Updated July 17, 2026. Social Security full retirement age depends on the year you were born. It is 65 for people born in 1937 or earlier, rises in two-month steps for later birth years, and reaches 67 for people born in 1960 or later.
Full retirement age, or FRA, is the point when a retired worker can receive 100% of the primary insurance amount calculated from that worker's earnings record. It is not necessarily the age when someone stops working, begins Medicare or chooses to claim benefits.
Complete Social Security Full Retirement Age Chart
| Year of birth | Full retirement age |
|---|---|
| 1937 or earlier | 65 |
| 1938 | 65 years, 2 months |
| 1939 | 65 years, 4 months |
| 1940 | 65 years, 6 months |
| 1941 | 65 years, 8 months |
| 1942 | 65 years, 10 months |
| 1943–1954 | 66 |
| 1955 | 66 years, 2 months |
| 1956 | 66 years, 4 months |
| 1957 | 66 years, 6 months |
| 1958 | 66 years, 8 months |
| 1959 | 66 years, 10 months |
| 1960 or later | 67 |
The chart reflects current law and SSA's retired-worker rules as of July 17, 2026. It does not show a proposed retirement-age change, and it should not be substituted for the separate survivor-benefit FRA rules. Confirm your exact date with SSA before choosing a benefit start month.
How to Use the Retirement Age Chart
- Find your birth year in the first column.
- Add the listed years and months to your date of birth.
- Use SSA's birth-date calculator to confirm the precise FRA month.
- Compare benefit start months—not just whole-number ages—because early reductions and delayed credits are calculated monthly.
For example, someone born in June 1957 has an FRA of 66 years and 6 months, placing the milestone around December 2023. A person born in June 1960 has an FRA of 67, placing it around June 2027. These examples illustrate calendar arithmetic, not an account determination.
The January 1 birthday rule
SSA says that if your birthday is January 1, use the previous year when determining FRA. A person born January 1, 1960 generally refers to the 1959 row, which lists 66 years and 10 months. This rule is easy to miss in simplified charts, so confirm it through SSA's calculator.
Readers born in 1959 can use the dedicated 1959 full retirement age and application guide for start-month and application timing. This chart keeps that cohort to one lookup row so the two pages do not duplicate the same material.
What Full Retirement Age Changes
FRA is a Social Security calculation milestone. It does not require you to retire from a job or apply for benefits, but it changes how claiming age and work earnings affect a retired-worker benefit.
| When benefits begin | Retirement benefit effect | Work earnings test |
|---|---|---|
| Before FRA, as early as 62 | Monthly benefit is reduced based on months early | Some checks may be withheld above the annual limit |
| At FRA | 100% of the worker's PIA before other adjustments | Stops beginning with the FRA month |
| After FRA through 70 | Delayed retirement credits increase the monthly amount | No retirement earnings test |
The reduction for claiming early is generally permanent. Earnings-test withholding is different: SSA says it recalculates the benefit at FRA to credit months when checks were withheld because earnings were above the limit. FRA also does not eliminate possible federal income tax on benefits or deductions such as Medicare premiums.
For a percentage example at the key ages, see the Social Security benefits-by-age pay chart. Your personal PIA and start-month estimate must come from SSA's records.
How Birth Year Changes the Age-62 Reduction
The farther age 62 is from FRA, the larger the maximum early-retirement reduction. SSA reduces a retired-worker benefit by 5/9 of 1% for each of the first 36 early months and 5/12 of 1% for additional early months. The resulting age-62 reductions are approximately:
| Birth year | Months from 62 to FRA | Approximate reduction at 62 | Approximate PIA payable |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 or earlier | 36 | 20.0% | 80.0% |
| 1938 | 38 | 20.83% | 79.17% |
| 1939 | 40 | 21.67% | 78.33% |
| 1940 | 42 | 22.5% | 77.5% |
| 1941 | 44 | 23.33% | 76.67% |
| 1942 | 46 | 24.17% | 75.83% |
| 1943–1954 | 48 | 25.0% | 75.0% |
| 1955 | 50 | 25.83% | 74.17% |
| 1956 | 52 | 26.67% | 73.33% |
| 1957 | 54 | 27.5% | 72.5% |
| 1958 | 56 | 28.33% | 71.67% |
| 1959 | 58 | 29.17% | 70.83% |
| 1960 or later | 60 | 30.0% | 70.0% |
These percentages compare a worker claiming exactly at 62 with that worker's PIA. They are not a national dollar payment and do not describe a spouse or surviving spouse. Starting later than 62 but before FRA produces a smaller reduction calculated by the exact number of early months.
Full Retirement Age Is Not the Same as 65 or 70
- Age 65: generally the first Medicare eligibility age, not Social Security FRA for most current new retirees.
- Full retirement age: the birth-year-specific point for 100% of PIA and the end of the retirement earnings test.
- Age 70: the point when delayed retirement credits stop increasing a retired-worker benefit.
