What is the average Social Security check by age?

As of December 2025, the average monthly retirement benefit is $1,424.40 at age 62, $2,016.48 at 67, and $2,274.68 at 70. Averages peak around age 70 ($2,274.68).

Why is the average check higher for people who claimed at 70?

Two reasons: people who wait earn delayed retirement credits worth 8% per year up to 70, and people who can afford to wait often had higher lifetime earnings. Both push the age-70 average well above the age-62 average.

Why do averages dip at the oldest ages?

People in their 80s and 90s generally claimed decades ago, when wages, and therefore their starting benefits, were lower. Annual cost-of-living adjustments raise those checks over time but don't fully close the gap with newer retirees.

Is this the same as the maximum benefit?

No. These are averages across millions of beneficiaries at each age. The maximum benefit is far higher and requires 35 years of earnings at the taxable maximum, see the maximum benefit page.

Average Social Security Check by Age

Updated December 2025 · 53,624,664 beneficiaries · Source: Social Security Administration

SSA publishes these figures twice a year, in June and December. The June 2026 snapshot will appear here automatically once SSA releases it.

average at age 62: $1,424.40
average at age 67 (FRA): $2,016.48
average at age 70: $2,274.68
from 62 to 70: +60%

Average monthly Social Security retirement benefits vary widely by age. As of December 2025, beneficiaries who are 62 average $1,424.40, those at full retirement age (67) average $2,016.48, and those who reached 70 average $2,274.68, about 60% more than at 62. The figures below come straight from SSA's published statistics; pick any age for the full year-by-year history and a men-versus-women breakdown.

Average monthly benefit by age

$625

$1,250

$1,875

$2,500

Benefits climb with claiming age, peak around the late 60s/early 70s, then taper for the oldest cohorts who claimed long ago at lower wages.

Average check at every age

Age	Average check	Beneficiaries
Age 62	$1,424.40	606,051	View →
Age 63	$1,435.81	918,993	View →
Age 64	$1,478.00	1,089,266	View →
Age 65	$1,607.27	1,461,363	View →
Age 66	$1,807.28	1,826,557	View →
Age 67	$2,016.48	2,998,144	View →
Age 68	$2,052.64	3,132,924	View →
Age 69	$2,096.95	3,090,808	View →
Age 70	$2,274.68	3,239,089	View →
Age 71	$2,247.76	3,161,593	View →
Age 72	$2,205.21	2,961,064	View →
Age 73	$2,207.96	2,848,436	View →
Age 74	$2,178.87	2,686,143	View →
Age 75	$2,144.88	2,490,981	View →
Age 76	$2,157.21	2,402,698	View →
Age 77	$2,170.80	2,299,788	View →
Age 78	$2,140.16	2,297,190	View →
Age 79	$2,155.77	1,966,206	View →
Age 80	$2,106.29	1,544,401	View →
Age 81	$2,099.82	1,459,529	View →
Age 82	$2,098.76	1,417,691	View →
Age 83	$2,102.12	1,280,356	View →
Age 84	$2,101.26	1,058,523	View →
Age 85	$2,077.11	913,885	View →
Age 86	$2,036.62	792,337	View →
Age 87	$2,015.54	709,054	View →
Age 88	$1,983.29	598,324	View →
Age 89	$1,925.36	498,433	View →
Age 90	$1,898.34	421,172	View →
Age 91	$1,894.74	341,949	View →
Age 92	$1,899.20	266,739	View →
Age 93	$1,920.13	222,201	View →
Age 94	$1,907.78	173,742	View →
Age 95	$1,890.03	135,206	View →
Age 96	$1,889.08	98,412	View →
Age 97	$1,891.21	72,256	View →
Age 98	$1,887.57	51,651	View →
Age 99	$1,845.00	91,509	View →

What drives the differences

Claiming age. Claiming at 62 permanently reduces your benefit to about 70% of your full amount, while waiting to 70 raises it to 124%. That alone explains much of the jump from the age-62 to the age-70 average, see full retirement age.

Lifetime earnings. Benefits are based on your 35 highest-earning years through the PIA formula, so higher earners receive larger checks at every age.

Cost-of-living adjustments. Each year's COLA raises benefits already in payment, but newer retirees still tend to start higher because wages rise over time.

Frequently asked questions

What is the average Social Security check by age?: As of December 2025, the average monthly retirement benefit is $1,424.40 at age 62, $2,016.48 at 67, and $2,274.68 at 70. Averages peak around age 70 ($2,274.68).
Why is the average check higher for people who claimed at 70?: Two reasons: people who wait earn delayed retirement credits worth 8% per year up to 70, and people who can afford to wait often had higher lifetime earnings. Both push the age-70 average well above the age-62 average.
Why do averages dip at the oldest ages?: People in their 80s and 90s generally claimed decades ago, when wages, and therefore their starting benefits, were lower. Annual cost-of-living adjustments raise those checks over time but don't fully close the gap with newer retirees.
Is this the same as the maximum benefit?: No. These are averages across millions of beneficiaries at each age. The maximum benefit is far higher and requires 35 years of earnings at the taxable maximum, see the maximum benefit page.