RETIREMENT PLANNING · FREE TO USE
Social Security 62 vs 67 vs 70 Calculator
Compare monthly payments, total benefits and break-even ages when you start Social Security at 62, 67 or 70.
Rules and examples checked · Based on the SSA sources below
Your comparison
See what starting later changes
Enter your details, then select the blue button to see your results.
Or try an example to explore the calculator.
Total benefits over time
Each line shows benefits accumulated by that age. The table below has the same totals at your chosen age.
How to read this estimate
Independent planning tool, not affiliated with SSA. Confirm your personal benefit with Social Security.
Social Security at 62 vs 67 vs 70: what changes?
Starting earlier gives you more months of benefits. Starting later usually gives you a larger amount each month. This calculator shows both, so you can see when the larger payments catch up with the payments you passed up.
For a person whose full retirement age is 67, starting exactly 60 months early gives 70% of the full benefit; starting at 67 gives 100%; waiting until 70 gives 124%, assuming eligibility for all delayed credits. Birthdays and starting months can affect the result. Source: SSA's monthly age adjustments.
| Start at | Monthly benefit | Benefit months before 85 | Total before 85 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62 | $1,400 | 276 | $386,400 |
| 67 | $2,000 | 216 | $432,000 |
| 70 | $2,480 | 180 | $446,400 |
Illustration calculated with this tool using a fixed earnings record and fixed dollar amounts. Totals exclude the age-85 birthday month, future COLA, taxes, deductions and investment returns. They are benefit-month totals, not a forecast of bank deposits.
How to use the 62 vs 67 vs 70 calculator
1. Find your full retirement estimate
Use the monthly amount at full retirement age from my Social Security. Enter the amount before taxes and Medicare, in current dollars.
2. Choose a comparison age
Try 80, 85 and 90. This is a scenario you choose, not a prediction of how long you will live. Each total ends before that birthday month.
3. Compare the chart and catch-up ages
Look at both monthly income and the cumulative total. The break-even cards show the first whole-month boundary where a later start catches up with an earlier one.
If you do not have a statement amount, start with the Social Security benefits calculator. Transferring an earnings estimate preserves its different work histories for each claiming age.
How is the Social Security break-even age calculated?
First find the benefits forgone while waiting. Then divide that amount by the extra monthly benefit from starting later. The result is how many months the later payments need to catch up, under a fixed-benefit comparison.
Example: starting at 62 versus 67
In the example above, waiting five years means passing up 60 payments of $1,400, or $84,000. Starting at 67 adds $600 a month. Dividing $84,000 by $600 gives 140 months: 11 years and 8 months after age 67. The two totals meet at 78 years and 8 months.
| Starting ages compared | Later start catches up at |
|---|---|
| 62 vs 67 | 78 years, 8 months |
| 62 vs 70 | 80 years, 5 months |
| 67 vs 70 | 82 years, 6 months |
These ages belong to this example. Different birth dates, earnings assumptions, rounding or adjustments for investment returns can change them. A catch-up point can also fall beyond the comparison age you selected.
What else matters when choosing a claiming age?
Income while you wait
Consider how living costs would be covered before benefits begin and how waiting would affect savings withdrawals.
Health and a longer retirement
The total at one chosen age does not capture every possible lifespan. Try several comparison ages to understand the range of outcomes.
Work and family benefits
Employment can affect payments before full retirement age. A spouse or survivor may have separate benefit choices that this individual comparison does not calculate.
There is no single best starting age for everyone. These are factors to weigh alongside the numbers, as described in SSA's retirement planning guidance.
Questions about claiming at 62, 67 or 70
If I claim at 62, will I receive full benefits at 67?
The early-claim reduction generally continues after full retirement age. Turning 67 does not reset it. COLA, later earnings and adjustments for months withheld under the earnings test can change the dollar amount.
Does waiting from 67 to 70 add 24% or 77%?
With a full retirement age of 67, waiting until 70 adds 24% to the full-retirement-age amount. In the $2,000 example, $2,480 is also about 77% larger than the reduced $1,400 benefit at 62. These percentages use different starting amounts.
Are delayed credits the same as an 8% investment return?
No. For people born in 1943 or later, delayed credits increase the full benefit by 8% per year of eligible delay after full retirement age, up to 70. They are an adjustment to Social Security benefits, not a compounded investment account. Some credits may be applied after the first payment. SSA explains delayed credits.
Does this comparison include taxes or working while collecting?
No. It compares gross benefits. Taxes, Medicare deductions and earnings-test withholding can change what arrives in your account. It also excludes future COLA and investment returns on earlier payments.
What if my full retirement age is not 67?
The tool still compares 62, 67 and 70, and adds your actual full retirement age when it differs. Use the retirement age calculator to see the month-based rules for your birth date.
Can I use this to change benefits I already receive?
This is a comparison of hypothetical starting ages. It does not change an existing claim. Enter an unreduced full-retirement-age estimate, not your reduced current check, and ask SSA about the rules that apply to your existing claim.
Calculation details and official sources
Rules checked October 9, 2026. Starting-age adjustments follow SSA's monthly reduction and delayed-credit rules. Totals use fixed monthly amounts and whole benefit months; imported earnings estimates retain their age-specific amounts. The comparison does not predict future policy changes or your lifespan.