Social Security for the 1962 cohort, at 64 in 2026
For the first time, the widow table and the worker table give the same answer: 67.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
If you were born in 1962 (January 2, 1962 to January 1, 1963), 67 is your full retirement age for every kind of benefit. The worker table in 20 CFR 404.409 reached 67 with 1960 births, but the survivor table, which runs two years behind, only reaches it with yours: people born in 1961 still have a survivor full age of 66 and 10 months. You turned 62 in 2024, so your PIA is computed with the 2024 bend points, $1,174 and $7,078, on earnings indexed to the 2022 average wage of 63,795.13, then raised by 2.5% for December 2024 and 2.8% for December 2025. In 2026 you are 64; full retirement age arrives in 2029 and the last delayed credit in 2032. A career at $70,000 in today's pay gives a PIA of $2,515.90, paid $2,012 a month if started at 64.
Your full retirement age and what it does to your check
Full retirement age
67
| At 62 and 1 month | $1,408 (70.4%) |
| At 70 | $2,480 (124.0%) |
| Survivor full retirement age | 67 |
Born on January 1? Use the year before.
The survivor schedule catches up
The two full-age tables of 20 CFR 404.409 were built two years apart, so for every cohort from 1955 to 1961 the survivor age was lower than the retirement age. With 1962 births they converge. A widow or widower born in 1962 who starts a survivor benefit at 60 receives 71.5% of the deceased's amount, the reduction being spread over 84 months instead of 82 for 1961 (20 CFR 404.410). On our $70,000 example, that is $1,798 at 60 against $2,516 at 67.
Five careers on the 2024 formula
The table runs careers from 22 to 62, each kept at the same level against the national average wage, through the 2024 bend points of $1,174 and $7,078 (SSA), then adds the two COLAs since. The last two columns show the monthly benefit at 64, your age now, and at 67.
| Career pay | AIME | PIA 2024 | PIA 2026 | Start at 64 | Start at 67 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $25,000 | $1,905 | $1,290.50 | $1,359.70 | $1,087 | $1,359 |
| $45,000 | $3,429 | $1,778.20 | $1,873.60 | $1,498 | $1,873 |
| $70,000 | $5,334 | $2,387.80 | $2,515.90 | $2,012 | $2,515 |
| $100,000 | $7,620 | $3,027.10 | $3,189.50 | $2,551 | $3,189 |
| $140,000 | $10,669 | $3,484.50 | $3,671.60 | $2,937 | $3,671 |
Two features stand out. The lowest career keeps the highest share of its pay, because its whole AIME sits near the 90% slice. And the gap between 64 and 67 is the same 20% at every pay level: the reduction is a percentage of the PIA, not a fixed amount. The PIA guide breaks down each slice.
Calendar for a 1962 birth
- 2024: age 62, formula year, first COLA (2.5%) credited at year end.
- 2026: age 64; earnings test limit $24,480 if collecting while working.
- 2027: age 65, Medicare eligibility.
- 2029: age 67, full retirement age for retirement, spouse and survivor benefits.
- 2032: age 70, last month of delayed credits, 124.0% of the PIA.
Exact months depend on your birthday; the full retirement age calculator gives them to the day.
A spouse born in 1962
Spouse benefits use the retirement full age, 67, but a steeper reduction: 25/36 of 1% for each of the first 36 months early. A spouse with no record of their own who starts at 64 receives 37.5% of the worker's PIA instead of 50%, or $943 a month on our $70,000 example. Spouse benefits earn no delayed credits after 67.