What's the retirement age for full Social Security benefits? It's changed. What to know

Turning 65 and reasoning astir retiring and claiming Social Security? Depending connected your fund and means, you mightiness privation to clasp off.

That's due to the fact that your monthly Social Security benefit whitethorn beryllium higher for you – and, eventually, your spouse – if you hold adjacent a fewer months to apply.

For decades, you could use for Social Security astatine property 62, but you didn't get afloat benefits unless you signed up astatine property 65. But that "full status age," has gradually accrued implicit the years – and it's precocious accrued again. For those calved successful 1960 oregon later, the afloat status property is 67.

The changes successful afloat status property travel from legislation, which aimed to enactment up the program, passed successful 1983 and signed by President Ronald Reagan, according to AARP. Nearly 74 million Americans get Social Security benefits.

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The changes aren't new, but are "more connected to erstwhile your commencement is and truthful erstwhile your afloat status property is," Joel Eskovitz, elder manager for Social Security and savings astatine the AARP Public Policy Institute, told USA TODAY successful December 2024. "You get little benefits if you assertion earlier that status age. Every period aboriginal you claim, you get a reduction."

The property of 65 remains an important twelvemonth for those readying status due to the fact that it's the property erstwhile radical go eligible for Medicare, a information that "is successful galore ways much important than the afloat status age," Gal Wettstein, a elder probe economist astatine the Center for Retirement Research astatine Boston College, antecedently told USA TODAY.

When to discontinue and use for Social Security is simply a idiosyncratic determination based connected galore factors. But you tin use for the programme astatine property 62.

However, the longer you hold taking Social Security, the bigger your monthly check. By taking Social Security earlier your afloat status age, your monthly outgo "will beryllium permanently reduced, by arsenic overmuch arsenic 30%," according to AARP.

For instance, if you retired and filed for Social Security this twelvemonth astatine "full status age," your maximum payment would beryllium $4,018, according to the Social Security Administration website. But let's accidental you discontinue this twelvemonth astatine property 62 and file, your maximum payment would beryllium $2,831.

Wait beyond your afloat status property and you get a bonus beyond the afloat status property benefit. For instance, if you are property 70 and filed for Social Security this year, your maximum payment would beryllium $5,108.

"Any twelvemonth that you hold claiming aft 62 until you scope 70, increases the monthly payment that you get," Wettstein said.

Social Security: Here's the champion property to instrumentality the benefit, based connected the 1 adaptable that truly matters

To cod what's considered afloat Social Security benefits, you hold until astatine slightest your "full status age." Here's the afloat status property for those calved from 1943 and on:

• 1943-1954: 66 years old

• 1955: 66 years and 2 months

• 1956: 66 years and 4 months

• 1957: 66 years and six months

• 1958: 66 years and 8 months

• 1959: 66 years and 10 months

• 1960 and later: 67 years of age

Mike Snider is simply a newsman connected USA TODAY’s Trending team. You tin travel him connected Threads, Bluesky, X and email him astatine mikegsnider  &  @mikegsnider.bsky.social  &  @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com

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This nonfiction primitively appeared connected USA TODAY: Social Security status property for afloat benefits has risen