Here’s the Average Social Security Benefit at Ages 62 to 70 (for Men and Women)

Last year, 4 million retired workers claimed Social Security, and 22% of them filed for benefits at age 62, the earliest possible claim age. Those people got the smallest possible payout based on their personal work history.

Meanwhile, about 8% of newly awarded retired workers started collecting Social Security at age 70, the latest sensible claim age. Those individuals received the largest possible payout based on their personal work history.

There are pros and cons to claiming earlier and later, but future retirees need to understand exactly how claim age will affect their benefits. Without that information, it is impossible to make an educated decision about when to start Social Security. Read on to see the average benefit for men and women at different ages.

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The average Social Security benefit for retired men and women at different ages

To foster public transparency, the Social Security Administration provides access to anonymized benefit data. Releasing high-level program statistics ensures taxpayers can see how funds are being distributed, and it allows researchers to analyze trends.

The information in the chart below comes from a biannual report last updated in June 2026. It shows the average monthly Social Security benefit paid to retired men and women aged 62 to 70

Data source: Social Security Administration.

There are two trends worth mentioning in the chart above. First, the average retired-worker benefit generally increases between ages 62 and 70. The primary reason for that pattern is differences in claim age. Workers are entitled to Social Security at age 62, but they only receive the largest benefit based on their personal earnings history if they delay until age 70.

Second, across every age group, the average man receives a larger benefit than the average woman. The reason for that trend is differences in lifetime income. Men tend to earn more than women, resulting in larger Social Security benefits. However, the gender pay gap has narrowed slightly in recent decades, so the discrepancy is a bit more pronounced in older age groups.

Exactly how your Social Security benefit is calculated

The Social Security Administration considers lifetime earnings and claim age when calculating retired-worker benefits. The two-step process below explains exactly how those variables work together to influence 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 their primary insurance amount (PIA). The PIA is the benefit a worker will receive if they start 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. Workers who start Social Security after FRA get a bigger benefit, meaning they receive more than 100% of their PIA.

There are two important conditions to the information above. First, eligibility for retirement 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 chart below 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 for different age groups.

Data source: The Social Security Administration.

The chart above makes it clear that Social Security is highly dependent on the age at which the claim is filed. Indeed, retired workers born in 1960 or later can increase their benefit payments by 77% simply by claiming Social Security at age 70 rather than age 62.

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