Short answer
For people born in 1960 or later, full retirement age is 67.
SSA full retirement age is 66 for people born 1943 through 1954, rises in two-month steps for 1955 through 1959, and is 67 for people born in 1960 or later.
Start here
What you actually came to find out
Plain answers first. Sources stay below for checking details.
1943 to 1954?
Full retirement age is 66.
1955 to 1959?
It rises by two months for each birth year.
1960 or later?
Full retirement age is 67.
Why does it matter?
It anchors early reductions, delayed credits, and work-income rules.
1943 to 1954
66
SSA lists full retirement age at 66 for birth years 1943 through 1954.
Source trail: SSA.gov
1955 to 1959
+2 months
SSA lists a two-month step-up by birth year from 1955 through 1959.
Source trail: SSA.gov
1960 or later
67
SSA lists full retirement age at 67 for people born in 1960 or later.
Source trail: SSA.gov
Delayed credits
To 70
SSA delayed-credit guidance applies after full retirement age until 70.
Source trail: SSA.gov
Full retirement age is the anchor point for early reductions, delayed credits, and some work-income rules before that age.
Free quick estimate
Find full retirement age by birth year
Enter a birth year and see the SSA full-retirement-age row before opening the full plan with benefit amounts and taxes.
Free to use here. Save it to your map when you want the full road.
This quick check uses the SSA full-retirement-age framework for retirement benefits. Medicare uses a separate age-65 framework for most people.
SSA age table
Live estimate
Full retirement age: 67
SSA lists full retirement age at 67 for people born in 1960 or later.
This saves the age-table result as a map note, then opens the full mapner.
Neutral landscape
The shape of the question
SSA birth-year guidance is the source because full retirement age is not the same for every worker.
Source trail: SSA.gov
SSA delayed-credit guidance matters because credits are measured after full retirement age and stop after 70.
Source trail: SSA.gov
SSA earnings-test guidance matters because the full-retirement-age year has a separate exempt amount.
Source trail: SSA.gov
IRS Publication 915 matters because the claiming age changes income timing, while taxability depends on the tax formula.
Source trail: IRS: Publication 915: Social Security and Equivalent Railroad Retirement Benefits
Curator core
What the authorities say
These sources are here for the reader who wants to check the work. The plain-English answer stays above them.
Source 01
SSA.gov
Retirement Planner: Benefits by Year of Birth
SSA explains full retirement age by birth year and how benefits are reduced when retirement benefits begin before full retirement age.
Source framing
SSA ties early retirement benefit reductions to birth year, full retirement age, and the month benefits begin.
Strongest for: full retirement age and early claiming reductions
Read at SSA.govSource 02
SSA.gov
Delayed Retirement Credits
SSA explains delayed retirement credits and notes that benefit increases from delayed credits stop after age 70.
Source framing
SSA explains that delayed credits can increase retirement benefits after full retirement age until age 70.
Strongest for: claiming at 70 and delayed-credit timing
Read at SSA.govSource 03
SSA.gov
Retirement Earnings Test Exempt Amounts
SSA publishes annual exempt amounts used for the retirement earnings test.
Source framing
SSA updates the earnings-test exempt amounts that can affect early Social Security-style benefits.
Strongest for: current earnings-test thresholds
Read at SSA.govSource 04
SSA.gov
Retirement Estimator
SSA explains how workers can estimate future benefits using their own earnings record.
Source framing
SSA points people to personal estimates because benefits depend on earnings history and claiming age.
Strongest for: personal Social Security estimates
Read at SSA.govSource 05
SSA.gov
When to Start Receiving Retirement Benefits
SSA explains early claiming, full retirement age, delayed retirement credits, and the claiming-age trade-off.
Source framing
SSA frames claiming age as a monthly benefit trade-off from age 62 through age 70.
Strongest for: official Social Security claiming-age rules
Read at SSA.govSource 06
IRS
Publication 915: Social Security and Equivalent Railroad Retirement Benefits
Publication 915 explains the federal combined-income test for taxable Social Security benefits.
Source framing
IRS uses combined income and filing status to determine whether part of a Social Security benefit is taxable.
Strongest for: federal taxation of Social Security benefits
Read at IRSPlain-English forks
The forks people face
Most retirement questions hide a few smaller decisions. These are the practical pieces that change the plan.
What year was the worker born?
Why it matters: Birth year sets the full retirement age row.
In real life: This fork sets the anchor age.
What to look at: What to look at: SSA birth-year table.
Is the claim before full retirement age?
Why it matters: Early claims are measured against the full retirement age.
In real life: This fork changes monthly benefit amount.
What to look at: What to look at: SSA reduction table.
Is the claim after full retirement age?
Why it matters: Delayed credits can apply after full retirement age until 70.
In real life: This fork changes later benefit amount.
What to look at: What to look at: SSA delayed-credit guidance.
Is the person working before full retirement age?
Why it matters: The earnings test can matter before full retirement age.
In real life: This fork changes current benefit checks.
What to look at: What to look at: SSA earnings-test amounts.
Common questions
Quick answers
Short, plain answers for the questions people usually have next. The source trail stays available below.
What is full retirement age for someone born in 1960 or later?+
SSA lists full retirement age at 67 for people born in 1960 or later.
What is full retirement age for someone born from 1943 through 1954?+
SSA lists full retirement age at 66 for birth years 1943 through 1954.
What happens for birth years 1955 through 1959?+
SSA lists a two-month increase by birth year from 66 and 2 months to 66 and 10 months.
Does full retirement age control Medicare?+
No. Medicare timing uses a separate age-65 framework for most people.
Does full retirement age affect delayed credits?+
Yes. SSA delayed-credit guidance applies after full retirement age until age 70.
Does full retirement age affect working while claiming?+
Yes. SSA earnings-test rules are different before full retirement age and in the year full retirement age is reached.
How this page is curated
This page uses SSA full-retirement-age tables, delayed-credit guidance, earnings-test amounts, SSA estimates, and IRS Publication 915.
Read the planner methodologyTrust anchor
Sources used on this page
Every source named above is listed here in one place.
IRS. Publication 915: Social Security and Equivalent Railroad Retirement Benefits
https://www.irs.gov/publications/p915SSA.gov. Retirement Planner: Benefits by Year of Birth
https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/agereduction.htmlSSA.gov. Delayed Retirement Credits
https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/delayret.htmlSSA.gov. Retirement Earnings Test Exempt Amounts
https://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/rtea.htmlSSA.gov. Retirement Estimator
https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/estimator.htmlSSA.gov. When to Start Receiving Retirement Benefits
https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10147.pdf
Before you act on this
This plan is educational. It is not personalized financial, tax, or insurance advice. Projections illustrate the math, they do not predict the future. Talk to your own licensed financial professional before acting on any of it.