Social Security claiming age calculator
Compare Social Security claiming ages (62–70) using lifetime benefits and discounted value. Add taxes/other income for scenarios (verify with SSA).
Compare starting benefits at different ages. Use your latest Social Security statement for the monthly amount at full retirement age.
Your Social Security estimate
Your Social Security is one piece of your retirement plan
You are here. Five more steps bring every piece together to answer the bigger question: will your money last as long as you do?
Your Social Security is one piece of your retirement plan
Your Social SecurityPieces still to add
- Current age
- Filing status
- FRA monthly benefit
Your retirement plan will also answer
- When can I and my spouse retire?
- How much should I save?
- When should I claim Social Security?
- Should I do Roth conversions?
- How much can I safely withdraw?
- Should I pay off debt first?
- Would my plan weather market ups and downs?
How it works · Your path to a full Finance plan
Social Security
You are hereAge 69
Income
Current income plus Social Security, pensions and annuities
Expenses
Day-to-day living, healthcare premiums and planned future costs
Assets
Homes, properties, investments and savings
Non-mortgage debts
Car loans, credit cards and other balances
Annual savings and review
Confirm yearly savings, then see your full plan
Interpretation
Understand your results
Planning context for the estimates above. Not tax, legal, or investment advice.
Interpretation
Understand your results
Planning context for the estimates above. Not tax, legal, or investment advice.
Your full retirement age is 67. Claiming at age 69 gives the highest total value in today's dollars ($562,842). Claiming at age 70 pays the most in total checks before taxes.
Break-even age (early vs. age 70): Age 82. If you expect to live past this age, delaying generally wins.
Methodology
How this calculator works
The rules and math behind this estimate.
Methodology
How this calculator works
The rules and math behind this estimate.
Each claim age adjusts your full-retirement benefit up or down using Social Security rules (lower if you claim early, higher if you delay to 70). Benefits increase each year by a default cost-of-living rate. A simplified tax on benefits uses federal rules with no other income assumed.
Comparisons run through age 90. "Today's dollars" discounts future checks using a default3% rate so you can compare ages fairly.
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers to common questions about this calculator.
When should I start Social Security?
You can start as early as 62 for a smaller check, or wait until 70 for the largest monthly amount. The best age depends on health, other income, and whether you're married.
What is full retirement age?
The age when you get your full benefit with no early reduction. It is 67 for people born in 1960 or later; slightly younger for older birth years.
What if I wait past full retirement age?
Benefits grow about 8% per year until age 70. There is no bonus for waiting after 70.
Is Social Security taxed?
Up to 85% can be taxable if your other income is high enough. Many people with modest income pay little or no tax on benefits.
Retirement is more than your money
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