Here's the Average Social Security Benefit at Age 62
The average benefit for people aged 62 is $1,424.40 per month, according to the Social Security Administration (SSA) as of December 2025. Age 62 is the earliest claiming age allowed by law. Many choose this path to get cash flowing as soon as they stop working. But starting early comes with a permanent cost.
The SSA bases your benefit on an average of your monthly wages across your 35 highest-earning years. Those earlier wages are adjusted for inflation. Full retirement age ranges from 66 to 67, depending on your birth year, and it’s 67 for everyone born in 1960 or later. Claiming at 62 means a permanent 30% reduction for those with an FRA of 67.
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| Age | Overall | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62 | $1,424.40 | $1,572.83 | $1,285.50 |
Gender differences are visible even at the earliest claiming age. Among those who are age 62, men receive $1,572.83 on average, while women receive $1,285.50. This reflects a gap of $287.33 per month. This difference often stems from different career earnings and work histories over the 35 years the SSA tracks.
The pros and cons of claiming Social Security at 62
The claiming trade-off involves smaller checks now in exchange for a longer collection window. The gap between age-62 and age-70 benefits is substantial. The average 70-year-old receives $2,274.68 per month, $850.28 more than the average for 62-year-olds. That difference amounts to about $10,203.36 per year in additional income.
If you live an average lifespan, you tend to receive roughly the same total amount over your lifetime regardless of when you claim. Based on SSA life tables, a 65-year-old man is expected to live about 18 more years. A woman of the same age is expected to live about 21 more years. Only after you reach a break-even age do the larger benefits from claiming later equal the total from claiming early.
How your Social Security checks may grow over time
Social Security was designed to replace only 40% of pre-retirement income. Retirees generally need considerably more replacement income than that to cover their costs. Because this share is well short of what most seniors need, many rely on savings or other income sources to supplement their monthly checks.
Delayed retirement credits can boost your check. These credits are worth 8% for each year you delay past full retirement age, up to age 70. A worker whose FRA is 66 can earn up to 32% for delaying to 70. For those with an FRA of 67, the maximum credit is 24%.
A 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) took effect in 2026. This adjustment adds about $40 per month to the age-62 average benefit. While COLAs are designed to keep pace with inflation, they don’t always, and you aren’t even guaranteed to get a COLA every year.
Seeing how your own expected benefit compares to the $1,424.40 average for 62-year-olds can help you decide if claiming early provides enough income to support your retirement goals.
Who benefits from claiming Social Security at 62
While many view claiming Social Security at 62 as a wrong move because of the significant benefit reduction, the reality is more nuanced. There are a handful of situations when claiming Social Security early is often the right call.
If you have a short life expectancy, claiming at 62 will likely lead to a larger lifetime benefit than you’d get by waiting. If you try to hold off until age 70 to apply and you pass away before then, you risk getting nothing from Social Security. However, this could increase the survivor benefits available to your spouse and dependents after you’re gone.
You might also choose to claim Social Security early if you are unable to work and you don’t have enough personal savings to cover your expenses on your own. This might mean settling for a smaller lifetime benefit, but it’s still the right move if it helps keep you out of debt.
Low-earning spouses are another group that may benefit from signing up early if their spouse has significantly outearned them. Claiming immediately may enable the higher-earning spouse to delay their Social Security claim until they’re eligible for a larger benefit amount. Then, when they apply for retirement checks, the lower earner can switch to a spousal benefit if that’s worth more than what they’re currently receiving.
For more on how Social Security affects your retirement, see this guide.