The Average Social Security Check by Age
Compare your average Social Security check with those of others of your age, and plan for the future.
Summary: Looking at average monthly Social Security checks by age can help you understand what your monthly benefits will be if you claim at age 62, 66, 67 or 70. Using data from the Social Security Administration (SSA), we compare retired beneficiaries' checks by age and gender. We also look at how much recipients receive when they begin taking benefits at their full retirement age (FRA) vs collecting a delayed retirement credit.
Getting a handle on the average Social Security check by age can help you fine-tune your retirement plans. The Social Security Administration's (SSA) Annual Statistical Supplement lets us see how much the average retiree receives at ages 66 to 90 and older.
Using data from the SSA 2026 Supplement, we compared retired SSA beneficiaries' check amounts by age, actual average monthly benefit including delayed retirement credit and hypothetical average monthly benefit without delayed retirement credits to see how much more retirees receive by delaying retirement. The data is also broken out by gender.
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In August, more than 57.78 million retired workers and family members received monthly benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA). How much did they get? For that month, the average monthly Social Security check for retired workers was $2,087.52, according to the SSA's Monthly Statistical Snapshot.
Your personal monthly Social Security benefit depends on how much you've earned, how long you worked, the age at which you claim(ed) your benefit and your marital status.
Because Social Security benefit calculations are complex, pinpointing your exact future payout before claiming can be difficult. However, you can still generate a reasonable estimate.
Check the Social Security payment schedule for 2026 and 2027 to see when your benefits will arrive throughout the year.
Maximum benefit by age if you retire in 2026
Comparing maximum benefits by age makes it easy to quantify the bump you receive by delaying collection until age 70. In 2026, the difference between maximum benefit at age 62 ($2,969) is $2,212 less than the maximum at age 70 ($5,181).
Age |
Maximum possible benefit in 2026 |
Adjustments to benefit |
|---|---|---|
62 — the youngest possible retirement age |
$2,969 |
Early retirement reduction |
66/67 — full retirement age |
$4,152 |
No early retirement reduction or delayed retirement credit |
70 — the age when extra benefits stop accruing |
$5,181 |
Delayed retirement credit |
Average monthly Social Security benefit for ages 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 75, 80, 85 and 90 and older
The age you start taking benefits affects the size of your monthly check. If you wait until you reach full retirement age (FRA) to claim Social Security benefits, you’ll receive 100% of your earned benefits. By waiting to claim your Social Security benefits until age 70, your monthly benefit will grow by 8% a year until you're 70. The delayed retirement credit accumulates monthly.
The first table below shows average monthly benefit amounts by age and gender. The second table is more in-depth and shows average monthly benefit amounts by age and gender, including benefit amounts with delayed retirement credits and a hypothetical amount reflecting the absence of the credit.
Here's an example showing how valuable those delayed retirement credits can be. In 2025, the average retiree benefit for those age 70 is $2,277.34; that's $879.25 less than all retirees age 70 who collected delayed retirement credits.
Now let's break that example up by gender. Men with delayed retirement credits collected $3,468.49 per month compared with $2,512.71 (the overall average for 70-year-old men), or $955.78 more per month than the average 70-year-old man. This effect is less dramatic for women. Women with delayed retirement credits collected $2,806.13 compared with the $2,030.84 average for all 70-year-old women, for an additional $775.29.
The data below come from Tables 5.B2 and 5.B3 (PDF) in the Annual Statistical Supplement, 2026.
Age |
Average monthly benefit amount for all retirees |
Average monthly benefit for men |
Average monthly benefit for women |
|---|---|---|---|
All retirees |
$2,267.12 |
$2,493.44 |
$2,011.49 |
66 |
$2,196.62 |
$2,437.58 |
$1,942.72 |
67 |
$2,266.46 |
$2,503.57 |
$2,014.11 |
68 |
$2,236.64 |
$2,468.35 |
$1,989.84 |
69 |
$2,244.28 |
$2,474.49 |
$2,002.19 |
70 |
$2,277.34 |
$2,512.71 |
$2,030.84 |
75 |
$2,231.51 |
$2,435.42 |
$1,987.41 |
80 |
$2,329.67 |
$2,563.09 |
$2,046.82 |
85 |
$2,353.96 |
$2,611.67 |
$2,039.13 |
90 or older |
$1,895.76 |
$2,039.21 |
$1,771.87 |
How much you gain by waiting to file for benefits
The earlier your FRA, the more credits you can earn. For instance, those born in 1956 have an FRA of 66 years and four months and can increase their checks by up to 29.3%. This "bonus" shrinks as the FRA rises; people born in 1960 and after have a FRA of 67 and can only increase their checks by 24% by waiting until 70.
The table below demonstrates how much bigger your Social Security check can be when you collect some, if not all, of the retirement credits available to you.
