SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
Choosing when to start receiving retirement benefits is a personal decision. If you choose to retire and begin receiving benefits when you reach your full retirement age, you’ll receive your full benefit amount. We will reduce your benefit amount if you decide to start benefits before reaching full retirement age.
To make an informed choice, consider the following factors as you think about when to start your Social Security benefits.
What Age Should You Start To Receive Benefits?
The age you begin receiving your retirement benefit affects how much your monthly benefits will be. There are three important things to know about age when thinking about when to start your benefits.
Full Retirement Age
Full retirement age is the age when you can start receiving your full retirement benefit amount. The full retirement age is 66 if you were born from 1943 to 1954. The full retirement age increases gradually if you were born from 1955 to 1960, until it reaches 67. For anyone born 1960 or later, full retirement benefits are payable at age 67. You can find your full retirement age by birth year in the full retirement age chart.
Early Retirement Age
You can get Social Security retirement benefits as early as age 62. However, we’ll reduce your benefit if you start receiving benefits before your full retirement age. Visit our website to learn how claiming retirement benefits early will affect your benefit amount.
Delayed Retirement Age
When you delay benefits beyond your full retirement age, the amount of your retirement benefit will continue to increase up until age 70. There is no incentive to delay claiming after age 70.