How to use the retirement age calculator
- Choose the US or the UK. The calculator starts with the UK if your browser is set to UK English.
- Enter your date of birth. The full date matters, because both countries count from the exact day.
- Read the result. For the US you get your full retirement age, the date you reach it, the first month you can claim at 62, and how much the benefit is cut at 62 or raised by waiting to 70. For the UK you get your State Pension age and the date you reach it.
The chart under the form highlights the row that applies to you. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
Full retirement age chart (Social Security)
Full retirement age, also called normal retirement age, is when you can get your full Social Security retirement benefit. It depends on the year you were born. This is the Social Security Administration's chart:
| Year of birth | Full retirement age | Cut if you start at 62 | At 70, % of full |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1943 to 1954 | 66 | 25.00% | 132.0% |
| 1955 | 66 and 2 months | 25.83% | 130.7% |
| 1956 | 66 and 4 months | 26.67% | 129.3% |
| 1957 | 66 and 6 months | 27.50% | 128.0% |
| 1958 | 66 and 8 months | 28.33% | 126.7% |
| 1959 | 66 and 10 months | 29.17% | 125.3% |
| 1960 and later | 67 | 30.00% | 124.0% |
Two SSA rules decide the exact day. First, "If you were born on January 1st, you should refer to the previous year." Second, SSA's operations manual says "An individual attains a particular age on the first moment of the day preceding the anniversary of his/her birth." In other words, you reach each age the day before your birthday. So the full retirement age for someone born in 1960 is 67, and a person born on March 15, 1960 reaches it on March 14, 2027. Someone born on January 1, 1960 uses the 1959 row, 66 and 10 months, and reaches it on October 31, 2026.
Claiming at 62 or waiting until 70
SSA says you can start your retirement benefit "as early as age 62", but it is reduced for each month before full retirement age. There is a timing rule as well: "You must be at least 62 for the entire month to receive benefits." Because you reach 62 the day before your birthday, people born on the 1st or 2nd of a month are 62 for the whole of their birthday month. Everyone else can start from the month after.
Waiting past full retirement age earns delayed retirement credits. For anyone born in 1943 or later SSA lists an increase of 8.0% for each 12 months, and "The benefit increase stops when you reach age 70." For someone born in 1960, SSA puts it this way: "If you start receiving retirement benefits at age 70, you'll get 124 percent of the monthly benefit." The percentages above are SSA's and are approximate because of rounding. This page does not estimate benefit amounts; your own record at SSA decides those.
UK State Pension age timetable
State Pension age is the earliest age you can get the UK State Pension. It was 66 until May 2026 and is now rising to 67: the Pensions Act 2014 brought that rise forward to "begin in 2026 and end in 2028". A later rise to 68 is set for 2044 to 2046.
| Date of birth | State Pension age |
|---|---|
| 6 October 1954 to 5 April 1960 | 66 |
| 6 April 1960 to 5 March 1961 | 66 and 1 to 11 months (one more month for each month of birth) |
| 6 March 1961 to 5 April 1977 | 67 |
| 6 April 1977 to 5 April 1978 | a date from 6 May 2044 to 6 March 2046 |
| 6 April 1978 or later | 68 |
For example, people born 6 April to 5 May 1960 reach State Pension age at 66 years and 1 month, and people born 6 February to 5 March 1961 at 66 years and 11 months. If that day does not exist in the month, the last day is used: GOV.UK's notes say a person born on 31 July 1960 reaches 66 years and 4 months "on 30 November 2026."
GOV.UK has its own official State Pension age calculator, Check your State Pension age. It warns that "The State Pension age is regularly reviewed, so the results of this tool may change in the future." The government launched the third review in July 2025, so treat the ages for later years, especially 68, as current law rather than fixed.
State Pension age for women
Women's State Pension age used to be 60. The Pensions Act 1995, as amended, still says "A woman born before 6th April 1950 attains pensionable age when she attains the age of 60." For women born from 6 April 1950, it rose in steps under the Pensions Act 1995 and then faster under the Pensions Act 2011, until it matched men's age of 65 in November 2018. Since then the rules have been the same for men and women. For dates of birth before 6 December 1953, the calculator shows both dates.
Birthdays on the 1st, the 31st and 29 February
- US, born on the 1st: SSA works out your full retirement age "as if your birthday was in the previous month", which is what the day-before rule gives.
- UK, born on the 29th to 31st: when an age in years and months lands on a day the month does not have, the month's last day is used, as in GOV.UK's examples.
- Born on 29 February: in years without that day the calculator uses 28 February, the same rule as our other date tools. Some places, and spreadsheet functions such as DATEDIF, count it differently, so check the official service for your exact date.
What this calculator does not cover
It covers the age rules only. It does not show benefit amounts. SSA notes that "If you are eligible for benefits as a survivor, your full retirement age may be different." In the UK, GOV.UK says State Pension age "may be different to the age you can get a workplace or personal pension", and you can keep working after you reach it.
Questions and answers
What is the full retirement age for someone born in 1960?
67. Everyone born in 1960 or later has a full retirement age of 67, except that people born on January 1, 1960 use the 1959 row (66 and 10 months), as SSA instructs.
What is the social security retirement age if I was born in 1957?
Full retirement age is 66 and 6 months. You can start as early as 62, with the benefit cut by about 27.50%, or wait up to 70 for 128.0% of the full amount.
Can I get Social Security at 62?
Yes, from the first month you are 62 for the whole month. If you were born on the 1st or 2nd, that is your birthday month; otherwise it is the month after.
What is my State Pension age if I was born in 1961?
It depends on the date. Born 6 January to 5 February 1961: 66 years and 10 months. Born 6 February to 5 March 1961: 66 years and 11 months. Born 6 March 1961 or later: 67.
When does the UK State Pension age go up to 68?
Under current law the rise to 68 happens between 2044 and 2046, for people born from 6 April 1977. Anyone born on or after 6 April 1978 reaches State Pension age at 68. State Pension age is reviewed regularly, so this could change.
Does the calculator tell me how much I will get?
No. It works out ages and dates only. For amounts, use your own record with SSA in the US or GOV.UK in the UK.
Sources
Checked on 8 October 2026. If a rule has changed, please tell us.
- SSA: Retirement Age Calculator
- SSA: Starting your retirement benefits early (chart)
- SSA: Delayed Retirement Credits
- SSA: Delayed retirement, born in 1960 or later
- SSA POMS GN 00302.400: Point at which a particular age is attained
- GOV.UK: State Pension age timetable
- GOV.UK: Check your State Pension age
- Pensions Act 1995, Schedule 4 (pensionable age)
- Pensions Act 2014: Explanatory Notes
- GOV.UK: Third State Pension age review