Your full retirement age (FRA) is the birthday when Social Security stops docking your monthly check for claiming “too early” — it’s 66 or 67 for almost everyone reading this, depending on the year you were born. Claim before that birthday and your benefit is permanently reduced. Wait past it and your benefit grows. Here’s the exact age for your birth year, and what it costs or pays to claim earlier or later.
Why Full Retirement Age Matters
Social Security uses your FRA as the anchor point for calculating your monthly benefit. The number you see on your Social Security statement — your “primary insurance amount” — is what you get if you start benefits exactly at FRA, no earlier, no later.
Claim before FRA, and the Social Security Administration reduces your benefit for every month you claim early, on the theory you’ll collect checks for more months over your lifetime. Claim after FRA, and it increases your benefit for every month you wait, up to age 70, according to SSA.gov. The math is designed so that, on average, a person with typical life expectancy gets roughly the same lifetime total no matter when they claim — but your actual outcome depends on how long you live, whether you’re still working, and whether you have a spouse who depends on your benefit.
Full Retirement Age by Birth Year
FRA isn’t the same for everyone. Congress phased in a higher age starting with people born in 1938, and it’s been fully phased in at 67 since 1960. Here’s the full breakdown, according to SSA.gov:
| Birth Year | Full Retirement Age |
|---|---|
| 1937 or earlier | 65 |
| 1938 | 65 and 2 months |
| 1939 | 65 and 4 months |
| 1940 | 65 and 6 months |
| 1941 | 65 and 8 months |
| 1942 | 65 and 10 months |
| 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 or later | 67 |
If you were born on January 1, SSA treats you as if you were born in the prior year for this calculation — a quirk worth knowing if your birthday falls on New Year’s Day.
Most working adults today — anyone born in 1960 or later — have an FRA of 67. That group is now the majority of people planning retirement, so if you’re in your 30s, 40s, or 50s, 67 is very likely your number.
What Happens If You Claim Early
You can start retirement benefits as early as age 62, but doing so locks in a reduced monthly amount for life. The reduction depends on how many months early you claim relative to your FRA:
- If your FRA is 66, claiming at 62 cuts your benefit by about 25%.
- If your FRA is 67, claiming at 62 cuts your benefit by about 30%.
The reduction is roughly 5/9 of 1% for each of the first 36 months you claim early, and 5/12 of 1% for each additional month beyond that, according to SSA.gov. That’s why the penalty is steeper for people with a 67 FRA — there are more months between 62 and 67 than between 62 and 66.
This reduction isn’t temporary. It applies for the rest of your life, and it also affects survivor benefits your spouse could later receive based on your record.
What Happens If You Delay
For every year you delay claiming past FRA, up to age 70, Social Security adds delayed retirement credits worth 8% per year (about 2/3 of 1% per month), according to SSA.gov. This applies to anyone born in 1943 or later. There’s no benefit to waiting past 70 — the credits stop accruing, so claiming later than that just leaves money unclaimed.
Put in dollars: if your FRA benefit is $2,000 a month, claiming at 62 with an FRA of 67 might reduce it to around $1,400. Waiting until 70 could increase it to roughly $2,480. That’s a difference of over $1,000 a month between the earliest and latest claiming ages — a gap that matters enormously if you live into your 80s or 90s.
Comparison: Claiming Age vs. Monthly Benefit
Using a hypothetical $2,000 FRA benefit for someone with an FRA of 67:
| Claiming Age | Approx. Monthly Benefit | % of Full Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| 62 | $1,400 | 70% |
| 63 | $1,500 | 75% |
| 64 | $1,600 | 80% |
| 65 | $1,733 | 86.7% |
| 66 | $1,867 | 93.3% |
| 67 (FRA) | $2,000 | 100% |
| 68 | $2,160 | 108% |
| 69 | $2,320 | 116% |
| 70 | $2,480 | 124% |
These percentages are close approximations of SSA’s published reduction and credit tables for people with a 67 FRA. Your actual figures will vary slightly and should be confirmed using SSA’s benefit calculators at SSA.gov.
Working While Claiming Early
If you claim before FRA and keep working, Social Security can temporarily withhold part of your benefit if your earnings exceed an annual limit — this is often called the earnings test. For 2026, per SSA.gov: if you’re under FRA all year, the limit is $24,480, with $1 withheld for every $2 earned above it; in the calendar year you reach FRA, the limit jumps to $65,160 (counting only months before your FRA month), with $1 withheld for every $3 above it. Two things are worth knowing beyond the numbers:
- The withholding isn’t a penalty you lose forever — SSA recalculates your benefit at FRA to credit you back for months withheld.
- Once you reach FRA, the earnings test disappears entirely. You can earn any amount and keep your full benefit.
This is one reason many people choose to wait until FRA even if they’re still working part-time.
Spousal and Survivor Benefits Follow the Same Age
FRA also governs spousal benefits (up to 50% of a spouse’s benefit) and survivor benefits (up to 100% of a deceased spouse’s benefit). Claiming these before your own FRA reduces them in a similar way. Survivor benefits have a slightly different reduction schedule and can start as early as age 60 (or 50 if disabled), according to SSA.gov, so if you’re a widow or widower, it’s worth checking the survivor-specific rules rather than assuming they match retirement benefit rules exactly.
How to Check Your Exact FRA and Benefit Amount
- Create or log in to your “my Social Security” account at SSA.gov.
- Review your latest Social Security Statement, which lists your FRA and estimated benefits at 62, FRA, and 70.
- Use SSA’s Retirement Estimator for a personalized projection based on your actual earnings record.
- If you’re within a few months of claiming, call SSA at 1-800-772-1213 or visit a local field office to confirm your exact date and file your application.
You can apply for retirement benefits online, by phone, or in person, and SSA generally recommends applying about four months before you want benefits to start.
The Bottom Line for Planning
There’s no single “right” age to claim — it depends on your health, other income, whether you’re still working, and whether a spouse relies on your benefit. But knowing your exact FRA is the starting point for every one of those decisions. Look up your birth year, find your FRA, and use it as the baseline before comparing early or delayed claiming scenarios.
FAQ
What is my full retirement age if I was born in 1960?
Your FRA is 67. This applies to everyone born in 1960 or later, according to SSA.gov.
Can I still get full benefits if I claim at 65?
Only if your FRA is 65, which applies to people born in 1937 or earlier. For everyone born in 1938 or later, claiming at 65 means a reduced benefit, since FRA has shifted to 66 or 67.
Does delaying past age 70 increase my benefit further?
No. Delayed retirement credits stop accruing at age 70, according to SSA.gov. There’s no financial reason to wait beyond that birthday to claim retirement benefits.
Sources
- Social Security Administration, “Retirement Benefits” — https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/
- Social Security Administration, “Full Retirement Age” — https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/ageincrease.html
- Social Security Administration, “Retirement Earnings Test” — https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/whileworking.html
- Social Security Administration, “my Social Security” account — https://www.ssa.gov/myaccount/
Related reading
- Social Security COLA for 2026: How Much Bigger Will Your Check Be?
- Medicare Open Enrollment: Dates, What You Can Change, and Costly Mistakes
- Medicare Advantage vs Original Medicare: A Plain-English Comparison