← Decision ReportsUpdated 26 Jul 2026
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Claim Social Security at 62, 67, or 70?
Triggered by this week's confirmation that full retirement age is now permanently fixed at 67. Like the EV decision, the honest answer here is conditional — on your health and family history, not a single number everyone should pick.
Our Answer
If you expect an average-or-longer lifespan, delaying usually wins on lifetime total — but this is a health bet, not a math-only answer. SSA's own actuarial data puts average life expectancy at 65 around 82-83 for men and 85-86 for women — past every break-even age below.
Permanent cut, claiming at 62-30%
Permanent bump, delaying to 70+24%
Break-even age, 62 vs 67~78
Age-65 male life expectancy (SSA)~82
Your situation
What typically makes sense
| Your situation | Typical lean |
|---|---|
| Healthy, family history of longevity, can afford to wait | Delay to 70 — likely more total lifetime income |
| Average health, no strong reason to expect an early death | Delay to at least full retirement age (67) |
| Serious health condition, family history of shorter lifespan | Claim earlier — breakeven math may never pay off |
| Need the income now / no other savings to bridge the gap | Claim at 62 despite the permanent cut — necessity comes first |
| Married, one spouse's benefit is much larger | Not covered here — get a real spousal/survivor calculation |
What we do know
Break-even ages (~78 for 62 vs 67, ~80-81 for 62 vs 70, ~82-83 for 67 vs 70) were consistent across every source checked+
SSA's own actuarial life expectancy at 65 (82-83 men, 85-86 women) sits past every break-even point above+
The 30% cut (claiming at 62) and 24% bump (delaying to 70) are official SSA figures, not estimates+
What we still don't know
Your own health and family longevity — the single biggest input, one this card cannot know for you?
Spousal and survivor benefit interactions — flagged as a real gap in break-even analysis but not quantified generally?
What you'd otherwise do with the money if you claimed early and invested the difference?
What we checked, and how
| Claim | Source | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Break-even ages (~78 / ~80-81 / ~82-83) | Cross-checked across multiple retirement-planning calculators and guides | Verified |
| Age-65 life expectancy (82-83 men, 85-86 women) | Social Security Administration actuarial tables | Verified |
| 30% cut at 62 / 24% bump at 70, FRA fixed at 67 | Official SSA benefit-reduction rules | Verified |
| Break-even analysis omits spousal/survivor strategy value | Explicitly flagged as a limitation across multiple sources | Verified |