Average Social Security Check by Age: 62, 65, 67, 70

The average Social Security check for a retired worker was about $2,089 a month in September 2026, according to the Social Security Administration (SSA). With the 3.6% cost-of-living adjustment announced on October 14, 2026, the SSA estimates the average retired-worker benefit will rise from $2,095 to $2,170 in January 2027. The age at which you claim makes a large difference, so this guide shows the averages at 62, 65, 66, 67 and 70, explains why they differ, and gives a worked example. You can test your own benefit in our Social Security COLA calculator.

Key takeaways

• The SSA puts the average retired-worker check at about $2,089 a month in September 2026.
• The 3.6% COLA lifts the estimated average to $2,170 in January 2027, about $75 more.
• Claiming at 62 cuts a benefit to 70% of the full amount when full retirement age is 67.
• Waiting past full retirement age adds 8% a year, up to 124% of the full amount at 70.

Latest update: what changed in October 2026

• 3.6% COLA for 2027. The SSA announced on October 14, 2026 that benefits rise 3.6%, starting with January 2027 payments.
• Medicare Part B for 2027. As of October 24, 2026, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services had not announced the 2027 Part B premium; it is normally published in the fall (the 2026 premium of $202.90 was announced in November 2025). Any increase is usually deducted from the raise.
• SSI and SSDI. The maximum federal SSI payment rises to $1,029 for an individual and $1,544 for a couple, and the SSA estimates the average disabled-worker benefit rises from about $1,642 to $1,701.
• Full retirement age 67. People born in 1960 or later have a full retirement age of 67, and the first of them reach it in 2027.

What is the average Social Security check right now?

It is the mean monthly benefit the SSA pays to a group of beneficiaries. For retired workers it was about $2,089 in the SSA’s Monthly Statistical Snapshot for September 2026, across roughly 55 million retired workers. Other groups receive less on average: in the August 2026 snapshot, disabled workers averaged about $1,636 and non-disabled widows and widowers about $1,934.

An average is only a midpoint. Your own check depends on your earnings record, the age you claimed, and any deductions such as the Medicare Part B premium. Two neighbors of the same age can receive very different amounts.

Source: SSA 2027 COLA fact sheet. The “before” figures are the SSA’s estimates for December 2026, just before the raise.

What is the average Social Security benefit increase for 2027?

The average Social Security benefit increase for 2027 is about $75 a month for a retired worker, or roughly $900 a year, based on the SSA estimate of $2,095 rising to $2,170. Everyone’s benefit rises by the same 3.6%, so the dollar raise is larger for bigger checks. A $1,400 benefit rises by $50.40 and a $3,000 benefit by $108. The new amounts arrive with January 2027 payments. The 2027 COLA guide covers timing, Medicare and taxes in detail, and our 2027 COLA chart lists new amounts from $800 to $4,000.

Average Social Security check by age

The SSA publishes the number and average benefit of retired workers by single year of age in its Annual Statistical Supplement. The figures below come from the 2025 edition and describe benefits in current-payment status in December 2024. The last column is a simple illustration that applies the 2.8% COLA for 2026 and the 3.6% COLA for 2027 to those averages. It is not an SSA figure, because the people at each age change from year to year.

The pattern is clear: the average rises with age through 70. That happens for two reasons. People who claim later receive larger monthly benefits because of the rules explained below, and people who can afford to wait often had higher earnings. The averages at older ages also include people who claimed early years ago, which is why the age 70 average is lower than the “124% of full benefit” rule alone would suggest.

At age 62

At 62, the earliest age to claim retirement benefits, the December 2024 average was about $1,342. Anyone claiming at 62 accepts a permanent reduction. For people whose full retirement age is 67 (born in 1960 or later), a benefit claimed at 62 is 70% of the full amount.

At age 65

At 65 the average was about $1,611. Claiming at 65 with a full retirement age of 67 gives about 86.7% of the full benefit. Note that 65 is still the usual age for Medicare eligibility, but it is no longer full retirement age for Social Security.

At age 66

At 66 the average was about $1,764. For people born from 1955 to 1959, full retirement age falls between 66 and 2 months and 66 and 10 months, so many people claiming around 66 receive close to their full benefit. With a full retirement age of 67, claiming at 66 gives about 93.3%.

