The full retirement age varies according to the claimant’s age. Following the near-collapse of the Social Security program in the early 1980s, the standard retirement age, which was 65 at the time and had been since its inception, began to be gradually raised with the goal of eventually raising it to 67 years old.
The process was lengthy to ensure that those approaching retirement were not caught off guard by the increase, and it was completed gradually enough that the full retirement age increase process is still ongoing. Those born after 1960 have a retirement age of 67, but those born before that date will still retire between the ages of 66 and 67.
To ensure that no future retiree tries to claim early without fully understanding their retirement age, the table below will help you determine which month will guarantee full benefits.
| If you were born in: | You reach full retirement age in: |
| May 1958 | January 2025 |
| June 1958 | February 2025 |
| July 1958 | March 2025 |
| August 1958 | April 2025 |
| September 1958 | May 2025 |
| October 1958 | June 2025 |
| November 1958 | July 2025 |
| December 1958 | August 2025 |
| — | September 2025 |
| — | October 2025 |
| January 1959 | November 2025 |
| February 1959 | December 2025 |
Why does the correct retirement age to claim Social Security benefits matter so much?
Even though there is a full retirement age (the age at which you can receive 100% of your benefits based on your record), there are many other ages at which workers choose to retire and claim benefits, and the full retirement age is not one of the most popular.
It is still critical to know when your full benefit will become available because the rest of the claiming ages will use it as a benchmark to calculate your benefits.
For example, those born in 1960 or later who claim Social Security at age 62 face a 30% reduction in benefits. This is because, for the first 36 months of early claiming, the reduction is approximately 0.55% per month, for a total of 5/9 of 1% of the primary insurance amount (PIA) or benefit at full retirement age.
After 36 months, the reduction is down to 0.42% per month, or 5/12 of 1%. If you claim Social Security at the age of 62, you will be 60 months ahead of your full retirement age, resulting in a maximum 30% reduction.
Despite this, it remains one of the most popular ages for claiming benefits, even if a worker does not leave the workforce. It is closely followed by age 65, which has a unique feature that makes it more appealing to workers.
Despite all of the program’s changes, 65 remains the age at which workers become eligible for Medicare, and given that health insurance is one of the most significant expenses for workers, it stands to reason that once it becomes available through the state, those who want or need to stop working will do so.
Furthermore, the reduction in benefits for claiming at that stage would be less severe; workers would be entitled to approximately 87% of their full benefit amount, making the drawbacks less significant.
Workers can choose to retire after their full retirement age and wait until age 70 to claim 124% of their full benefits, but this is only an option for a small percentage of the population who can afford to wait or work until that age to receive a higher pay.
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