Social Security Full Retirement Age (FRA) 2026

Your full retirement age is the age at which Social Security pays you 100% of your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) — the benefit SSA calculates from your lifetime earnings record. Claim before FRA and your monthly benefit is permanently reduced. Delay past FRA and you earn delayed retirement credits of 8% per year up to age 70.

FRA is not the same for everyone. It was set at 65 for those born before 1938, and Congress gradually raised it to 67 for those born in 1960 and later. The table below shows exactly where you fall.

Full Retirement Age by Birth Year

¹ Source: SSA — Retirement Age Background. No further increases to FRA are scheduled under current law.

FRA Lookup: What Claiming Age Means for Your Benefit

Enter your birth year to see your FRA, your benefit as a percentage of your PIA at each claiming age, and the break-even age for delaying to 70.

How the Reduction Formula Works

If you claim before FRA, your benefit is reduced using a two-tier formula set by law.²

• First 36 months before FRA: benefit reduced by 5/9 of 1% per month (= 6.667% per year).
• Each additional month before FRA (beyond 36): reduced by 5/12 of 1% per month (= 5% per year).

For someone with FRA = 67, claiming at 62 is exactly 60 months early:

• First 36 months: 36 × 5/9% = 20.0% reduction
• Next 24 months: 24 × 5/12% = 10.0% reduction
• Total: 30% reduction → 70% of PIA

For someone with FRA = 66, claiming at 62 is 48 months early:

• First 36 months: 36 × 5/9% = 20.0% reduction
• Next 12 months: 12 × 5/12% = 5.0% reduction
• Total: 25% reduction → 75% of PIA

These reductions are permanent — they apply to every check you receive for the rest of your life, and COLA increases are applied to the reduced amount, not your original PIA.

Delayed Retirement Credits: Earning More by Waiting Past FRA

If you delay claiming past your FRA, your benefit grows by 8% per year (2/3 of 1% per month) for every month you wait, up to age 70.³ After age 70, delayed credits stop accumulating — there is no benefit to waiting beyond 70.

2026 Maximum Social Security Benefits

The figures below are SSA's published maximum monthly benefit for workers with maximum taxable earnings for 35 years. Most workers receive significantly less.⁴

Average retired worker benefit in January 2026: $2,071/month. The "maximum" requires 35 years of earnings at or above the taxable maximum — most people's benefits are well below these figures.

How FRA Affects Spousal Benefits

Spousal and survivor benefits have their own rules tied to FRA:²

• Spousal benefit maximum: 50% of your spouse's PIA at their FRA — but only if you claim at your own FRA. Claiming your spousal benefit at 62 reduces it by 25–35% permanently (using a separate reduction schedule: 25/36 of 1% per month for the first 36 months, then 5/12 of 1% per month for additional months).
• Spousal benefit has no delayed retirement credits — waiting past your FRA does not increase your spousal benefit. The maximum is 50% of your spouse's PIA, available at your FRA.
• Survivor benefit: Widow(er)s can claim as early as 60 (or 50 if disabled). Reduction at 60 is approximately 28.5% — you receive 71.5% of the deceased's benefit. Claiming at your survivor FRA gives you 100%. See the Survivor Benefits Strategy page for full details and strategy comparison.

FRA and the Earnings Test

If you claim Social Security before FRA and continue working, the earnings test withholds a portion of your benefits:⁶

• Under FRA all year (2026): $1 withheld for every $2 earned above $24,480.
• Year you reach FRA: $1 withheld for every $3 earned above $65,160 (counted only for months before the month you reach FRA).
• At or after FRA: no earnings test — work as much as you want with no benefit reduction.

Withheld benefits are not lost permanently. SSA recalculates your benefit at FRA to credit back the withheld months.

The Claiming Decision: Is FRA the Right Age?

FRA gets treated as the "default" claiming age, but it's actually just one point on a spectrum. Whether to claim at 62, FRA, or 70 depends on factors the SSA doesn't model for you:

Sources

1. SSA — Retirement Age Background: Full Retirement Age by Birth Year. FRA table set by Social Security Amendments of 1983 (P.L. 98-21).
2. SSA — Effect of Early Retirement on Spouse's Benefits. Two-tier reduction formula: 5/9% per month (first 36 months), 5/12% per month (additional months).
3. SSA — Delayed Retirement Credits. 8% per year (2/3 of 1% per month) for claims after FRA up to age 70.
4. SSA FAQ — Maximum Social Security Retirement Benefit. 2026 maximum: $2,969 at 62, $4,152 at FRA (67), $5,181 at 70.
5. SSA — 2026 COLA Fact Sheet. 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment effective January 2026; average retired worker benefit $2,071/mo.
6. SSA — Exempt Amounts Under the Retirement Earnings Test (2026). $24,480 under FRA; $65,160 in year of FRA.

FRA table and benefit reduction formulas verified against SSA publications. 2026 maximum benefit figures from SSA COLA Fact Sheet and FAQ (published October 2025). Earnings test thresholds from SSA OACT. Values current as of April 2026.