Someone can sign up for Medicare at 65 and delay Social Security retirement benefits. Conversely, someone who began Social Security before 65 may be automatically enrolled in parts of Medicare when eligible. Employer group coverage can change when delaying Part B is appropriate, so Medicare timing should be confirmed separately through SSA and Medicare.
For people born in 1943 or later, delayed retirement credits generally add 8% per year after FRA, calculated monthly, until 70. Continuing to delay the retirement claim beyond 70 earns no additional age credit. The separate 2026 maximum benefit guide explains why age 70 is the highest national claiming-age example without promising that amount to every worker.
Retirement FRA and Survivor FRA Are Not Always the Same
The main chart on this page is for a worker's own retirement benefit. Survivor benefits use a separate full-retirement-age schedule, and surviving spouses may be eligible for reduced survivor benefits before survivor FRA. Do not use the retired-worker row to calculate a widow's or widower's percentage.
Spousal benefits also have separate early-reduction rules. A spouse's maximum benefit is generally based on a share of the worker's PIA at the spouse's FRA, not the worker's delayed age-70 amount. The site's spousal-benefits COLA calculator illustrates COLA scenarios only; it does not establish eligibility, FRA or a claiming strategy.
SSDI and SSI are different programs as well. Disability benefits do not use this chart as a simple “choose 62 through 70” schedule, and SSI eligibility is based on income, resources and other program rules. Ask SSA which benefit type and FRA definition applies to a specific claim.
How to Confirm Your Personal Full Retirement Age
- Use SSA.gov's Full Retirement Age tool and enter your complete birth date.
- Sign in directly at my Social Security to review the earnings record and retirement estimates.
- Compare exact benefit start months from 62 through 70 instead of relying only on whole ages.
- If you plan to work before FRA, review the current-year earnings limit with SSA.
- Confirm Medicare enrollment separately, especially if you delay Social Security past 65.
- Keep the official estimate or notice with your retirement records.
The FRA month determines the claiming adjustment, but it does not by itself determine the monthly deposit date. After benefits start, most post-May 1997 beneficiaries are paid on a Wednesday based on the relevant birth date, while SSI and some older or combined-benefit cases follow different rules. See the 2026 payment schedule for timing.
Never enter an SSN, claim number, bank information, Direct Express PIN or SSA password into a third-party age chart. This page performs no account lookup. Only SSA can confirm your record, estimated amount, application and entitlement month.
Why Full Retirement Age Rose From 65 to 67
Full retirement age was 65 for many years. Congress changed the schedule in the 1983 Social Security amendments, and the increase was phased in by birth year rather than imposed on everyone at once. That is why two people who retire in the same calendar year can have different FRA rules.
The phase-in has two blocks:
- For birth years 1938 through 1942, FRA rises from 65 years and 2 months to 65 years and 10 months.
- After the 1943–1954 group at age 66, birth years 1955 through 1959 rise from 66 years and 2 months to 66 years and 10 months.
- For 1960 and later, FRA is 67 under current law.
The gaps are deliberate. The long 1943–1954 range at age 66 separates the two gradual increases. The chart therefore does not increase by two months in every birth year without interruption.
Discussions and bills sometimes propose changing retirement ages in the future. A proposal is not the same as enacted law. This article uses SSA's current statutory chart as of July 17, 2026 and will not replace the 1960-or-later age-67 row unless official law and SSA guidance change.
The gradual FRA increase also explains why the maximum reduction for claiming at 62 became larger across birth cohorts. Age 62 remained the earliest standard retired-worker claiming age while FRA moved later, adding more early months to the calculation. That does not mean eligibility at 62 disappeared.
FRA also does not set a legal age for leaving employment. A person may stop working before FRA, keep working afterward, or delay a Social Security application independently of the job decision. The benefit formula, employer retirement plan, Medicare coverage and workplace policies are separate systems. When retirement income depends on several of them, compare each plan's official rules instead of using the Social Security FRA row as a universal retirement date.
Quick Answers About Social Security Retirement Age
What is full retirement age for someone born in 1958?
It is 66 years and 8 months for a retired-worker benefit, subject to SSA's birthday conventions.
What is full retirement age for someone born in 1959?
It is 66 years and 10 months. Because the exact month depends on the birth date, use SSA's calculator before selecting an application start month.
What is full retirement age for someone born in 1960 or later?
It is 67 under current law. Someone attaining age 62 in 2026 was born in 1964 and therefore falls in this group.
Can I claim Social Security before full retirement age?
A retired worker can generally start as early as 62, but the monthly amount is reduced for the number of months before FRA. Working before FRA may also trigger temporary earnings-test withholding.
Does my benefit keep increasing after age 70?
No additional delayed retirement credits accrue after 70. Continued covered work could still affect the highest-35-year earnings calculation, but waiting to file beyond 70 does not add another age credit.
SocialSecurityPayment.net is an independent information site and is not affiliated with SSA. This chart explains current public rules; confirm account-specific dates and amounts through SSA.gov.
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