Your full retirement age (FRA), the age at which you receive 100% of your earned Social Security benefit, Use the Social Security full retirement age calculator to find out when you are eligible for unreduced retirement benefits based on your birth year. Its is either 65, 66, or 67 depending entirely on your birth year. Workers born in 1960 or later must reach age 67. Claiming earlier permanently cuts your monthly check; waiting past FRA grows it by 8% per year up to age 70.
The Official SSA Full Retirement Age Chart
The Social Security Administration assigns a precise FRA to every American worker, and that single number controls your lifetime benefit amount more than almost any other retirement variable.
| Birth Year | Full Retirement Age |
|---|---|
| 1937 or earlier | 65 |
| 1938 | 65 and 2 months |
| 1939 | 65 and 4 months |
| 1940 | 65 and 6 months |
| 1941 | 65 and 8 months |
| 1942 | 65 and 10 months |
| 1943 to 1954 | 66 |
| 1955 | 66 and 2 months |
| 1956 | 66 and 4 months |
| 1957 | 66 and 6 months |
| 1958 | 66 and 8 months |
| 1959 | 66 and 10 months |
| 1960 or later | 67 |
This chart reflects current federal law. No legislation has changed it since the 1983 Social Security Amendments established the phase-in schedule, and the 67-year cap has been fully in effect for all workers born 1960 and later.
Why the Chart Has Two Separate Phase-In Periods
The FRA chart shows two distinct ramp-up periods rather than one smooth climb because Congress designed the 1983 law in two stages.
The first phase increased FRA in two-month increments for birth years 1938 through 1942, moving from 65 to 65 and 10 months. FRA then held flat at 66 for the entire birth year range of 1943 through 1954, a pause of more than a decade in the phase-in schedule.
The second phase resumed the two-month-per-year increases starting with birth year 1955 and continued through 1959, arriving at the permanent 67-year FRA for everyone born 1960 or later. Workers born exactly in 1954 have an FRA of exactly 66 years and 0 months, the final birth year before the second phase began.
What Early Claiming Actually Costs You
Claiming Social Security before FRA triggers a permanent monthly benefit reduction calculated to the exact month, not rounded to the nearest year.
The SSA applies two separate reduction rates depending on how far before FRA you claim:
| Months Before FRA | Reduction Rate Per Month | Annual Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| First 36 months early | 5/9 of 1% | About 6.67% per year |
| Each additional month beyond 36 | 5/12 of 1% | About 5% per year |
A worker with an FRA of 67 who claims at 62 is claiming 60 months early. The first 36 months reduce the benefit by approximately 20%, and the remaining 24 months reduce it by an additional 10%, for a combined permanent reduction of 30%.
A worker with an FRA of 66 claiming at 62 is 48 months early, producing a permanent reduction of approximately 25%. These reductions never reverse unless you withdraw your application within 12 months of first claiming and repay every dollar received, an option the SSA calls a withdrawal of application.
The Break-Even Age: When Waiting Pays Off
Break-even age is the point at which total lifetime benefits from delaying surpass total benefits from claiming early, and for most workers it falls between age 77 and 80.
A worker with an FRA of 67 who delays from 62 to 67 foregoes 60 months of smaller checks to receive a benefit that is 43% larger. Living past approximately age 79 means the larger checks will have paid out more in total than the smaller-but-earlier checks would have.
The calculation shifts meaningfully for married couples. When the higher-earning spouse delays, the surviving partner inherits the higher amount as their survivor benefit, which changes the break-even math entirely and often makes delaying financially optimal even for someone in average health.
How Delayed Retirement Credits Build Your Benefit Beyond FRA
Waiting past your full retirement age earns delayed retirement credits, which are permanent monthly increases of 2/3 of 1% per month, equal to exactly 8% per year.
Credits stop accumulating at age 70 regardless of how long you continue to wait. There is no benefit to delaying past 70 under current law.
| Claiming Age | Benefit if FRA is 67 | Benefit if FRA is 66 |
|---|---|---|
| 62 | 70% of full benefit | 75% of full benefit |
| 63 | 75% of full benefit | 80% of full benefit |
| 64 | 80% of full benefit | 86.7% of full benefit |
| 65 | 86.7% of full benefit | 93.3% of full benefit |
| 66 | 93.3% of full benefit | 100% of full benefit |
| 67 | 100% of full benefit | 108% of full benefit |
| 68 | 108% of full benefit | 116% of full benefit |
| 69 | 116% of full benefit | 124% of full benefit |
| 70 | 124% of full benefit | 132% of full benefit |
A worker with an FRA of 67 who claims at 70 locks in 124% of their calculated benefit permanently. Every future cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), the annual percentage the SSA applies to keep benefits pace with inflation, applies to that higher base and compounds the advantage across a long retirement.
Spousal Benefits: The 50% Rule and How FRA Limits It
Spousal benefits allow a married person to collect up to 50% of their spouse’s FRA benefit amount, but only if the claiming spouse has reached their own FRA when filing.
