Should I claim Social Security at 62, 67, or 70?
See your estimated monthly benefit at each claiming age, the break-even point between options, and lifetime totals. The single biggest retirement decision most Americans make.
Your details
Simplified estimate. For exact figures, visit ssa.gov/myaccount.
Used to estimate your career-average earnings
Planned claiming age
Monthly benefit at age 67
Simplified estimate$3,013
Your full retirement age is 67 years.
Primary worker — claiming ages
Earliest
62
Monthly
$2,109
Through age 85
$582,024
Full retirement
67
Monthly
$3,013
Through age 85
$650,710
Maximum
70
Monthly
$3,736
Through age 85
$672,400
Lifetime totals (through age 85)
Flat dollars — toggle COLA on the left to see inflation-adjusted totals.
- Break-even age (FRA vs. claim at 62)78.7 years old
- Break-even age (70 vs. claim at 62)80.4 years old
- Lifetime — claim at 62$582,024
- Lifetime — claim at FRA$650,710
- Lifetime — claim at 70$672,400
AI Analysis
Why claiming age matters more than most people realize
Social Security pays you for life. Whatever monthly amount you lock in when you first claim, that's your baseline forever (with annual cost-of-living adjustments). And the difference between claiming at 62 versus 70 is roughly 78% per month — for the same person, on the same earnings record.
The trade-off: claim early, get more checks but each one is smaller. Claim late, get fewer checks but each one is much larger. The break-even point — when delayed claiming starts paying off in lifetime totals — typically lands somewhere between 78 and 82 years old, depending on your specific numbers.
How Social Security calculates your benefit
The SSA looks at your 35 highest-earning years, indexes them for inflation, and averages them into your AIME (Average Indexed Monthly Earnings). Your benefit is then derived from AIME using a progressive formula: 90% of the first $1,226 of AIME, 32% of the next $6,165, and 15% above that. Higher earners get proportionally less back — Social Security replaces a smaller percentage of pre-retirement income for high earners than for low earners.
This calculator is a simplified estimate. Our math approximates AIME from your recent income; the actual SSA calculation uses your full earnings history. For your exact projected benefit, log into ssa.gov/myaccount — the official SSA portal shows your real numbers based on what they have on file.
Sources
Benefit formula and PIA computation from the SSA PIA formula reference. Annual bend points from the SSA bend points table. 2026 COLA announcement at ssa.gov/cola.
Frequently asked questions
What is Full Retirement Age and why does it matter?
FRA is the age at which you can claim 100% of your earned benefit. If you were born in 1960 or later, your FRA is 67. Earlier birth years have FRAs between 65 and 66 years 10 months. Claiming before FRA permanently reduces your check; claiming after FRA permanently increases it (up to age 70).
How much does delaying past FRA actually pay?
Each year you delay past FRA, your benefit grows by 8% (these are called 'delayed retirement credits'). Stretched across 3 years from 67 to 70, that's a 24% bigger monthly check for life. There's no benefit to delaying past 70 — credits stop accumulating.
What if I keep working after I claim?
Before FRA, the SSA will withhold $1 for every $2 you earn above ~$23,400 per year. After FRA, you can earn unlimited income with no benefit reduction. Withheld benefits aren't lost — they're recouped through a slightly higher monthly amount once you reach FRA.
Are Social Security benefits taxed?
Yes — at the federal level, between 0% and 85% of your benefits may be taxable depending on your other income. Most US states don't tax Social Security, but a handful still do (the list shrinks every few years as states phase it out). This calculator shows your gross benefit before tax.
What about spousal and survivor benefits?
A spouse can claim up to 50% of the higher earner's FRA benefit, and survivor benefits can be up to 100%. These claiming strategies are outside the scope of this simplified calculator — talk to a fiduciary financial advisor if you're weighing these options, especially if you've been married 10+ years.