does not apply the earnings test.
What this calculator leaves out
It does not include income tax on benefits, Medicare premiums, survivor benefits (the higher earner's choice can raise the check a surviving spouse receives), benefits for children, disability, government pensions that can reduce benefits, or a change in your earnings before you start. Use it to compare options, then check your own record at my Social Security.
Frequently asked questions
Is it better to claim Social Security at 62, 67 or 70?
There is no single answer. Starting earlier means more checks but smaller ones for life; starting later means fewer, larger checks. The result depends on how long you live, whether you still work, your health, your spouse's situation and how much you need the money now. This calculator shows the numbers for the planning age you choose; it does not predict your lifespan or recommend an age.
Does my benefit keep growing after I turn 70?
No. Delayed retirement credits stop at age 70, so there is no reason to wait past 70 to get a larger monthly benefit. Cost-of-living adjustments still apply every year after you start.
Where do I find my benefit at full retirement age?
Sign in to your free my Social Security account at ssa.gov/myaccount. Your statement lists estimated monthly benefits at 62, at your full retirement age and at 70, based on your earnings record. Enter the full retirement age amount in the calculator.
Official sources
All rules above were checked on ssa.gov on October 14, 2026: full retirement age and early reduction, reduction formulas, delayed retirement credits, spousal benefits, earnings test and the period life table.
This page gives general information and arithmetic, not financial, tax or legal advice. Your actual benefit is decided by the Social Security Administration.