Claiming a spousal benefit before your own FRA reduces it below the 50% maximum. A spouse with an FRA of 67 who claims spousal benefits at 62 receives approximately 32.5% of the worker’s full benefit instead of 50%, a reduction that is permanent.
Spousal benefits earn no delayed retirement credits. Waiting past your own FRA to claim a spousal benefit produces zero additional monthly income, so claiming exactly at FRA is almost always optimal when living on a spousal benefit.
Restricted Application: A Strategy Only Some Can Still Use
The restricted application strategy allows a worker to claim only spousal benefits at FRA while letting their own retirement benefit grow with delayed credits until age 70.
This option is available only to workers born on or before January 1, 1954. The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 eliminated it for younger workers. Anyone born after that cutoff must accept whichever benefit is higher at the time of filing and cannot separate the two claims.
Survivor Benefits Use a Slightly Different FRA Chart
Survivor benefits, the monthly payments the SSA sends to a widow or widower after a spouse’s death, follow a separate FRA schedule that differs from the retirement benefit schedule for several birth years.
| Birth Year | Survivor Benefit FRA |
|---|---|
| 1945 to 1956 | 66 |
| 1957 | 66 and 2 months |
| 1958 | 66 and 4 months |
| 1959 | 66 and 6 months |
| 1960 | 66 and 8 months |
| 1961 | 66 and 10 months |
| 1962 or later | 67 |
Survivor benefits can be claimed as early as age 60, or as early as age 50 if the surviving spouse is disabled. Claiming before the survivor FRA reduces the benefit using a different reduction formula than the one used for early retirement claims.
How the Higher-Earning Spouse’s Claiming Decision Affects Survivors
When a higher-earning spouse delays claiming to age 70, the monthly benefit they lock in becomes the amount their surviving partner can claim as a 100% survivor benefit after that spouse’s death.
A $2,000 per month benefit at FRA grows to approximately $2,480 per month at age 70 due to delayed credits, and that full $2,480 transfers to the survivor. The difference can represent hundreds of thousands of dollars over a long surviving spouse’s remaining lifetime, making the higher earner’s delay decision one of the most impactful joint financial choices a couple can make.
The Earnings Test: Working Before FRA Reduces Your Checks
The Social Security earnings test, also called the retirement earnings test, is the SSA rule that withholds a portion of your benefits if you claim early and continue earning above a set income threshold.
In 2024, the thresholds and withholding rates are:
| Your Status | Income Threshold | Withholding Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Under FRA for the entire calendar year | $22,320 | $1 withheld per $2 earned above limit |
| Reaching FRA during the calendar year | $59,520 | $1 withheld per $3 earned above limit |
| Past FRA | No limit | No withholding at all |
Benefits withheld under the earnings test are not permanently lost. At FRA, the SSA recalculates your monthly benefit upward to credit the months during which benefits were withheld. That recovery is spread across future payments and takes several years to recoup in full.
Once you pass your FRA birthday, the earnings test disappears entirely and you can earn any amount without any effect on your Social Security payment.
Medicare Eligibility Begins at 65 Regardless of Your FRA
Medicare Part A and Part B both begin at age 65 for virtually all Americans, a threshold that is completely independent of Social Security’s full retirement age.
A worker born in 1968 has an FRA of 67 but becomes eligible for Medicare at 65, two full years before claiming full Social Security benefits. These are two separate federal programs with two different age thresholds, and one does not control the other.
Workers who retire before 65 must arrange private health insurance to bridge the gap, since Medicare does not start early simply because Social Security benefits have begun. For someone retiring at 62 with an FRA of 67, the gap between retirement and Medicare eligibility is three years, a cost that can reach tens of thousands of dollars depending on plan premiums and health needs.
Social Security Disability Automatically Converts to Retirement Benefits at FRA
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), the federal program that replaces income for workers who become unable to work due to a qualifying disability, automatically converts to regular Social Security retirement benefits the month a recipient reaches their full retirement age.
The conversion requires no action from the recipient and produces no change in the monthly payment amount. After FRA, former SSDI recipients are treated identically to all other retirees, including the complete elimination of the earnings test.
Workers who receive SSDI are paid at a benefit rate equivalent to their FRA retirement amount from the onset of disability, regardless of their age at approval. A 45-year-old approved for SSDI receives the same monthly amount they would have received at FRA had they worked continuously to that age, making SSDI one of the most financially protective programs available to American workers.