At age 67

At 67 the average was about $1,930. Age 67 is full retirement age for everyone born in 1960 or later, and the first people in that group reach it in 2027. Claiming at full retirement age pays 100% of your primary insurance amount.

At age 70

At 70 the average was about $2,148. Delayed retirement credits stop at 70, so there is no reason to wait longer. A person with a full retirement age of 67 who waits to 70 receives 124% of the full benefit for life.

How does claiming age change your check?

Your benefit starts from your primary insurance amount (PIA), the amount payable at full retirement age. The SSA computes it from your 35 highest years of earnings, adjusted for wage growth. Claiming age then changes it:

• Early claiming: the SSA reduces the benefit by 5/9 of 1% for each of the first 36 months before full retirement age and 5/12 of 1% for each additional month. With a full retirement age of 67, claiming at 62 is 60 months early, a 30% cut, leaving 70%.
• Delayed claiming: for people born in 1943 or later, each month you wait past full retirement age adds 2/3 of 1%, or 8% a year, until 70.
• COLAs still apply: cost-of-living adjustments are added from age 62 even if you have not claimed, so waiting does not mean missing raises.

Worked example: one worker, five claiming ages

Take a worker born in 1962 whose primary insurance amount is $2,000 a month. Their full retirement age is 67. Using the SSA reduction and credit rules, and rounding down to the dime as the law requires, the monthly benefit at each age, and the same benefit after a 3.6% COLA, are:

Waiting from 62 to 70 raises the check by $1,080 a month, or 77%. But the early claimer collects for eight more years first. Adding up payments in today’s dollars and ignoring interest and taxes, claiming at 67 overtakes claiming at 62 during age 78; claiming at 70 overtakes claiming at 62 during age 80, and overtakes claiming at 67 during age 82. Someone who expects to live well past those ages, or a higher earner whose spouse may rely on a survivor benefit, often gains from waiting. Someone in poor health, or who needs the income now, may reasonably claim earlier.

What is the maximum Social Security benefit by age?

The maximum depends on earning at or above the taxable maximum for at least 35 years. For people retiring in 2026, the SSA lists a maximum of $2,969 a month at 62, $4,152 at full retirement age and $5,181 at 70. The 2027 maximums are published on the SSA’s 2027 fact sheet. Very few people receive the maximum; the averages above are a better guide to what most retirees get. The maximum taxable earnings for 2027 rise to $192,300.

Why your check may differ from the average

• Earnings history: years of low or no earnings count as zeros in the 35-year average.
• Medicare premiums: most people have the Part B premium deducted, so the deposit is smaller than the gross benefit.
• Taxes: up to 85% of benefits can be federally taxable depending on other income. See the income tax calculator.
• Working while claiming: before full retirement age, the SSA withholds $1 for every $2 earned above $25,560 in 2027, and $1 for every $3 above $67,920 in the year you reach full retirement age.
• Spousal and survivor benefits: a spouse can receive up to 50% of the worker’s full benefit, and a survivor can receive up to 100%.

How to find your own number

1. Sign in to your my Social Security account at ssa.gov and download your statement, which estimates your benefit at 62, full retirement age and 70.
2. Check that every year of earnings is recorded correctly.
3. Enter your benefit in the COLA calculator to see the 2027 amount.
4. Use the retirement savings calculator to see how much your savings need to add on top. Our retirement planning guide explains how Social Security fits into a target.
5. Build a budget around the net deposit with the monthly budget planner.

Is the average check enough to live on?

For most people, no. An average check of about $2,089 a month is about $25,000 a year before Medicare and taxes. Social Security was designed to replace part of pre-retirement income, not all of it, which is why workplace plans and IRAs matter. Our 401(k) calculator and IRA calculator show how savings could fill the gap.

Related guides

• Social Security 2027 COLA: 3.6% raise and what it means
• Social Security 2027 COLA chart and benefit increase by state
• How much you need to retire in 2026
• How to improve your credit score fast

Sources: Social Security Administration, 2027 COLA fact sheet (October 14, 2026); Monthly Statistical Snapshot (August and September 2026); Annual Statistical Supplement, 2025 (December 2024 data); SSA early retirement reduction and delayed retirement credits. Worked examples are our own calculations.

This guide is educational and not personal financial advice.

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