If you were born in 1960 or later, the age you can claim full Social Security benefits is 67.
That's not new—but what is new is that the last group of workers with a lower full retirement age has essentially aged out of the system.
Starting this year, anyone newly eligible for full benefits faces the same 67-year threshold, and that shift is quietly reshaping retirement math for millions of Americans.
Full retirement age, or FRA, determines whether you get your complete benefit or a permanently reduced check.
Claim at 62 and you could lose 30% of your monthly payment for life.
Wait until 70 and you can gain roughly 24% more than your FRA amount.
The gap between the earliest and latest claiming ages is now a five-figure difference over a typical retirement, and most people still claim early.
The Social Security Administration says about a quarter of workers start benefits at 62, the earliest possible age.
Another large chunk claims before their FRA.
That pattern made more sense when FRA was 65.
With FRA at 67, claiming at 62 means accepting a deeper cut than workers did a generation ago.
There's a second layer people often overlook.
Medicare eligibility still starts at 65, regardless of your Social Security claiming age.
If you retire before 65, you may need to buy health coverage on your own or through an employer plan.
That cost can easily swallow the smaller early Social Security check you were counting on.
If you claim before FRA and keep working, the SSA temporarily withholds part of your benefit once your income crosses an annual limit.
Above it, $1 is withheld for every $2 earned.
Many early claimers are surprised when their check shrinks—or disappears—while they're still on a payroll.
Start by checking your benefit estimate at ssa.gov.
Then compare three numbers side by side: your payment at 62, at your FRA, and at 70.
If you're in good health, have a spouse with a higher benefit, or expect to live into your 80s, waiting often pays off.
If you've stopped working, have health issues, or need the cash now, claiming early can still be the right call.
One more thing worth knowing: the 2025 cost-of-living adjustment is 2.5%, which means the average retiree check rises by roughly $50 a month.
That increase applies no matter when you claimed.
But the base you're multiplying it against depends entirely on the age you filed—and once you file, there's no do-over.
Delaying isn't free money, and claiming early isn't automatically a mistake.
The real takeaway is that 67 is now the default full retirement age for anyone born in 1960 or later, and every year you move away from it changes your check for the rest of your life.
Final Thoughts
If you haven't looked at your personal numbers lately, this is the year to do it—before the decision makes itself for you.