{"id":23160,"date":"2026-08-04T02:37:03","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T02:37:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.youragecalculator.com\/blog\/?p=23160"},"modified":"2026-08-04T02:37:03","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T02:37:03","slug":"social-security-age-calculator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.youragecalculator.com\/blog\/social-security-age-calculator\/","title":{"rendered":"Social Security Age Calculator: When Should You Claim Benefits?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

One of the biggest retirement decisions you will make is when to start Social Security<\/strong>. Claim at 62 and you get checks sooner \u2014 but permanently smaller. Wait until 70 and your monthly benefit grows by roughly a third. The right answer depends on your health, savings, and life expectancy, and a Social Security Age Calculator<\/a> is the fastest way to see your full retirement age and what each claiming year means for your payout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is Full Retirement Age (FRA)?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Your Full Retirement Age is the age at which you receive 100% of your primary insurance amount \u2014 the benefit you earned through your work history. FRA is not the same for everyone; it is set by your birth year:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Birth Year<\/th>Full Retirement Age<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>\n
1943\u20131954<\/td>66<\/td><\/tr>
1955<\/td>66 and 2 months<\/td><\/tr>
1956<\/td>66 and 4 months<\/td><\/tr>
1957<\/td>66 and 6 months<\/td><\/tr>
1958<\/td>66 and 8 months<\/td><\/tr>
1959<\/td>66 and 10 months<\/td><\/tr>
1960 or later<\/td>67<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Born in 1962? Your FRA is 66 and 10 months. Born in 1970? It is 67. Enter your birth year into the Social Security Age Calculator<\/a> and it will show your exact FRA plus the earliest and latest claiming ages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claiming Early: The 62-to-FRA Penalty<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You can claim as early as age 62, but every month before FRA permanently reduces your benefit:<\/p>\n\n\n\n