The debate over the appropriate full retirement age to claim full Social Security benefits has been going on for decades. Ever since the first collapse of the Social Security system happened in the early 80’s there have been steady increases to the exact age that beneficiaries were allowed to claim full benefits.

The process was done in stages to make it as fair as possible for those who were waiting to collect benefits, but the retirement age has been steadily climbing from 65 to 67 years old for decades. The staggered approach meant that those who were waiting to retire only had their time delayed by a few months at a time, with each birth year after 1954 adding two months until the full retirement age reached 67 for those born in 1960 or later.

This means good news for those born before that date, as their full retirement age is almost here, with some having all but a few months until they can collect benefits and some having a full year to go.

Since the retirement age is entirely dependent on a person’s birth year, it can be a bit hard to calculate. This is why the Social Security Administration provided handy tables to ensure that no future retiree claimed benefits early by accident, losing valuable income during retirement.

Here is the full list of retirement age months based on the birthday month and year of the work for 2025 and 2026:

Retirement Month	Birth Month/Year
Retirement month January 2025	Those born in June 1958
Retirement month February 2025	Those born in July 1958
Retirement month March 2025	Those born in August 1958
Retirement month May 2025	Those born in September 1958
Retirement month June 2025	Those born in October 1958
Retirement month July 2025/August 2025	Those born in November 1958
Retirement month September 2025	Those born in December 1958
Retirement month October 2025	Those born in January 1959
Retirement month November 2025	Those born in February 1959
Retirement month December 2025	Those born in March 1959
Retirement month January 2026	Those born in April 1959
Retirement month February 2026	Those born in May 1959
Retirement month March 2026	Those born in June 1959
Retirement month April 2026	Those born in July 1959
Retirement month May 2026	Those born in August 1959
Retirement month June 2026	Those born in September 1959
Retirement month July 2026	Those born in October 1959
Retirement month August 2026	Those born in November 1959
Retirement month September 2026	Those born in December 1959

Claiming Social Security Benefits

For those who wish to claim benefits just as they turn their full retirement age, please do remember that it takes some time to file for and be approved for benefits, but, it is easier to claim a bit later than you think and maybe accumulate one month extra of benefits than to try to claim on the exact date and end up claiming early. Filing at the appropriate time is key to ensuring that your benefits are not reduced.

And for those who wish to have even higher benefits, consider Delayed Retirement Credits (DRCs) which are offered to workers who remain in the workforce past their full retirement age. 

These credits accumulate until age 70, when there are no more DRCs and benefits will start for those who have not claimed before. Since these credits are also accumulated month to month, the exact amount of extra benefits will depend on the beneficiary in question.

For example, for a worker born in 1959, their benefit amount would increase to 125.3 percent of their full retirement age if they retire at 70.