Social Security Benefits by Age: Pay Chart for 62, 65, 67 and 70

Updated July 16, 2026. For a retired worker whose full retirement age is 67, starting Social Security at 62 generally pays about 70% of the full benefit, age 65 pays about 86.7%, age 67 pays 100%, and age 70 pays 124%. The percentages are official claiming-age factors; the dollar amount depends on the worker's earnings record.

This chart is for workers born in 1960 or later. It does not promise a fixed payment at any age and should not be applied to SSI, SSDI, spousal or survivor benefits. SocialSecurityPayment.net is independent and cannot access an SSA record or recommend a personal claiming age.

How to Read a Social Security Pay Chart by Age

Start with your primary insurance amount (PIA). PIA is the basis for the retirement benefit payable at full retirement age, before reductions for starting early or credits for delaying. SSA calculates it from your indexed covered earnings, generally using the highest 35 years.

The age percentage is applied to that personal PIA. If two workers both claim at 65 but one has a $1,800 PIA and the other a $3,000 PIA, their percentages may match while their monthly checks remain very different.

• Birth year sets full retirement age.
• Exact start month sets the early reduction or delayed credit.
• Earnings record sets PIA.
• Deductions and withholding can make the net deposit lower than the gross retirement benefit.

Social Security Pay Chart for Ages 62, 65, 67 and 70

The table below assumes the worker was born in 1960 or later and therefore has FRA 67. The dollar column uses a hypothetical $2,000 monthly PIA simply to demonstrate the math.

The example excludes COLAs, future earnings changes, statutory rounding, Medicare premiums and tax withholding. It also is not the 2026 national maximum. For SSA's maximum-earner figures, see the separate 2026 maximum Social Security benefit guide.

Claiming adjustments are calculated month by month. A worker who starts at 65 years and six months receives a different percentage from one who starts on the 65th birthday, even though both may be described casually as claiming “at 65.”

Starting Social Security at Age 62

Age 62 is the earliest normal start age for a retired-worker benefit. For FRA 67, filing at exactly 62 reduces the retirement benefit to 70% of PIA. The roughly 30% reduction reflects 60 months of early benefits and generally remains part of the payment calculation for life.

Starting early produces smaller monthly payments but potentially more months of payments. A chart cannot decide whether that tradeoff fits a person's health, employment, savings, household benefits or cash-flow needs.

If the claimant continues working, a second rule may affect current checks. In 2026, SSA can withhold $1 in benefits for every $2 of earnings over $24,480 when the worker remains under FRA for the whole year. This temporary withholding is distinct from the age-62 reduction, and SSA later adjusts for withheld months at FRA.

Starting Social Security at Age 65

For a worker with FRA 67, starting at exactly 65 pays about 86.7% of PIA. That reflects 24 months of early-retirement reductions. With a $2,000 PIA, the simple illustration is about $1,733 per month before SSA rounding, later COLAs and deductions.

Age 65 remains important because it is the usual Medicare eligibility milestone, but it is not Social Security FRA for people born in 1960 or later. A person can enroll in Medicare at 65 and delay Social Security retirement benefits, or claim Social Security before 65 and address Medicare separately when eligible.

Medicare enrollment timing can depend on current employer coverage and other circumstances. SSA warns that some people who delay retirement benefits still need to sign up for Medicare around 65 to avoid delayed coverage or higher costs. Confirm that decision through Medicare and SSA rather than treating a retirement pay chart as enrollment advice.

Starting Social Security at Age 67

Age 67 is full retirement age for workers born in 1960 or later. Starting in the FRA month pays 100% of PIA: no early-retirement reduction and no delayed retirement credit. In the $2,000 example, the gross benefit is $2,000 before other adjustments.

“Full benefit” does not mean the largest possible check, the maximum national benefit, or a payment free from deductions. It means the worker receives the PIA determined from the earnings record. Medicare premiums, tax withholding and account-specific adjustments may still reduce the bank deposit.

The retirement earnings test stops beginning with the month the worker reaches FRA. For someone whose FRA is earlier than 67, however, age 67 may already include delayed credits. Always match the age row to birth year instead of assuming age 67 equals 100% for every retiree.

Starting Social Security at Age 70

For FRA 67, starting at age 70 pays 124% of PIA. Workers born in 1943 or later generally earn delayed retirement credits at 8% per year—two-thirds of 1% per month—after FRA. Three full years produce the 24% increase used in the chart.

The $2,000 PIA illustration becomes $2,480 at 70 before deductions. The higher monthly payment is received after giving up the checks that could have started earlier, so the chart describes monthly income, not total lifetime value or a universal best age.

