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62vs70.com
About

An independent Social Security calculator, built to get the math right.

62vs70.com shows your personal breakeven age, the three claiming scenarios, and — if you’re married — how to coordinate two filings. It’s free, runs entirely in your browser, and is built on the SSA’s own formulas.

Who runs this

62vs70.com is published by Red Goggles LLC, an independent operator of free web calculators and reference tools. We are not the Social Security Administration, a broker, an insurer, an annuity seller, or a financial advisory firm, and we are not affiliated with the SSA, CMS, or any financial institution. We don’t sell products, we don’t collect leads, and we don’t take your information — the calculator runs on your device and nothing you type is sent to us.

Why this site exists

When to claim Social Security is the single most-searched personal-finance decision after “how much do I need to retire.” Claim at 62 and your benefit is permanently reduced by about 30% relative to your Full Retirement Age amount; wait until 70 and you add delayed-retirement credits worth about 24% on top. Most people land somewhere between, but the extremes — 62 vs 70 — are what crystallize the decision. Most calculators online stop at your own benefit and ignore the highest-leverage dimension: for married couples, the higher earner’s claiming age drives both lifetime household benefits and the survivor’s income for the rest of their life. Getting that coordination right is the reason this tool exists.

How it’s calculated

The estimate is built from published SSA rules, applied openly:

  • Full Retirement Age by birth year. FRA isn’t a single number — it rises from 66 for those born 1943–1954 to 67 for anyone born in 1960 or later. The engine computes your FRA from your birth year rather than assuming one value.
  • Early-claim reduction (non-linear). Claiming before FRA reduces the benefit by 5/9 of 1% per month for the first 36 months, then 5/12 of 1% per month beyond that — a 30% cut at 62 for an FRA of 67.
  • Delayed retirement credits. Waiting past FRA earns 2/3 of 1% per month (8% per year), capped at age 70 — 24% for an FRA of 67.
  • Spousal and survivor rules. A spouse can receive up to 50% of the higher earner’s PIA; the survivor steps up to 100% of what the higher earner was actually receiving, including delayed credits.
  • Benefit taxability. Up to 85% of benefits can be taxable based on combined income (AGI + tax-exempt interest + half of benefits), using the federal thresholds that have never been indexed to inflation.

We ask you to enter your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) from your ssa.gov My Account, because that is the most accurate figure; estimates from earnings history alone are approximate. The full method is spelled out on the calculator page under How it works.

How we stay neutral and current

We model current Social Security law and state the facts plainly. We don’t engage with “what if Social Security runs out” framing — that’s a separate political conversation; the math we present is the math under current law. We link to primary sources — the SSA and the IRS — so you can verify figures yourself. Annual figures (the earnings-test limits, PIA bend points, and the COLA) update each October for the following year; we replace estimates with official figures as they’re published. The FRA table is statutory and doesn’t change.

How the site is funded

62vs70.com is free and supported by display advertising. Advertising is kept calm and never mixes with your inputs — see our privacy page for exactly what is and isn’t collected.

Educational estimate — not advice. This site provides an educational estimate, not financial, legal, or tax advice. Confirm your benefit and options with the SSA or a fee-only fiduciary advisor. See our full disclaimer.

Questions or corrections? We take accuracy seriously on a decision this consequential — reach us on the contact page.