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As of Oct. 16, 2026
Sources: SSA early reduction · SSA delayed credits · SSA 2023 period life table · CRS: widow(er)'s limit
Get your own numbers first, then compare. Sign in to my Social Security (free) to see SSA’s estimate at every age from 62 to 70. Put your full-retirement-age amount in the calculator below, then check the situations that fit you (still working, married, widowed, veteran). Social Security never charges to apply, and no one from SSA will ask for gift cards or a wire transfer.
The math:
Sources: my Social Security · SSA early reduction · SSA delayed credits · SSA starting early
A best fit for the situation described, not financial advice or a buy/sell recommendation. Partner links never change a pick.
Type your monthly amount at full retirement age (your Social Security statement in my Social Security lists it). Rough math in today’s dollars. Nothing you type leaves your phone.
Sources: SSA early reduction · SSA delayed credits · SSA full retirement age table · SSA cancel your application · SSA Trustees release (June 9, 2026)
| Choice | Break-even age | Chance a 62-year-old man reaches it | Chance a 62-year-old woman reaches it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62 vs. 67 | 78 and 8 months | 66% | 76% |
| 62 vs. 70 | 80 and 4 months | 60% | 71% |
| 67 vs. 70 | 82 and 6 months | 53% | 64% |
Life expectancy at 62 in the same table: 20.3 more years for men (to about 82) and 23.1 for women (to about 85).
SSA 2023 period life table for the Social Security area population, as used in the 2026 Trustees Report. Lives = survivors out of 100,000 born alive; life expectancy = average remaining years at that exact age using 2023 death rates. A period table averages everyone; your health, family history and income change your own odds. Break-even math ignores taxes and interest. Source: SSA 2023 period life table
| Start at | % of full amount | On a $2,000 full amount |
|---|---|---|
| 62 | 70.0% | $1,400 |
| 63 | 75.0% | $1,500 |
| 64 | 80.0% | $1,600 |
| 65 | 86.7% | $1,733 |
| 66 | 93.3% | $1,867 |
| 67 | 100.0% | $2,000 |
| 68 | 108.0% | $2,160 |
| 69 | 116.0% | $2,320 |
| 70 | 124.0% | $2,480 |
Rule: 5/9 of 1% per month for the first 36 months early, then 5/12 of 1% per month; 8% a year (2/3 of 1% per month) for people born in 1943 or later. The increase stops at age 70. You must be 62 for the entire month to get benefits, so most people who start early start at 62 and 1 month (if born on the 1st or 2nd, the rules count your birthday as the day before). Sources: SSA early reduction · SSA delayed credits
Sources: SSA delayed credits · SSA starting early · SSA suspend at full retirement age · IRS: are benefits taxable?
Trustees' intermediate (best estimate) projections if Congress does not act. Benefits would not stop: continuing payroll-tax income would pay about 78% of scheduled retirement and survivor benefits after OASI reserves run out in late 2032 (83% for the combined funds in 2034). The Trustees released the report on June 9, 2026.
Source: SSA Trustees release (June 9, 2026)
Not financial advice. Not an SSA estimate. We republish Social Security Administration rules and numbers with dates and do simple arithmetic on what you type. We don’t tell anyone when to claim. Your official amounts are in my Social Security. Social Security never charges for its services.
There is no single best age. Starting at 62 pays 70% of your full amount for life (if born 1960 or later); 67 pays 100%; 70 pays 124%. Waiting wins in total dollars only if you live past about 78 and 8 months (62 vs. 67) or 80 and 4 months (62 vs. 70). Health, work, marriage and other income all matter.
With SSA's reduction and delayed-credit rules and a full retirement age of 67, the break-even is about 78 and 8 months for 62 vs. 67, 80 and 4 months for 62 vs. 70, and 82 and 6 months for 67 vs. 70, before taxes and interest. COLAs don't change it because they raise both choices by the same percent.
If your full retirement age is 67, claiming at 62 cuts your monthly check 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). A spouse benefit at 62 is cut to 32.5% of the worker's full amount.
For people born 1943 or later, benefits grow 8% a year (2/3 of 1% a month) after full retirement age, up to 70. With a full retirement age of 67, that is 124% of your full amount. There's no gain from waiting past 70.
Not if you were born on Jan. 2, 1954 or later. Under deemed filing (Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015), applying for either your own or a spouse benefit counts as applying for both, and you get the higher combined amount.
Yes, once, within 12 months of approval, using Form SSA-521; you must repay everything you and your family received. After full retirement age you can also suspend payments until 70 to earn delayed credits.
No, benefits don't stop. The June 9, 2026 Trustees Report projects the retirement trust fund's reserves run out in the fourth quarter of 2032; after that, ongoing taxes would pay about 78% of scheduled benefits unless Congress acts (83% for the combined funds in 2034).
Facts, not financial advice, and not an SSA benefit estimate. Rules and amounts change yearly; check your own record and estimates at ssa.gov/myaccount.