Birth-year reference
Social Security Full Retirement Age Chart
Full retirement age (FRA) is the age at which a retired worker can receive an unreduced PIA. It is 66 for people born from 1943 through 1954, rises by two months per birth year from 1955 through 1959, and is 67 for people born in 1960 or later.
SSA sources reviewed September 9, 2026
- Born 1943–1954
- Age 66
- Born 1955–1959
- 66 + 2 to 10 months
- Born 1960 or later
- Age 67
Full retirement age by birth year
The transition schedule is: 1955—66 and 2 months; 1956—66 and 4 months; 1957—66 and 6 months; 1958—66 and 8 months; 1959—66 and 10 months. People born in 1960 or later reach FRA at 67.
- Born 1943–1954: 66
- Born 1955: 66 and 2 months
- Born 1956: 66 and 4 months
- Born 1957: 66 and 6 months
- Born 1958: 66 and 8 months
- Born 1959: 66 and 10 months
- Born 1960 or later: 67
The January 1 convention
SSA instructs people born on January 1 to use the previous year when determining full retirement age. Claiming Planner applies that convention when it selects the birth-year rules for an estimate.
Full retirement age is not necessarily the age you stop working, and it is not the Medicare eligibility age. Treat work, Social Security filing, and Medicare enrollment as three related but separate timelines.
Why FRA matters in a comparison
Claiming before FRA reduces the worker benefit by month. Claiming after FRA earns delayed credits through age 70. FRA is therefore the reference point for comparing early, full, and delayed monthly amounts.
Official sources
Use these SSA pages to verify the rules and current annual amounts:
Educational information only. This page covers retired-worker benefits and is not personalized financial, tax, or legal advice. Confirm filing decisions and official benefit amounts with the Social Security Administration.