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Deciding When to Claim Social Security

You can start as early as 62 or wait as late as 70. The age you pick changes your check for life, and for a married couple, it can change the surviving spouse's check too.

In one minute

  • For anyone born in 1960 or later, full retirement age is 67.1
  • Claiming at 62 cuts the benefit by up to 30%, permanently.1
  • Waiting past 67 adds about 8% a year, up to age 70.2
  • When one spouse dies, the survivor generally keeps the larger of the two checks, so the higher earner's choice affects both.3
Part 1

How claiming age changes the check

62Earliest age. Benefit reduced up to 30% if your full retirement age is 671
67Full retirement age for people born 1960 or later1
70Delayed credits stop. Benefit about 24% higher than at 672

Cost-of-living increases apply no matter when you start. For 2026, benefits rose 2.8%.4

Part 2

Try your number

Compare claiming at 62, 67 and 70

$
$1,750Claim at 62 (70%)
$2,500Claim at 67 (100%)
$3,100Claim at 70 (124%)
about 79Age when waiting until 67 catches up with claiming at 62
about 83Age when waiting until 70 catches up with claiming at 67
Find your full-retirement-age estimate in your my Social Security account at ssa.gov. Uses the standard percentages for a full retirement age of 67 and today's dollars. Ignores cost-of-living increases, taxes and investment returns, so treat the "catch-up" ages as rough guides, not predictions.
Part 3

Married couples

Spousal benefits

A spouse can receive up to 50% of the other spouse's full-retirement-age benefit, if that's more than their own. Spousal benefits don't grow by waiting past full retirement age.3

Survivor benefits

A surviving spouse at full retirement age can receive up to 100% of what the deceased spouse was receiving.3 That's why the higher earner waiting can be a form of protection for the spouse who lives longer.

Part 4

Working while you collect

If you claim before full retirement age and keep working, Social Security may hold back some benefits:5

2026 situationEarnings limitWhat's withheld
Under full retirement age all year$24,480$1 for every $2 above the limit
Reaching full retirement age in 2026$65,160$1 for every $3 above, until that month
At or past full retirement ageNo limitNothing

Withheld benefits aren't lost for good. Your benefit is recalculated upward at full retirement age.5

Part 5

How people decide

  • Health and family longevity. Longer expected lifespans tend to favor waiting.
  • Other income. Savings can bridge the years before a later claim.
  • A spouse's protection. The higher earner's age at claiming sets the survivor's check.
  • Taxes. Claiming age interacts with IRA withdrawals and how much of your benefit is taxed.

See how Social Security fits with your savings in Planning for Retirement? Start Here.

Want to see claiming age in your whole retirement picture?

Claiming decisions interact with savings withdrawals, taxes and a spouse's benefits. A conversation can line those up so you can compare options side by side.

Book a time with Kevin Educational only. Your own benefit estimates come from your my Social Security account at ssa.gov.

Sources

  1. Social Security Administration, Retirement Benefits: Starting Your Retirement Benefits Early. Accessed November 10, 2026.
  2. Social Security Administration, Delayed Retirement Credits. Accessed November 10, 2026.
  3. Social Security Administration, Benefits for Your Spouse and Survivor Benefits. Accessed November 10, 2026.
  4. Social Security Administration, Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Information for 2026. Accessed November 10, 2026.
  5. Social Security Administration, Exempt Amounts Under the Earnings Test and Receiving Benefits While Working. Accessed November 10, 2026.

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