Born After 1959? Your Retirement Age Just Got Pushed — Here’s What It Means

If you’re thinking about retirement or just trying to plan ahead, you might’ve heard that the Social Security retirement age is shifting again. And yep, that’s true — but don’t panic. Let’s walk through what’s really going on and how it might affect your future paycheck.

Wait — What Even Is Full Retirement Age?

Let’s start simple. Your Full Retirement Age (or FRA) is when you can get your full Social Security benefits — the amount you’ve earned over your working years, without any deductions.

Back in the day, it was a flat 65 for everyone. But over the years, the government started slowly pushing that age up. Why? People are living longer and the system’s under pressure — so this is their way of keeping it going.

What’s the Change This Year?

Here’s the deal for 2025:
If you were born in 1959, your full retirement age is now 66 years and 10 months. That’s a small jump from the year before (1958 babies had an FRA of 66 and 8 months).

And if you were born in 1960 or later, you’ll need to wait until age 67 to collect your full benefits.

It’s not a massive change, but it does mean waiting a little longer to get the full amount you’ve earned.

Can You Still Retire at 62?

Totally. You can start collecting benefits at age 62. But — and it’s a big but — your monthly check will be smaller if you do.

Let’s say your FRA is 67, and you start at 62. You’ll be looking at about a 30% reduction in your monthly benefit. And that reduction sticks with you for life.

So, yes — you’ll get the money earlier, but you’ll get less of it.

What If You Wait Longer Than Your Full Retirement Age?

Now here’s the flip side: if you wait past your FRA, your check gets bigger. Every year you wait (up until age 70), your benefit goes up by about 8%.

So, if you’re still working and don’t need the money right away, waiting a bit could be a really smart move.

What Should You Actually Do?

This isn’t a one-size-fits-all thing. Everyone’s life looks a little different, so here are a few things to ask yourself:

• Are you healthy? Think you’ll live a long time?

• Do you need the money now, or can you afford to wait?

• Are you still working? That can mess with your benefits if you claim early.

There’s no “perfect” age — it’s about what makes the most sense for you and your life.

This change might not be earth-shattering, but it’s one more reason to think carefully about when you want to claim Social Security. It’s your money — you earned it — and the timing can make a big difference in how much you actually get.