Free Financial Decision Calculator
Social Security Claiming Comparison
Use your own Social Security estimates to compare the tradeoff between starting sooner and receiving a larger monthly benefit later.
Reviewed · Aug 20, 2026
What this does
Compares cumulative benefits from claiming at 62, full retirement age or 70 using your own Social Security estimates.
Have ready
Your SSA monthly benefit estimates for age 62, full retirement age and age 70.
Terra approachTransparent assumptionsEducational comparisonNo product recommendationHow Terra handles revenue →
Your assumptions
Change the numbers yourself. Terra shows a transparent scenario, not a prediction or recommendation.
Terra uses this only to identify your Social Security full retirement age. FRA in this scenario: 67.
Use an age that helps you think about longevity; Terra does not predict life expectancy.
Saved scenarios stay privately in this browser under My Terra. Nothing is saved unless you choose Save this scenario.
Primary source: SSA says retirement benefits can generally begin as early as 62 at a reduced amount, increase for delayed claiming, and stop increasing because of delayed retirement credits at age 70. SSA: claiming before/after full retirement age →
Input tip: use the personalized estimates from your Social Security account rather than a generic benefit guess, and use SSA's today's-dollar view for all three estimates so the comparison is on one consistent basis. SSA: get your personalized estimate →
Input tip: use the personalized estimates from your Social Security account rather than a generic benefit guess, and use SSA's today's-dollar view for all three estimates so the comparison is on one consistent basis. SSA: get your personalized estimate →