When Should I Claim Social Security?
See your monthly check and your lifetime total at every age from 62 to 70, plus your break-even age. Free, private, and nothing to sign up for.
Your monthly check by claiming age
Lifetime total by claiming age
| Claim at | First monthly check | Total to 85 |
|---|
How this Social Security calculator works
Your full retirement age depends on the year you were born. It's 66 if you were born from 1943 to 1954, rises two months per year for 1955 through 1959, and is 67 for anyone born in 1960 or later. Claim before that age and your check is permanently reduced, by 5/9 of 1% for each of the first 36 months early and 5/12 of 1% for each month beyond that. Wait past full retirement age and you earn delayed retirement credits of 2/3 of 1% per month, which is 8% per year, until age 70.
What is the Social Security break-even age?
Claiming early means smaller checks but more of them. Waiting means bigger checks that start later. Your break-even age is the point where the total collected by waiting catches up to the total from claiming early. If you expect to live past your break-even age, waiting usually pays more over your lifetime. If health or money needs come first, claiming earlier can make sense.
Tip for people born on January 1st or 2nd
Social Security treats you as if you were born the year before, so select the previous year above for the most accurate full retirement age.