Decision 1 · Week 1 · Wed Nov 4
What is my full retirement age for Social Security?
SHORT ANSWERIt is 67 if you were born in 1960 or later. It is 66 if you were born from 1943 to 1954, and it rises by two months per birth year for people born 1955 to 1959.
Full retirement age is the age when Social Security pays 100% of the benefit your earnings record has earned. The Social Security Administration sets it by birth year: 66 for 1943 to 1954, 66 and 2 months for 1955, 66 and 4 months for 1956, 66 and 6 months for 1957, 66 and 8 months for 1958, 66 and 10 months for 1959, and 67 for 1960 and later.
Anyone turning 62 in 2026 was born in 1964, so their full retirement age is 67. Everyone still under 66 today is in the 67 group.
The age matters because every claiming choice is measured from it. Claim before it and the check is cut for life, about 30% at 62 when full retirement age is 67. Claim after it and the check grows 8% for each full year you wait, up to age 70.
Example: if your benefit at 67 is $2,000 a month, it would be $1,400 at 62 (70% of $2,000) and about $2,480 at 70 (124% of $2,000).
Full retirement age is a reference point, not a target. It does not tell you when to claim. That depends on your other income, your health, and, if you are married, what your spouse would receive as a survivor.
In Week 1 you write down your own full retirement age and the dollar amount SSA estimates at 62, at that age, and at 70.
Sources
- Benefits Planner: Retirement | Retirement Age and Benefit Reduction | SSA · Social Security Administration
- Benefits Planner: Retirement | Born in 1960 or later | SSA · Social Security Administration
- Retirement Benefits (Publication No. 05-10035, January 2026) · Social Security Administration
Written and reviewed by Todd Allyn, Founding Director, Sovereo Intelligence
Facts checked Oct 6, 2026 · Next review by Apr 6, 2027
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