Loading...
Compare benefits at every claiming age. Find your break-even point. Maximize your lifetime income.
Find at ssa.gov/myaccount
| Claim Age | Monthly | % of FRA | Annual | Lifetime Total | Break-Even |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 62(earliest) | $1,540 | 70% | $18,480 | $425,040 | — |
| Age 63 | $1,650 | 75% | $19,800 | $435,600 | Age 77 |
| Age 64 | $1,760 | 80% | $21,120 | $443,520 | Age 78 |
| Age 65 | $1,907 | 87% | $22,884 | $457,680 | Age 78 |
| Age 66 | $2,053 | 93% | $24,636 | $468,084 | Age 79 |
| Age 67(FRA) | $2,200 | 100% | $26,400 | $475,200 | Age 79 |
| Age 68 | $2,376 | 108% | $28,512 | $484,704 | Age 80 |
| Age 69 | $2,552 | 116% | $30,624 | $489,984 | Age 80 |
| Age 70(max)★ Best | $2,728 | 124% | $32,736 | $491,040 | Age 81 |
Our Recommendation
$2,728/month → $491,040 lifetime total
Based on average health status (life expectancy ~85). Delaying to 70 maximizes your lifetime benefits.
Social Security benefits are calculated based on your Full Retirement Age (FRA), which is 67 for anyone born in 1960 or later. Your benefit is adjusted up or down depending on when you claim:
Key Insight: The "break-even age" tells you when delaying pays off.
If you delay from 62 to 70, you "miss" 8 years of payments but get a permanently higher benefit. The break-even point where total lifetime benefits equal out is typically around age 80-82. If you live past that age, delaying wins — often by hundreds of thousands of dollars.
For someone with a $2,200/month benefit at FRA (67):
Taking SS early (62-64) makes sense if:
Delaying to 70 makes sense if:
If you're married, a lower-earning spouse can receive up to 50% of the higher earner's FRA benefit. Survivor benefits allow the surviving spouse to receive 100% of the deceased's benefit. This makes the higher earner's claiming age especially important — delaying increases the survivor benefit permanently.
💡 Strategy for married couples:
The higher earner should almost always delay to 70. The lower earner can claim earlier (62-67) to provide household income during the delay period. This maximizes lifetime household benefits and provides the strongest survivor protection.
Plug your Social Security income into our withdrawal calculator for a complete retirement spending plan.
Try the Free Calculator →Calculate your retirement number with Social Security factored in
Strategies for married couples, divorced spouses, and survivors
How Medicare premiums affect your net Social Security income