If you file for Social Security at age 62 and were born in 1960 or later, you will receive 70% of your full benefit. That is the answer to what percentage of Social Security you get at 62 for everyone reaching that age from 2022 onward.1Social Security Administration. Benefits Planner: Retirement – Born in 1960 or Later The 30% reduction is permanent. It stays with you for life, and every future cost-of-living adjustment is applied to that reduced amount rather than to your full benefit.
The exact percentage depends on your birth year, because the reduction is measured from your full retirement age, and that age has been rising.
The Percentage at 62 by Birth Year
Your full retirement age is the age at which you qualify for 100% of your primary insurance amount, the figure Social Security uses as your baseline monthly benefit. Federal law sets that age on a sliding scale.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 416 – Additional Definitions The higher your full retirement age, the more months of reduction you take when you claim at 62, and the smaller your percentage.
- Born 1943–1954: full retirement age 66, so filing at 62 gives you 75% of your full benefit.
- Born 1955: 66 and 2 months.
- Born 1956: 66 and 4 months, which produces roughly 73.3% at 62.
- Born 1957: 66 and 6 months.
- Born 1958: 66 and 8 months.
- Born 1959: 66 and 10 months.
- Born 1960 or later: full retirement age 67, so filing at 62 gives you 70%.3Social Security Administration. Benefits Planner: Retirement – Retirement Age and Benefit Reduction
How the Reduction Is Calculated
Social Security does not apply a single flat cut for early filing. Federal regulations set two different monthly rates depending on how far ahead of full retirement age you claim.4eCFR. 20 CFR 404.410 – How Does SSA Reduce My Benefits When My Entitlement Begins Before Full Retirement Age
- For the first 36 months before full retirement age, your benefit drops by 5/9 of 1% per month. That works out to about 0.56% a month, or roughly 6.67% a year.
- For any additional months beyond 36, the rate slows to 5/12 of 1% per month, about 0.42% a month, or 5% a year.
For someone born in 1960 or later, claiming at 62 means 60 months of reductions. The first 36 months take 20% off. The remaining 24 months take another 10% off. Add them together and you get a 30% total reduction, which leaves 70% of your primary insurance amount as your monthly check.3Social Security Administration. Benefits Planner: Retirement – Retirement Age and Benefit Reduction That reduced amount then becomes the base for every future cost-of-living adjustment. The 2026 COLA of 2.8%, for example, is applied to the 70% figure, not to the full benefit you would have received at 67.5Social Security Administration. Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Information
How 62 Compares to 67 and 70
Age 62 is the earliest you can claim retirement benefits. On the other end, waiting past full retirement age earns delayed retirement credits worth 8% a year, or 2/3 of 1% per month, up to age 70.6Social Security Administration. Delayed Retirement Credits For anyone born in 1960 or later, the full range of options looks like this:
- Age 62: 70% of your full benefit.
- Age 67: 100%.
- Age 70: 124%.
Waiting from 62 to 70 nearly doubles the monthly payment, 124% against 70%. The cost is the years of payments you skip while waiting. The break-even point, where the person who delayed has collected more total dollars than the person who filed early, typically lands somewhere between ages 78 and 81 depending on which two ages you are comparing.7Social Security Administration. Early or Late Retirement
Spousal Benefits at 62
If your benefit is based on your spouse’s work record rather than your own, the percentage at 62 is different, and the reduction is steeper. A spouse who waits until full retirement age receives 50% of the worker’s primary insurance amount. Filing at 62 with a full retirement age of 67 cuts that to 32.5% of the worker’s amount.8Social Security Administration. Benefits for Spouses
The spousal formula uses a faster initial rate. For the first 36 months before full retirement age, the reduction is 25/36 of 1% per month. Beyond 36 months, it drops to 5/12 of 1% per month, matching the worker rate.4eCFR. 20 CFR 404.410 – How Does SSA Reduce My Benefits When My Entitlement Begins Before Full Retirement Age Across 60 months of early filing, that produces a 35% reduction from the base spousal amount, compared with the 30% cut a worker takes on their own record.
If You Are Divorced
You can still claim on an ex-spouse’s record if the marriage lasted at least 10 years, you are at least 62, you have not remarried, and your own benefit would be lower than the spousal amount. If your ex has not yet filed but is eligible, you must also have been divorced for at least two years. The percentages at 62 are the same as for current spouses, 32.5% of the worker’s amount when your full retirement age is 67. Claiming on an ex’s record does not reduce their benefit or affect their current spouse’s benefit.
The Ripple Effect on Survivor Benefits
The percentage you take at 62 can follow you past your own lifetime. Social Security bases survivor benefits on the deceased worker’s benefit amount, and if that worker was already collecting a reduced benefit, the survivor’s payment reflects the lower figure.9Social Security Administration. Survivors Benefits
A surviving spouse who claims at their own full retirement age would normally receive 100% of the deceased worker’s benefit. When the worker had already taken the early-filing reduction, though, the survivor generally cannot receive more than that reduced amount, subject to a minimum calculation. If you are the higher earner in your household and your spouse is likely to outlive you, this downstream effect is one of the strongest reasons to think twice about claiming at 62.
Working While Collecting at 62
If you claim at 62 and keep earning income, the Social Security earnings test can withhold part of your benefit on top of the permanent 30% reduction. For 2026:10Social Security Administration. 2026 Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Fact Sheet
- If you are under full retirement age all year, Social Security withholds $1 for every $2 you earn above $24,480.
- In the year you reach full retirement age, a higher limit of $65,160 applies to earnings in the months before your birthday month, and the withholding rate is $1 for every $3 above that limit.
These limits apply to wages and net self-employment income, not to pensions, investment income, or other non-work sources.11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 403 – Reduction of Insurance Benefits If your earnings are well above the threshold, the entire monthly check can be withheld for part of the year.
Money withheld under the earnings test is not permanently lost. Once you reach full retirement age, Social Security recalculates your monthly benefit to credit you for each month benefits were withheld, and your payment going forward is higher.12Social Security Administration. Receiving Benefits While Working If you plan to keep working full-time after 62, the combined effect of the permanent reduction and the temporary withholding is worth weighing before you file.
If You Change Your Mind After Filing
Withdrawing Within 12 Months
You have up to 12 months from the date your benefits were approved to withdraw the application entirely. You must repay every dollar you and any family members received, including amounts withheld for Medicare premiums, taxes, and garnishments. If Medicare Part A covered any medical expenses during that period, those costs must be repaid to Medicare as well. You can only use this option once.13Social Security Administration. Cancel Your Benefits Application After repayment, it is as though you never filed, and you can reapply later at a higher percentage.
Suspending at Full Retirement Age
If you miss the 12-month window, a second option becomes available once you reach full retirement age. You can voluntarily suspend your payments. During the suspension you earn delayed retirement credits of 8% a year, increasing your future monthly amount. Suspension can continue until age 70, at which point benefits automatically resume at the higher amount.14Social Security Administration. Suspending Your Retirement Benefit Payments Unlike withdrawal, suspension does not require repaying anything. It simply pauses future payments while credits accumulate.