In general, more than 20% of newly awarded retirees claim Social Security as soon as possible, which is age 62. In turn, they received the smallest possible benefit based on their personal circumstances. Meanwhile, less than 10% of newly awarded retirees maximize their benefit by delaying until age 70.

Read on to see the average Social Security payout at different ages.

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Here's the average Social Security retired-worker benefit at different ages

The Social Security Administration periodically publishes anonymized benefit data to promote transparency and improve public understanding. The information in the following chart comes from a biannual report last updated in June 2025. It shows the average monthly Social Security benefit paid to retired workers aged 62 to 70.

Data source: Social Security Administration. Note: Payments have been rounded to the nearest dollar.

The average Social Security benefit tends to increase with age, such that the average 70-year-old retiree receives an additional $811 in monthly benefits compared with the average 62-year-old retiree. Meanwhile, the average 65-year-old retiree receives a monthly benefit somewhere between the two extremes.

The trend in the chart is primarily due to differences in claim age. In other words, when all else is equal, retired workers receive the smallest possible benefit at age 62 and the biggest possible benefit at age 70 based on their personal circumstances.

Here's how Social Security retired-worker benefits are calculated

The Social Security Administration looks at two important variables when determining retired-worker benefits: lifetime earnings and claim age. Here's a two-step process that explains exactly how those variables impact the final payout.

• Step 1: A formula is applied to the inflation-adjusted earnings from the 35 highest-paid years of a worker's career to determine the primary insurance amount (PIA). The PIA is the benefit a worker will get if starting Social Security at full retirement age (FRA), which is 67 for anyone born in 1960 or later.
• Step 2: The PIA is adjusted for early or delayed retirement. Retirees who claim Social Security before FRA get a smaller benefit, meaning they receive less than 100% their PIA. Retirees who claim Social Security after FRA get a bigger benefit, meaning they receive more than 100% of their PIA.

There are two important conditions to note. First, eligibility for retired-worker benefits begins at age 62, so no one can claim earlier. Second, delayed retirement credits stop accumulating at age 70, so no one should ever claim later.

The following chart details the relationship between birth year and full retirement age. It also shows the benefit (as a percentage of PIA) retired workers in each age group will receive if they claim Social Security at ages 62 and 70. In other words, the chart details the smallest and largest possible payouts across different age groups.

Data source: The Social Security Administration.

This chart makes it clear that Social Security income is highly dependent on claim age. Indeed, retired workers born in 1960 or later can increase their benefit by 77% by simply claiming Social Security at age 70 as opposed to age 62.

Here's an example: The average retired worker had a PIA of $2,116 in 2024. Assuming a birth year of 1960 or later, that person would receive $1,481 per month if starting Social Security at age 62 (i.e., 70% multiplied by $2,116). But the same person would receive $2,624 per month if he or she started Social Security at age 70 (i.e., 124% multiplied by $2,116).

The exact dollar amounts will vary between people because of differences in lifetime earnings, but the percentage increase will remain constant. In this case, $2,624 is 77% larger than $1,481.