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Social Security claiming age & break-even calculator

Enter your benefit at full retirement age (from your Social Security statement) to see what you'd get at every age from 62 to 70 — and when waiting pays off.

Birth year
Benefit at full retirement agefrom your SSA statement
/ mo
Claiming age
years
Plus months
months
Plan to agefor lifetime totals
years

Monthly benefit at your claiming age

$2,200

+0% vs full retirement age (67)

Per year
$26,400
Lifetime total
$475,200
Full retirement age
67
70 beats 62 after age
80 yr 5 mo

Amounts in today's dollars; every option also gets yearly cost-of-living increases.

Monthly benefit by claiming age

62: Monthly benefit 1,5406263: Monthly benefit 1,6506364: Monthly benefit 1,76065: Monthly benefit 1,9066566: Monthly benefit 2,05367: Monthly benefit 2,2006768: Monthly benefit 2,37669: Monthly benefit 2,5526970: Monthly benefit 2,72870
Monthly benefit

Every claiming age compared

Claim atChangeMonthlyLifetime total
62-30%$1,540$425,040
63-25%$1,650$435,600
64-20%$1,760$443,520
65-13.3%$1,906$457,440
66-6.7%$2,053$468,084
67+0%$2,200$475,200
68+8%$2,376$484,704
69+16%$2,552$489,984
70+24%$2,728$491,040
Monthly benefit$2,200

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Full retirement age by birth year

BornFull retirement age
1943–195466
195566 and 2 months
195666 and 4 months
195766 and 6 months
195866 and 8 months
195966 and 10 months
1960 or later67

People born on January 1 use the previous year. 2026 cost-of-living adjustment: 2.8%.

Assumptions

  • Amounts are in today's dollars: future cost-of-living adjustments (2.8% for 2026) raise every option equally.
  • Your own retirement benefit only — spousal and survivor benefits follow different rules.
  • Benefit at full retirement age is your Primary Insurance Amount from your my Social Security statement.

Frequently asked questions

What is my full retirement age?+

67 if you were born in 1960 or later; between 66 and 67 for people born 1955–1959; 66 for 1943–1954. The table below has every year.

How much less do I get at 62?+

With a full retirement age of 67, claiming at 62 cuts your benefit by 30% for life: 5/9 of 1% for each of the first 36 months early and 5/12 of 1% for each month beyond.

How much more do I get by waiting until 70?+

Delayed retirement credits add 2/3 of 1% per month — 8% a year — after full retirement age, up to age 70. With an FRA of 67 that's 24% more than your full benefit.

What's the break-even age?+

The age at which the higher checks from waiting make up for the checks you skipped. For 62 versus 70 it's usually around age 80–81. If you expect to live longer — or a spouse will rely on your survivor benefit — waiting tends to pay off.

Can I work and collect Social Security in 2026?+

Yes, but before full retirement age SSA withholds $1 for every $2 you earn above $24,480; in the year you reach full retirement age it's $1 for every $3 above $65,160. The withheld amounts are credited back once you reach full retirement age.

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Uses 2026 rules and limits. Last reviewed October 15, 2026. Calculator version 1.0.0. Sources: SSA — Benefit reduction for early retirement · SSA — Early or late retirement · Journal of Accountancy — Social Security wage base and COLA for 2026. Results are estimates for educational purposes, not financial, tax or lending advice. How we check our numbers.