Social Security, explained before you decide
When you claim changes your income for the rest of your life, and the decision cannot be undone easily. Here is what waiting is worth, what it costs, and when claiming early is the right call.
See your benefit at every ageStart where you actually are
6 routes below. If none of them fits, the claiming-age calculator works from your own benefit figure.
The three things worth knowing
Every claiming age is a percentage of one number. Your benefit at full retirement age is the anchor. Claim at 62 and you get 70% of it, permanently. Wait until 70 and you get 124%, permanently. Nothing about that reverses later.
The break-even is usually around 80. Before that age, claiming early collected more in total. After it, waiting did. No calculator knows which side you will land on, which is why health and family history matter more here than arithmetic does.
Couples are making one decision, not two. When one spouse dies the survivor keeps the larger benefit, not both. That single rule is why delaying the higher earner's claim is usually the strongest move a couple can make, and it is the part most often missed.
Common questions
What is the best age to claim Social Security?
There is no single best age. Claiming at 62 pays 70% of your full benefit but starts sooner; waiting to 70 pays 124%. The break-even is usually around age 80, so it comes down to your health, whether you need the income, and whether a spouse will inherit your benefit.
What is my full retirement age?
67 if you were born in 1960 or later. For those born 1955 to 1959 it rises in two-month steps from 66 and 2 months to 66 and 10 months.
How many states tax Social Security?
Eight in 2026: All 8 of them: Colorado, Connecticut, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Utah and Vermont. Most of them exempt lower and middle incomes, so many retirees there pay nothing.
Is there any reason to wait past 70?
None. Delayed retirement credits stop at your 70th birthday. Every month you wait beyond it is a payment you will never receive, with nothing gained in return.
Do I get both my benefit and my spouse's?
No. You receive the larger of the two, not the sum. That is also true for a survivor, which is why delaying the higher earner's claim matters so much for couples.