Full Retirement Age is Changing for Social Security in 2026

Some big changes are coming to Social Security in 2026 that you need to know about if you are nearing retirement. One of those key changes has to do with the full retirement age for Social Security. 

Understanding how FRA is changing can shape when you should claim benefits and can affect the income that you will receive for the rest of your life. Here’s what you need to know about the change and how it can impact you. 

Full retirement age will change in 2026

First things first — it’s important to understand what full retirement age is and why it matters.

Full retirement age is the age when you are entitled to your standard Social Security benefit if you request that the Social Security Administration start your checks at that time. You must claim your benefits exactly at your full retirement age if you want your standard benefit. If you claim even a single month before, then the benefit is reduced. If you wait even a single month beyond your FRA, then your benefit starts increasing. 

Since your FRA — and your claiming age relative to it — determine how big your retirement benefits are, you should know what the rules are. And that’s especially true given that FRA is changing in 2026. 

Traditionally, full retirement age was 65 for every worker, so anyone who qualified for benefits could claim them at that age. But Social Security was facing financial trouble in the past, so that changed. In the 1980s, lawmakers passed a bill that reformed several aspects of Social Security, including gradually shifting the full retirement age later. That shift has been underway for a long time, and it is resulting in a big change to FRA in 2026.  FRA is moving later — and it is doing it for the last time. 

For anyone who turns 66 in 2026, however, their birth year is 1960. And, for those born in 1960 or later, FRA is 67.  This means if you haven’t reached FRA at the end of 2025, you’ll be looking at a different full retirement age in 2026 and you are going to have to wait longer to claim your monthly benefit as a result of that change. 

Should you claim Social Security at your full retirement age?

Understanding the changes to FRA is important so you can make informed choices about when to start benefits. You can claim Social Security as early as 62, which is well before your FRA of 67 if you turn 66 in 2026 or later. An early claim can reduce monthly payments for life, with the reduction equal to 5/9 of 1% for the first 36 months and 5/12 of 1% for any prior month. The reduction adds up to a 6.7% cut to your standard benefit for each of the first three years and another 5% cut for any prior year that you get benefits ahead of schedule. That means a claim at age 62 in 2026 would reduce your benefit by a full 30% compared to waiting until 67.

A delay after FRA does the opposite of an early claim, increasing your benefit due to delayed retirement credits. You’ll see a benefits increase of 2/3 of 1% for each month you delay benefits after FRA. This adds up to an 8% annual increase and, with an FRA of 67 and delayed retirement credits available only until age 70, you can increase your benefits by up to 24% total.

So, the big question when deciding when to claim Social Security is whether you would rather get more smaller checks or fewer larger ones. That answer depends on things like how long you think you’ll live, whether spousal benefits will be important to your spouse, and whether you need Social Security to be able to retire. A financial advisor can help you to consider these issues and decide on a personalized claiming age that makes good sense for you.