Calculator
Social Security: claim at 62, 67, or 70?
For someone planning alone, when you claim Social Security is one of your biggest levers — there's no spouse's benefit to coordinate, so it comes down to your own longevity. Enter your benefit at full retirement age (67) and see the trade-off. Nothing is saved or sent.
Waiting to 70 beats claiming at 62 once you live past about age 80.
What it means for a solo ager
Longevity is the deciding factor
Claiming early locks in a smaller check for life; waiting raises it about 8% for every year past 67, up to 70. With no spouse's income to lean on, a larger guaranteed monthly benefit is real insurance against a long life and the cost of care later. If your health or finances mean you need the money sooner, claiming early is reasonable — the calculator just shows where the lines cross. Pair it with the will-my-savings-last calculator and free Medicare counseling from SHIP.
How this works. Uses the Social Security rules for people with a full retirement age of 67 (born 1960 or later): a 30% reduction at 62 and 8%-per-year delayed credits to 70. It ignores cost-of-living adjustments and taxes, which affect all claim ages similarly. This is an educational estimate, not advice; confirm your numbers at ssa.gov. Nothing you enter is stored.