What is my Social Security full retirement age?

One wrinkle catches people every year: if you were born on January 1, Social Security treats you as if you were born the previous year, so you use the prior year’s row in the table below. Also, your full retirement age for retirement benefits is not the same as Medicare eligibility, which starts at 65 for almost everyone regardless of birth year. Turning 65 and reaching your FRA are two separate milestones, often two years apart.

Full retirement age by birth year

This is the Social Security Administration’s own schedule, set by Congress in 1983 as it gradually raised FRA from 65 to 67. As of 2026, everyone reaching age 62 has an FRA of 67, because anyone turning 62 in 2026 was born in 1964.

Why your FRA matters so much

FRA is the anchor for every claiming decision. Three things are pegged to it:

1. 100% of your benefit. Your FRA is the age at which you receive your full earned benefit, called your primary insurance amount.
2. Early-claiming reductions. You can claim as early as 62, but with an FRA of 67 that means a permanent reduction to roughly 70% of your full benefit.
3. Delayed retirement credits. For each year you wait past FRA, up to age 70, your benefit grows 8%. With an FRA of 67, claiming at 70 pays about 124% of your full benefit.

Example: you were born in June 1959. Your FRA is 66 and 10 months, which you reach in April 2026. Claim in April 2026 and you get 100% of your earned benefit. Claim at 62 and the check is permanently smaller; wait past April 2026 and it grows 8% per year until 70.

FRA also controls the earnings test. If you work while collecting before FRA, part of your benefit may be withheld when earnings exceed the annual limit ($24,480 for 2026). From the month you reach FRA, that limit disappears entirely.

The mistake I see people make

Here’s what I tell clients: do not assume your FRA is 65 just because that number is burned into everyone’s memory from Medicare. Nobody retiring today has an FRA of 65. Locking in a claiming age is a one chance to get it right, forever decision, so confirm your exact FRA from the table above, then decide where between 62 and 70 your claim actually belongs based on health, work plans, and spousal benefits.