Wealthy PotSocial Security Claiming Age & Break-Even Calculator
See your Social Security benefit at every age from 62 to 70, the break-even age between any two claiming ages, lifetime totals, and what a spouse and a surviving spouse would get, using SSA's own rounding rules.
How it works
Enter your benefit at full retirement age from your Social Security statement and your date of birth. The calculator applies SSA's rules month by month, rounds the way SSA does (down to the dime, then down to the dollar), and compares any two claiming ages. The break-even is the first month in which the later claim has paid at least as much in total as the earlier one.
Your benefit at each age (full retirement age 67)
| Claim at | Share of full benefit | On a $2,000 full benefit |
|---|---|---|
| 62 | 70% | $1,400 |
| 63 | 75% | $1,500 |
| 64 | 80% | $1,600 |
| 65 | 86.7% | $1,733 |
| 66 | 93.3% | $1,866 |
| 67 | 100% | $2,000 |
| 68 | 108% | $2,160 |
| 69 | 116% | $2,320 |
| 70 | 124% | $2,480 |
Hypothetical $2,000 example; percentages from SSA's Benefits Planner. The calculator does the exact cents.
What break-even leaves out
- How long you will live is a probability, not a date. In SSA's 2023 period life table, a 62-year-old man has about a two-in-three chance of living past 78 years and 8 months (the 62-versus-67 break-even), and a woman about three in four.
- Couples. For the higher earner, the bigger check can continue to the surviving spouse, so the relevant lifetime is the longer of two.
- What the money could earn. Use the discount rate to see the effect: at 2% a year after inflation, the 62-versus-67 break-even moves out to about 81.
- Taxes on benefits, Medicare premiums deducted from your check, and the January timing of delayed credits.
Related: spousal benefits, the average Social Security check, the 2027 COLA, and when Americans actually retire.
Sources
20 CFR part 404: 404.409 (full retirement age), 404.410 (age reductions, with the worked examples this calculator reproduces to the cent), 404.313 (delayed retirement credits), 404.338 (survivor benefits), 404.304(f) (rounding); SSA POMS RS 00615.101 and RS 00615.692 (exact computation); SSA's Benefits Planner pages on early and delayed retirement; the 2026 COLA and earnings-test amounts from SSA's notice in the Federal Register (90 FR 49047); SSA's 2023 period life table. This is an estimate for general information, not financial advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Social Security break-even age?
The age at which claiming later has paid you as much in total as claiming earlier. With full retirement age at 67, the break-even is about 78 years and 8 months for 62 versus 67, 82 years and 6 months for 67 versus 70, and 80 years and 5 months for 62 versus 70, in today's dollars. If you live past it, waiting paid more; if not, claiming early did.
How much less do I get if I claim at 62?
For anyone born in 1960 or later, claiming at 62 pays 70% of the full benefit, a 30% cut. SSA reduces the benefit by 5/9 of 1% for each of the first 36 months before full retirement age and 5/12 of 1% for each month beyond that (20 CFR 404.410). On a $1,000 full benefit that is $700 at 62, $750 at 63, $800 at 64, $866 at 65 and $933 at 66.
How much more do I get if I wait until 70?
Delayed retirement credits add 2/3 of 1% for every month you wait past full retirement age, 8% a year, until 70 (20 CFR 404.313). With full retirement age at 67, waiting to 70 pays 124% of the full benefit: $1,240 a month instead of $1,000. There is no extra credit for waiting past 70.
What is my full retirement age?
67 if you were born in 1960 or later. It is 66 for births from 1943 to 1954 and rises by 2 months a year for 1955 to 1959. SSA treats people born on January 1 as born in the previous year, because you reach an age the day before your birthday.
Does waiting increase my spouse's benefit?
Not the spousal benefit: it is up to 50% of your full benefit at your full retirement age, with no delayed credits. But it does increase the survivor benefit. A widow or widower can get 100% of what you were receiving, including delayed credits, which is why delaying often makes most sense for the higher earner in a couple.
Can I work and collect Social Security before full retirement age?
Yes, but in 2026 SSA withholds $1 of benefits for every $2 you earn above $24,480, and $1 for every $3 above $65,160 in the year you reach full retirement age. Withheld benefits are not lost: your monthly amount is recalculated upward at full retirement age.
Does the COLA change the break-even age?
Not in today's dollars. Cost-of-living adjustments are applied to your benefit every year from age 62, whether or not you have claimed, so they raise every claiming option by the same proportion. The 2026 COLA was 2.8%.
Where do I find my benefit at full retirement age?
On your Social Security statement at ssa.gov/myaccount. The figure for your full retirement age is your primary insurance amount (PIA), the number this calculator starts from.
Are Social Security benefits taxed?
Up to 85% of them can be, depending on your other income. IRS Publication 915 adds half your benefits to all your other income: above $25,000 (single or head of household) or $32,000 (married filing jointly), up to 50% of benefits can be taxable; above $34,000 or $44,000, up to 85%. Medicare Part B premiums are usually deducted from the check before you receive it; see our 2026 Part B premium guide.