A person does not have to keep working solely to earn delayed credits; delaying the claim creates them. Continued high covered earnings can separately improve the 35-year calculation. The claiming-age increase stops at 70, so postponing the application beyond 70 produces no additional delayed credit.

Why Birth Year Changes the Pay Chart

Full retirement age rose gradually, so the same claiming age can sit a different number of months before or after FRA. Compare the final two birth-year groups:

A person born in 1959 has already passed FRA by age 67, so the age-67 amount includes a small delayed credit. A person born in 1960 reaches FRA exactly at 67, making that row 100%. For earlier birth years, the differences can be larger.

SSA also applies special birthday conventions. For example, a January 1 birthday is generally treated using the previous year when determining FRA. Use SSA's retirement age calculator and exact birth date for a personal comparison; the rounded whole-age table is an orientation tool.

Why an “Average Check by Age” Table Gives Different Numbers

Three commonly searched tables measure different things:

• Claiming-age percentage: the share of one worker's PIA payable when benefits start.
• Average benefit at a current age: the average check among people who are now that age, regardless of when they originally claimed or what they earned.
• Maximum benefit: the ceiling for a rare maximum-earner scenario in a particular claim year.

SSA estimated the average retired-worker benefit payable in January 2026 at $2,071 after the 2.8% COLA. That does not mean a new claimant at 67 automatically receives $2,071. Likewise, an average for beneficiaries currently age 70 includes people who may have claimed years earlier and since received COLAs.

Use population averages for broad context, age percentages for comparing the same worker across start dates, and a my Social Security estimate for personal planning. Mixing the three can produce a plausible-looking but incorrect pay chart.

Build a Personal Social Security Pay Chart

Use SSA's personal estimate instead of sending earnings or identity information to a third party. The my Social Security retirement calculator can compare ages 62, FRA and 70 using the worker's official earnings record and can model different future-earnings assumptions.

1. Go directly to SSA.gov and sign in to my Social Security.
2. Review the earnings record for missing or incorrect years before comparing benefits.
3. Write down SSA's FRA and estimated PIA/FRA benefit.
4. Record the official estimates at 62, 65, 67 and 70. Use the exact month-based calculator instead of rounding when possible.
5. Keep the same expected future earnings for each age comparison, then run a separate scenario if the planned stop-work age changes.
6. Note whether the display uses today's dollars or future dollars.
7. Separate the gross estimate from Medicare premiums, tax withholding and other deductions.

Questions the pay chart does not answer

A larger monthly check is only one part of a claiming decision. A person may also need to consider current income needs, health, life expectancy, work plans, taxes, Medicare, household savings and the potential effect on a surviving spouse. These factors do not change the official age percentage, but they can change how useful each option is to a household.

Spousal benefits use a different maximum and early-claiming reduction. Delayed retirement credits on a worker's benefit do not simply raise a spouse's own maximum spousal percentage. Survivor benefits also have separate eligibility ages and switching possibilities. The site's spousal-benefits COLA calculator models only a COLA scenario; it does not determine eligibility or a claiming strategy.

After choosing a start month with SSA, use the 2026 payment schedule to understand when benefits are generally paid. Benefits are usually paid the month after they are due, and the deposit date is separate from the benefit-amount calculation.

Never enter an SSN, claim number, bank account, Direct Express PIN or SSA credentials into a third-party pay chart. This page performs no account lookup. Only SSA can confirm the benefit amount and application status tied to an individual record.

Quick Answers About Social Security Benefits by Age

How much less is Social Security at 62 than at 67?

For a worker with FRA 67, starting at exactly 62 pays about 70% of PIA instead of 100% at 67. In the hypothetical $2,000-PIA example, that is $1,400 versus $2,000 before deductions and future adjustments.

Is age 65 full retirement age?

Not for people born in 1960 or later; their FRA is 67. At 65 they generally receive about 86.7% of PIA. Age 65 is usually the Medicare milestone, which is a separate rule.

How much more is Social Security at 70 than at 67?

For FRA 67, age 70 pays about 124% of PIA, or 24% more per month than starting at 67. The increase comes from 36 months of delayed retirement credits. No additional delayed credits accrue after 70.

Does the 2026 COLA change these percentages?

No. The 2.8% 2026 COLA changes eligible benefit amounts, while claiming-age factors still determine the share of PIA payable at the start age. Future COLAs generally apply after the benefit base is established.

Which age gives the highest monthly benefit?

Age 70 gives the highest claiming-age factor for a retired-worker benefit. That does not automatically make it the best personal start age, because the decision also involves earlier payment months, health, cash flow and household considerations.

This independent article explains public SSA rules and is not affiliated with SSA. Confirm your birth-year percentage, earnings record and estimated payment through SSA.gov before making a claiming decision.