What Is Full Retirement Age (FRA)?
Full retirement age is the age at which you get 100% of your Social Security benefit. Here is why it matters for every claiming decision.
Full retirement age is the age at which you get 100% of your Social Security benefit. Here is why it matters for every claiming decision.
Full retirement age (FRA) — 66 to 67 for most Americans — is the baseline Social Security uses to adjust your benefit. Claim before FRA and your check is permanently reduced (as little as 70% of PIA at 62). Claim after and delayed credits add 8% per year up to 70.
FRA also sets the frame for spousal benefits (50% of the spouse's PIA at FRA) and survivor benefits (100% at the survivor's FRA). Because FRA differs by birth year, two spouses often have different FRAs and different optimal claiming ages — see married-couple strategies.
Look up your FRA with the FRA calculator or the birth-year chart.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is FRA the same as the "retirement age" for Medicare?
No — Medicare eligibility is 65 for everyone; Social Security FRA is 66-67 depending on birth year.
Can I work past FRA without penalties?
Yes — the earnings test ends at FRA, so you can earn any amount without benefit withholding. See the earnings test.
What happens at FRA if I already claimed early?
Your reduction stays permanent, but SSA recomputes your benefit at FRA to credit any months withheld by the earnings test.