Claiming Strategy Decision Matrix
Knowing your FRA is only the starting point; matching your personal situation to the right strategy is what turns that number into a lifetime financial plan.
| Situation | Optimal Approach |
|---|---|
| Poor health or shortened life expectancy | Claim at 62 or 63 to maximize total lifetime receipts |
| Good health, age 62, no other income source | Consider claiming early with full awareness of the permanent reduction |
| Good health, other retirement income available | Delay to FRA or age 70 for maximum monthly benefit |
| Married, higher earner | Delay to 70 to maximize the survivor benefit your spouse will inherit |
| Married, lower earner | Claim early if household cash flow requires it |
| Still working at 62 to 66 with high income | Wait; earnings test will likely withhold most or all benefits anyway |
| Born on or before January 1, 1954 | Explore restricted application to claim spousal benefit first |
Tax implications, pension offsets, and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), a rule that reduces Social Security benefits for workers who also receive a pension from a job not covered by Social Security taxes, can all alter the optimal strategy significantly and warrant consultation with a financial planner before filing.
Could Congress Raise Full Retirement Age Above 67?
Several serious proposals to raise FRA beyond 67 have been introduced in Congress to address Social Security’s projected long-term funding shortfall, but none have become law as of 2025.
The most commonly discussed proposals would raise FRA to 68 or 69 using the same gradual phase-in model that moved FRA from 65 to 67 over several decades, giving younger workers time to adjust their plans. Some researchers propose linking FRA automatically to average life expectancy data rather than setting it by statute.
Any enacted change would almost certainly protect workers near retirement age. Under every proposal currently under public discussion, people within 10 to 15 years of their current FRA would face no change, and anyone already receiving benefits would be entirely unaffected.
How to Look Up Your Exact FRA and Projected Benefit
The SSA provides free, personalized tools that show your exact FRA and estimated benefit at every claiming age, available to any American worker at no cost.
Creating a My Social Security account at ssa.gov gives instant access to your complete earnings history, your precise FRA based on your exact date of birth, and estimated monthly benefit amounts at ages 62, 67, and 70. The estimates update automatically each year as new earnings post to your record.
Workers aged 60 and older who have not created an online account automatically receive a Social Security Statement by mail each year. The mailed statement shows the same three key benefit estimates and serves as an independent verification of your earnings record. Reviewing it for errors matters because uncorrected discrepancies in your earnings history directly reduce your calculated benefit.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the full retirement age for someone born in 1960 or later?
Anyone born in 1960 or later has a full retirement age of 67. This is the highest FRA established by current law and applies universally to all workers in this birth year group with no exceptions based on occupation, income, or state of residence.
What is the full retirement age for someone born in 1955?
Workers born in 1955 have a full retirement age of 66 and 2 months. This is the first birth year in the second phase-in period established by the 1983 Social Security Amendments, which gradually increased FRA from 66 to 67 across birth years 1955 through 1959.
Can I collect Social Security at 65 if my full retirement age is 67?
Yes, you can claim Social Security at 65 even if your FRA is 67, but your monthly benefit will be permanently reduced to approximately 86.7% of your full amount. Age 65 carries no special status under current law; it simply represents claiming 24 months before your FRA, which triggers the standard early-claiming reduction formula.
What is the earliest age I can start collecting Social Security retirement benefits?
The earliest you can claim Social Security retirement benefits is age 62. Claiming at 62 when your FRA is 67 permanently reduces your monthly benefit by 30%. Claiming at 62 when your FRA is 66 reduces it by approximately 25%.
What happens to my benefit if I wait until 70 instead of claiming at my FRA?
Waiting from your FRA of 67 to age 70 increases your benefit by 24% total, earned at 8% per year in delayed retirement credits over three years. This higher amount is permanent and becomes the base to which all future cost-of-living adjustments are applied every year for the rest of your life.
Does full retirement age affect the Social Security taxes on my paycheck?
No. Social Security payroll taxes of 6.2% on wages up to the annual wage base (which was $168,600 in 2024) continue regardless of your age and regardless of whether you are already collecting benefits. FRA has no effect whatsoever on payroll tax liability.
Is the full retirement age for survivor benefits the same as for retirement benefits?
Not exactly. Survivor benefits have a separate FRA schedule. The survivor FRA reaches 67 for those born in 1962 or later, compared to 1960 or later for retirement benefits. The minimum claiming age for survivor benefits is also different, starting as early as age 60 rather than 62.
What if I was born on January 1? Which birth year does the SSA use for me?
The SSA treats anyone born on January 1 of a given year as if they were born on December 31 of the prior year. A person born January 1, 1961 is treated as a 1960 birth year for all Social Security calculations, giving them an FRA of 67. This rule applies to every benefit determination, not just FRA.
Will Congress raise the full retirement age beyond 67?
As of 2025, current law caps FRA at 67 and no legislation has passed to raise it further. Multiple proposals to increase FRA to 68 or 69 have been introduced, but none have passed, and any future change would almost certainly phase in slowly and exempt workers close to retirement age as well as anyone already receiving benefits.
How do I find my exact full retirement age and estimated monthly benefit amount?
Create a free account at ssa.gov/myaccount to access your personalized earnings history, your precise FRA, and projected benefit amounts at ages 62, 67, and 70. If you are 60 or older and do not have an online account, the SSA automatically mails you an annual Social Security Statement each year showing the same three estimates based on your actual recorded earnings.