Your Social Security full retirement age by birth year ranges from 66 to 67 under current federal law. If you were born in 1960 or later, it is 67. For anyone born between 1943 and 1959, it lands somewhere between 66 and 66 years and 10 months, on a sliding scale set by Congress in 1983 to reflect longer life expectancies.1Social Security Administration. Retirement Age Calculator
Full Retirement Age Chart
The schedule is codified at 42 U.S.C. ยง 416(l).2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 416 – Additional Definitions Find your birth year:
- Born 1943 through 1954: 66
- Born 1955: 66 years and 2 months
- Born 1956: 66 years and 4 months
- Born 1957: 66 years and 6 months
- Born 1958: 66 years and 8 months
- Born 1959: 66 years and 10 months
- Born 1960 or later: 67
Reaching this age means the Social Security Administration pays your benefit with no reduction for early filing and no additional credit for waiting.3Social Security Administration. Starting Your Retirement Benefits Early
The January 1 Rule
One quirk changes which row you use. If you were born on January 1, the Social Security Administration treats your birthday as though it fell in December of the previous year. You follow the schedule for the prior birth year, not the calendar year on your birth certificate.3Social Security Administration. Starting Your Retirement Benefits Early Someone born January 1, 1960, for example, is treated as a 1959 birth for full retirement age purposes.
You Also Need 40 Work Credits
Reaching the right age is not enough on its own. You need 40 work credits to qualify for retirement benefits on your own earnings record, which takes about 10 years of covered employment since you can earn up to four credits per year.4Social Security Administration. Social Security Credits and Benefit Eligibility Without those credits, you may still qualify for spousal or survivor benefits on someone else’s record, but not for a retirement benefit of your own.
What Happens If You Claim at 62
Age 62 is the earliest you can claim Social Security retirement benefits, no matter what your full retirement age is.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 402 – Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Benefit Payments Filing early triggers a permanent reduction: 5/9 of 1% for each of the first 36 months you claim before full retirement age, plus 5/12 of 1% for every additional month beyond that.6Social Security Administration. Benefit Reduction for Early Retirement
How much that costs depends on the distance from 62 to your full retirement age:
- If your full retirement age is 66, claiming at 62 is 48 months early, a 25% reduction. A $1,000 full benefit drops to $750.
- If your full retirement age is 67, claiming at 62 is 60 months early, a 30% reduction. A $1,000 full benefit drops to $700.
- Birth years 1955 through 1959 fall in between, with reductions ranging from roughly 25.83% to 29.17%.3Social Security Administration. Starting Your Retirement Benefits Early
The reduction is permanent. Your monthly payment does not jump back up when you reach full retirement age. You also must be 62 for the entire month to receive a benefit for that month.
What Happens If You Wait Past Full Retirement Age
Delaying past your full retirement age increases your monthly benefit through delayed retirement credits. For anyone born in 1943 or later, that increase is 8% per year, or two-thirds of 1% per month, up to age 70.7Social Security Administration. Delayed Retirement Credits Someone with a full retirement age of 67 who waits until 70 receives a benefit 24% larger than the full amount.
The credits stop accumulating at 70.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 402 – Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Benefit Payments Waiting longer produces no additional increase, which makes 70 the practical maximum age for claiming purposes even though you can keep working indefinitely.
Spousal and Survivor Ages Are Different
The full retirement age chart above applies to your own retirement benefit. Two related benefits follow different rules.
Spousal Benefits
A spousal benefit can be worth up to 50% of your spouse’s full retirement age benefit. You can start as early as age 62, but claiming early cuts the payment, potentially to as little as 32.5% of your spouse’s benefit rather than the full 50%.9Social Security Administration. Benefits for Spouses You receive the unreduced spousal amount only if you wait until your own full retirement age.
Survivor Benefits
Surviving spouses follow a separate, more generous schedule. You can begin as early as age 60, or age 50 with a qualifying disability.10Social Security Administration. Full Retirement Age for Survivor Benefits The full retirement age for survivor benefits reaches 67 for those born in 1962 or later, two years behind the regular retirement schedule.11Social Security Administration. Survivors Benefits Claiming before your survivor full retirement age reduces the monthly payment.
If You Receive Disability Benefits
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits automatically convert to retirement benefits when you reach full retirement age.12Social Security Administration. Disability Benefits and Full Retirement Age No separate application is needed. The payment amount does not change; only the classification does. After conversion, you are no longer subject to continuing disability reviews.
Medicare at 65 Is a Separate Milestone
Medicare eligibility begins at 65 for most people and is not tied to your Social Security full retirement age.13Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 1395c – Description of Program If your full retirement age is 67, you become eligible for Medicare two years before you can collect an unreduced Social Security benefit. If you have already been receiving Social Security for at least four months before turning 65, you are enrolled in Medicare Part A and Part B automatically; otherwise you must sign up through the Social Security Administration.14Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Original Medicare Part A and B Eligibility and Enrollment