What Is the Current Full Retirement Age for Social Security
The full retirement age has been steadily rising, and 2025 continues that trend, as per a MassLive report.
According to the Social Security Administration (SSA), you can begin receiving retirement benefits as early as age 62, as per the MassLive report. However, you won’t be entitled to your full benefits until you reach what’s known as your full retirement age (FRA), and that age now depends on when you were born, as per the report.
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How the Full Retirement Age Has Shifted Over the Years
For those born between 1943 and 1954, the full retirement age was 66, as per the MassLive report. But starting with people born in 1955, the age began increasing by two months each year, as per the MassLive report. For example, someone born in 1955 reached full retirement at 66 years and two months, and those born in 1956 at 66 years and four months, as per the MassLive report.
What Is the Full Retirement Age This Year
That gradual climb hasn’t stopped. In 2025, people born between May 2, 1958, and February 28, 1959, will reach their full retirement age at 66 years and 10 months, as per the MassLive report. But if you were born after February 1959, your full retirement age jumps to 67, as per the report.ALSO READ: Trump confirms CIA running covert operations in Venezuela – what’s really happening?
Why the Retirement Age Keeps Going Up
This change traces back to a 1983 law passed by Congress, which linked the rising retirement age to longer life expectancy, as per the report. Under that law, the full retirement age will continue to increase until 2027, when it stabilizes at 67 years old, where it will remain for now, as per the MassLive report.
How Waiting Longer Can Boost Social Security Payout
While it’s possible to start collecting benefits earlier, there’s a tradeoff, as per the report. The SSA notes that taking benefits before reaching your full retirement age will result in a permanent reduction in your monthly payments, as per the MassLive report. On the other hand, delaying benefits up to age 70 can increase your payout, as per the report.
There are pros and cons to both choices. Retiring early lets you collect benefits for a longer period, but it also means receiving smaller checks each month and waiting longer boosts your payments but delays your access to them, as per the MassLive report.
FAQs
Can I still retire at 65 and get full Social Security?
No. For most people today, full benefits start closer to age 67, as per the MassLive report.
What is the earliest age I can collect Social Security?
You can start as early as age 62, but your benefits will be smaller, as per the MassLive report.
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