Let's take an example. The average retiree benefit for those age 70 who collected delayed retirement credits (DRCs) is $3,156.59; that's $501.74 more than our hypothetical 70-year-olds who didn't take DRCs. Men collected an average of $550.75 more, and women received an additional $446.67.
By age 75, men collected an average of $618.67 more per month, and women's checks were $539.59 higher than if they had not delayed retirement beyond their FRA.
By age and gender |
Number of retired workers |
Actual average monthly benefit including delayed retirement credit |
Hypothetical average monthly benefit without delayed retirement credit |
|---|---|---|---|
Age 66 All retired workers |
2,245* |
$2,840.09 |
$2,794.19 |
Men |
1,270 |
$3,109.72 |
$3,063.78 |
Women |
975 |
$2,488.89 |
$2,443.03 |
| Row 3 - Cell 0 | Row 3 - Cell 1 | Row 3 - Cell 2 | Row 3 - Cell 3 |
Age 67 All retired workers |
121,021 |
$2,673.40 |
$2,599.38 |
Men |
64,125 |
$2,941.35 |
$2,861.99 |
Women |
56,896 |
$2,371.41 |
$2,303.40 |
| Row 7 - Cell 0 | Row 7 - Cell 1 | Row 7 - Cell 2 | Row 7 - Cell 3 |
Age 68 All retired workers |
374,288 |
$2,669.50 |
$2,516.41 |
Men |
195,308 |
$2,930.48 |
$2,764.23 |
Women |
178,980 |
$2,384.71 |
$2,245.99 |
| Row 11 - Cell 0 | Row 11 - Cell 1 | Row 11 - Cell 2 | Row 11 - Cell 3 |
Age 69 All retired workers |
474,510 |
$2,750.65 |
$2,513.17 |
Men |
250,054 |
$3,014.69 |
$2,756.16 |
Women |
224,456 |
$2,456.51 |
$2,242.47 |
| Row 15 - Cell 0 | Row 15 - Cell 1 | Row 15 - Cell 2 | Row 15 - Cell 3 |
Age 70 All retired workers |
754,763 |
$3,156.59 |
$2,654.85 |
Men |
399,347 |
$3,468.49 |
$2,917.74 |
Women |
355,416 |
$2,806.13 |
$2,359.46 |
| Row 19 - Cell 0 | Row 19 - Cell 1 | Row 19 - Cell 2 | Row 19 - Cell 3 |
Age 75 All retired workers |
484,258 |
$3,070.01 |
$2,490.11 |
Men |
246,862 |
$3,372.60 |
$2,753.93 |
Women |
237,396 |
$2,755.36 |
$2,215.77 |
| Row 23 - Cell 0 | Row 23 - Cell 1 | Row 23 - Cell 2 | Row 23 - Cell 3 |
Age 80 All retired workers |
180,151 |
$2,906.83 |
$2,399.83 |
Men |
87,350 |
$3,242.57 |
$2,697.86 |
Women |
92,801 |
$2,590.81 |
$2,119.32 |
| Row 27 - Cell 0 | Row 27 - Cell 1 | Row 27 - Cell 2 | Row 27 - Cell 3 |
Age 85 All retired workers |
59,124 |
$2,465.07 |
$2,088.04 |
Men |
24,475 |
$2,754.56 |
$2,374.92 |
Women |
34,649 |
$2,260.58 |
$1,885.41 |
| Row 31 - Cell 0 | Row 31 - Cell 1 | Row 31 - Cell 2 | Row 31 - Cell 3 |
90 or older All retired workers |
361,250 |
$2,292.43 |
$2,102.46 |
Men |
172,126 |
$2,527.12 |
$2,328.64 |
Women |
189,124 |
$2,078.83 |
$1,896.61 |
*Note: The surprisingly low number of workers at age 66 is accurate because in 2025, the FRA is 66 and 10 months; they had a very narrow window to accrue a delayed retirement credit before turning 67.
How to estimate your monthly benefits
One way to estimate your Social Security benefits is to create an account through the SSA's website (or sign in to your existing account) and use their benefits calculator.
This online tool helps you factor in your earnings history and expected future earnings to estimate your benefits at ages 62, 67 and 70, so you can make an informed choice about when to apply for Social Security benefits.
You can also visit a local Social Security office for additional information and assistance.
Tip: Read How to Estimate Your Social Security Benefits in Six Steps to understand how your benefit amount is determined and learn how to calculate your estimated benefits.
Social Security is just one part of retirement
Once you've estimated your Social Security benefits by age, you'll have a better sense of your retirement income. You can also compare your benefits with others of the same age.
Social Security is just one part of a retirement plan. You should likely supplement your benefits with a 401(k), IRA or other investment.
To get an idea of how your full retirement portfolio compares with peers, read:
- The Average 401(k) Balance by Age
- The Average IRA Balance by Age
- The Average Retirement Savings by Age
- Average Retirement Income by Age and State
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