How Many Americans Wait Until Full Retirement Age for Social Security

Most Americans do not wait until marriage, at least not the full retirement age kind. How many Americans wait until marriage age for Social Security, meaning their full retirement age of 66 to 67, turns out to be a minority. Nearly 60 percent of the 3.46 million people who filed new retirement claims in 2025 did so before hitting that milestone, locking in smaller checks for the rest of their lives.

In Brief

• About 60 percent of 2025's new Social Security claimants filed before reaching full retirement age.
• Roughly 54 percent claimed before even turning 66.
• A 67 year old claimant in 2025 averaged $2,608 a month, nearly $1,200 more than someone who claimed at 62.
• Waiting past full retirement age adds 8 percent a year in benefits until age 70.
• The median worker plans to retire at 65, but the typical American actually stops working at 62.

What Full Retirement Age Actually Means

Social Security lets people start collecting retirement benefits at 62, but claiming early comes with a permanent penalty built into the formula. Full retirement age, the point at which someone receives 100 percent of their calculated benefit, has been creeping upward since a 1983 law phased in two month increases for later birth years. Anyone born in 1959 must wait until 66 and 10 months this year. For everyone born in 1960 or after, the threshold settles at 67 and stays there.

The Dollar Difference Between Claiming Early and Waiting

The gap in monthly income is not small. Someone who first claimed benefits at 67 in 2025 pulled in an average of $2,608 a month, according to Social Security Administration figures, compared with a benefit close to $1,200 lower for those who claimed at 62. Waiting even longer pays off further: benefits climb 8 percent for each year a person delays past full retirement age, up until 70. First time beneficiaries between 70 and 74 average $888 more per month than those who claimed right at 67.

Why So Many Claim Early Anyway

The math favors patience, yet most people do not act on it. The Employee Benefit Research Institute's 2026 Retirement Confidence Survey found the median worker expects to retire at 65. Reality lands earlier still: the typical American retires at 62, and 46 percent of retirees say they left the workforce sooner than they had planned, often due to health problems, layoffs or caregiving demands rather than choice.

The stakes are high because so many retirees depend heavily on these checks. A 2024 Census Bureau report found 42 percent of Social Security beneficiaries rely on the program for half or more of their income, and 14 percent depend on it for at least 90 percent. If lawmakers eventually raise the full retirement age beyond 67 to help shore up the program's finances, a proposal that surfaces periodically in Washington, the current pattern of early claiming would translate into even smaller lifetime checks for a larger share of retirees, widening the gap between what people plan for and what they actually receive.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many couples wait till marriage?

This article concerns Social Security claiming ages, not marriage. Survey data on marriage and premarital timing comes from separate sources such as the CDC and Pew Research Center.

How many americans wait until marriage?

Marriage timing statistics are unrelated to Social Security retirement claiming data covered here; that figure is tracked separately by demographic researchers rather than the Social Security Administration.

Does anyone wait until marriage anymore?

This question falls outside the scope of Social Security claiming behavior discussed in this article and is better answered by demographic or sociological research.

How many times does the average american get married?

Average marriage counts are not part of Social Security claiming statistics; that figure comes from Census Bureau marital history surveys, a separate body of research from retirement claiming data.