Full retirement age, or FRA, is the age when you are entitled to 100 percent of your Social Security benefits, which are determined by your lifetime earnings. It is gradually increasing, from 66 and 4 months for people born in 1956 to 66 and 6 months for those born in 1957 and, ultimately, 67 for people born in 1960 or later. Show
Those dates apply to the retirement benefits you earned from working and to spousal benefits, which your husband or wife can collect on your work record. They differ slightly for survivor benefits, which you can claim if your spouse dies. Full retirement age for survivors is 66 for people born in 1956 and gradually increases to age 67 for people born in 1962 or later. Keep in mind
What is the Social Security Retirement Age?Social Security’s full-benefit retirement age is increasing gradually because of legislation passed by Congress in 1983. Traditionally, the full benefit age was 65, and early retirement benefits were first available at age 62, with a permanent reduction to 80 percent of the full benefit amount. Currently, the full benefit age is 66 years and 2 months for people born in 1955, and it will gradually rise to 67 for those born in 1960 or later. Early retirement benefits will continue to be available at age 62, but they will be reduced more. When the full-benefit age reaches 67, benefits taken at age 62 will be reduced to 70 percent of the full benefit and benefits first taken at age 65 will be reduced to 86.7 percent of the full benefit. There is a financial bonus for delayed retirement. An individual reaching the full-benefit age in 2017 (66 years and 2 months old) receives a monthly benefit that is 8 percent higher for each year he or she delays collecting benefits until the latest claiming age of 70, at which point benefits are 132% of what they would have been at the normal retirement age. (When the full benefit age reaches 67, benefits claimed at age 70 will be 24 percent higher because of that delay.) The maximum retirement benefit in 2017 for someone who waits until age 70 to collect benefits is $3,538 a month. For more information, see:
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* The views of Academy members are their own and not an official position of the National Academy of Social Insurance or its funders. How can we help you?Stay up-to-date on the latest research & policy updates.Subscribe to our newsletterIs it better to take Social Security at 66 or 70?If you start receiving retirement benefits at age: 67, you'll get 108 percent of the monthly benefit because you delayed getting benefits for 12 months. 70, you'll get 132 percent of the monthly benefit because you delayed getting benefits for 48 months.
Is it better to take Social Security at 62 or 67?You can start receiving your Social Security retirement benefits as early as age 62. However, you are entitled to full benefits when you reach your full retirement age. If you delay taking your benefits from your full retirement age up to age 70, your benefit amount will increase.
What is the maximum Social Security benefit at age 70 in 2023?$2,364 for someone who files at 62. $3,345 for someone who files at full retirement age (66 and 2 months for people born in 1955, 66 and 4 months for people born in 1956). $4,194 for someone who files at age 70.
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