Social Security Calculator: Best Age to Claim
See your Social Security benefit if you claim at any age from 62 to 70, when waiting pays off and how much a spouse gets, with the SSA reduction rules.
| Claiming age | Monthly benefit | Share of the full benefit | Total received until that age | Beats 62 from age |
|---|
Spouse (optional)
Amounts in today's dollars, rounded down to the dollar as the SSA does: every year Social Security adds a cost-of-living raise. The spousal benefit only starts once the worker has claimed.
What it does
Social Security pays your full benefit (the primary insurance amount) at your full retirement age: 67 if you were born in 1960 or later, 66 plus a few months for 1955 to 1959. Claiming early cuts it by 5/9 of 1% a month for the first 36 months and 5/12 of 1% after that; waiting adds 8% a year until 70. The calculator applies these SSA rules to every claiming age and compares the totals.
How to use it
- Type your year of birth and the benefit at full retirement age shown in your my Social Security statement.
- Choose the age you plan to claim and how long you expect to live; add your spouse if you are married.
- See the monthly benefit, the table from 62 to 70 and the age from which waiting pays off.
The arithmetic runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere and nothing is stored, so you can use these with real numbers.
Frequently asked questions
How much do I lose by claiming Social Security at 62?
If you were born in 1960 or later, claiming at 62 pays 70% of the full benefit and waiting until 70 pays 124%. A full benefit of 2,000 becomes 1,400 at 62 or 2,480 at 70.
When does waiting until 70 pay off?
With 1,400 a month from 62 or 2,480 from 70, the total from 70 catches up at 80 years 5 months. Living to 85, you receive 386,400 claiming at 62 and 446,400 claiming at 70.
How much Social Security does a spouse get?
Up to half of the worker's full benefit, minus the spouse's own: 1,000 of a 2,000 benefit. Claiming at 62 cuts it to 32.5%, or 650, and there is no extra for waiting past full retirement age.
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