You can claim Social Security retirement benefits as early as 62. You get your full benefit only at full retirement age (67 if you were born in 1960 or later). If you wait past that age, SSA adds delayed retirement credits until 70. There is no single best month for every household. The right claim date depends on cash you need now, whether you will keep working, health and longevity, and whether a spouse or survivor will rely on your record.
This is education, not a claiming recommendation. Your numbers live in a my Social Security account, not in a blog table.
When can I start Social Security?
SSA’s retirement age and benefit reduction page is the rulebook:
- Earliest: 62 (you must be 62 for the entire month).
- Full retirement age (FRA): 66 and a few months if you were born 1955–1959; 67 if born 1960 or later.
- Latest useful delay: 70. Credits stop there.
If you start early, the monthly benefit is permanently reduced. If you delay after FRA, it is permanently increased until 70.
SSA’s own example: a $1,000 benefit at FRA for someone born 1960 or later would be about $700 at 62—a 30% cut. Spouse’s benefits have their own, steeper early-reduction percentages on that same chart.
Delaying from FRA to 70 earns delayed retirement credits. For people born 1943 or later, that increase is 8% per year (two-thirds of 1% per month) until 70 (delayed retirement credits). Three full years after a FRA of 67 is about 24% more than the FRA amount—not 24% more than the age-62 amount.
Is it better to take Social Security at 62 or wait?
62 pays a smaller check for more years. 70 pays a larger check for fewer years. SSA does not pick a winner. It lists the tradeoff in plain language: early means more months of checks; waiting means a larger monthly amount (plan for retirement).
Waiting is harder to reverse in practice than claiming early (you have a limited window to withdraw an application in some cases—confirm current SSA rules if you just filed). Claiming early because a relative “got theirs” is not a plan. Claiming late because an article said “everyone should wait until 70” is not a plan either.
Factors that often pull earlier:
- You need the income to keep housing and food stable.
- You have stopped working and have little other cash.
- Health or family history makes a long retirement less likely.
- A spouse or child may need family benefits to start (timing can matter; SSA’s planner covers family and survivor rules).
Factors that often pull later:
- You can pay bills without the check.
- You expect to live a long time, or a younger spouse may rely on a higher survivor benefit tied to your record.
- You are still earning enough that the retirement earnings test would withhold a large share of benefits before FRA.
What is full retirement age?
Full retirement age is the age when you can receive 100% of the benefit SSA calculated from your lifetime earnings. It is not 65 for people born in 1960 or later. Use SSA’s chart by year of birth, including the footnotes about January 1 birthdays.
Your estimate at 62, FRA, and 70 is on ssa.gov/myaccount. The online calculator is for a rough check, not a substitute for your earnings record.
Can I work and collect Social Security?
Yes. After you reach full retirement age, earnings do not reduce the benefit.
Before FRA, SSA may withhold benefits if you earn over the annual limit (receiving benefits while working; FAQ):
| Situation in 2026 | Earnings limit | Withholding |
|---|---|---|
| Under FRA all year | $24,480 | $1 withheld for every $2 over the limit |
| Year you reach FRA | $65,160 (earnings before the FRA month) | $1 withheld for every $3 over that limit |
| Month you reach FRA and after | No earnings limit | None |
Withheld benefits are not a tax. SSA later credits them when it recalculates at FRA. If you will keep a full-time wage well above $24,480, claiming at 62 can mean months with no check. Run SSA’s earnings-test calculator rather than guessing.
There is a special monthly rule in the first year you retire mid-year if your annual pay already blew past the yearly cap. For 2026, SSA treats you as retired in a month you earn $2,040 or less (under FRA all year) or $5,430 or less (year you reach FRA), if you are not doing substantial self-employment. Details: special earnings limit rule.
Are Social Security benefits taxable?
They can be. SSI is not. Retirement, survivor, and disability benefits may be partly taxable if “combined income” (including tax-exempt interest plus half of your benefits) exceeds IRS base amounts (IRS Social Security income FAQs):
- $25,000 if single, head of household, or qualifying surviving spouse (and some married-filing-separately cases if you lived apart all year)
- $32,000 if married filing jointly
- $0 if married filing separately and you lived with your spouse at any time during the year
Up to 50% or 85% of benefits can be included in taxable income depending on income. Use Publication 915 or the Form 1040 instructions. You can have tax withheld from the benefit. This is not the same as the earnings test.
Traditional 401(k) and IRA withdrawals count as other income in that combined-income math. Roth vs traditional timing (guide) can change how much of a Social Security check is taxed. That is a reason to look at the household, not one account.
How do I decide in practice?
Pull the official estimates. Then write three numbers: check at 62, at FRA, at 70. Add whether you will work, whether a spouse is claiming on your record, and whether you can fund the gap from savings without raiding an emergency fund you still need.
If the 62 check is the only way rent clears, that is the decision. If you can wait and a survivor would live on this record for decades, delaying can be the household’s insurance policy. SSA’s plan for retirement page is the place to start the application when you are ready.
Sources
- SSA, Starting benefits early / FRA chart.
- SSA, Delayed retirement credits.
- SSA, Plan for retirement.
- SSA, Receiving benefits while working (2026 earnings limits $24,480 and $65,160).
- SSA, Special earnings limit rule.
- SSA, my Social Security.
- IRS, Social Security income and Publication 915.
- SSA’s $1,000 FRA example is SSA’s illustration, not your benefit.
