Most people don’t think about average Social Security checks until they’re close to claiming. Then, two questions come to mind: how much will you get, and when should you start? You can file as early as 62 or wait until you’re 70.
For 2026, Social Security benefits got a 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). That takes the overall average retired-worker benefit from $2,015 in 2025 to about $2,076 in 2026. But that’s the average of all retirees, regardless of the age at which they filed their claim.
Avoid making an irreversible senior money mistake by understanding how much you’ll get if you claim at 62, 67, or 70.
What the average benefit looks like at 62 in 2026
Age 62 is the earliest age at which most people can start claiming benefits, which is why it’s such a common filing age. While that may sound attractive, if your full retirement age (FRA) is 67, filing at 62 means you take about a 30% permanent cut to your base benefit.
Even with COLA, that reduction takes the average benefit for a 62-year-old retiree to about $1,416 per month, or around $17,000 per year. That’s the gross benefit, before any deductions or withholding.
For some people, that’s enough to plug a gap once the mortgage is paid off and other income is coming in from savings, a pension, or part-time work. For others, it’s nowhere near enough to give them the money they need to maintain their lifestyle.
Filing at 62 can still make sense if your health is poor, your job situation pushes you out early, or you simply need the money now. But it’s important to be clear on the fact that you’re locking in a smaller check for life. And that also means that every COLA has a smaller impact, because it’s applied to the current baseline benefit.
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What the average benefit looks like at 67 in 2026
For anyone born in 1960 or later, full retirement age is 67. That’s the point where you get 100% of your primary insurance amount (PIA), which is based on your 35 highest earning years, adjusted for wage inflation.
That means, after COLA is applied, the average benefit for those who claim at 67 in 2026 is about $2,018 per month. This works out to a little over $24,200 per year. Compared with filing at 62, that’s roughly $600 more per month, or close to $7,200 more per year.
That approximately 30% gap is why a lot of planners treat 67 as the middle ground. You avoid the steep early-filing reduction of age 62 filers, so you get a big bump in guaranteed lifetime income. If you can work to 67, or cover the gap from savings or a spouse’s income, waiting for FRA can make your baseline Social Security benefit go further. Plus, each COLA increase is applied to a larger base, so it delivers a bigger raise.
What the average benefit looks like at 70 in 2026
If you wait past full retirement age, Social Security rewards you with delayed retirement credits (DRCs). For someone with an FRA of 67, your benefit grows by around 8% per year for each year you delay from 67 to 70. And that’s not counting COLAs. By the time you reach 70, you’re looking at roughly 24% more than you’d get at 67 and 77% more than you’d get at 62.
With COLA applied, that puts the average benefit of someone filing their claim at age 70 in 2026 at around $2,249 per month, or approximately $26,988 per year. That’s about $230 more per month than FRA filers, and $830 more per month than early filers.
Waiting until 70 clearly improves your lifetime benefit amount, but not everyone can afford to wait. Sometimes health, redundancy, or family needs mean you’ve no choice but to file before you reach 70. Alternatively, you may be able to delay until 70 if you can work part-time, have savings, or a partner’s benefit.
If you’re in decent health with a reasonable shot at a long retirement, it makes sense to wait, especially if you can earn enough backup income to get through your late 60s without needing that Social Security check.
Other things that can change your benefit
Filing age is a major factor, but it isn’t the only one.
Your earnings history matters just as much. Social Security looks at your 35 highest-earning years. If you have a lot of low- or zero-earning years in that window, your average gets lowered significantly, which results in a smaller benefit. Working a little longer in your 60s can sometimes knock out weaker years and raise your check.
If you claim before full retirement age and keep working, the earnings test can temporarily reduce how much you see in your bank account.
In 2026, the limit for people under FRA is $24,480, and for the year you reach FRA, the limit is $65,160. In the years before full retirement age, if you earn more than this limit, the Social Security Administration (SSA) automatically withholds $1 for every $2 you earn from your benefit. And, in the year you reach FRA, they withhold $1 in every $3.
But remember that once you reach FRA, the test ends, and your benefits are readjusted to credit back the months that were withheld.
On top of that, spousal and survivor benefits, taxes, and Medicare premiums can all change the amount you actually receive. A higher benefit can mean more of your Social Security benefit is taxable or that you bump into higher Medicare income brackets. Both of these scenarios can reduce your net amount.
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How to see your own numbers
Averages are useful for context, but it’s not smart to base your retirement plan on them. Instead, log in to your “my Social Security” account, check your earnings history, then use the calculators to see what your specific benefit looks like at different filing ages.
This is a simple way to make a solid retirement plan. It’s also a great time to make sure your earnings record is accurate, correct any errors, and determine if you need to work an extra year or two to knock out a couple of low-earning years to pull your average up.
Bottom line
With the 2.8% COLA, the average retired-worker benefit across all ages will climb to about $2,076 in 2026. However, a typical retiree filing early at 62 will receive just about $1,400 per month. This is considerably less than the average 67-year-old who files when they reach FRA and receives about $2,000 per month. Those who wait until 70 lock in an even higher average benefit amount of about $2,263 per month.
These are only averages, and your own check can be higher or lower, based on a range of factors, including your 35-year earnings record. One of the smartest money moves retirees can make is to understand how much they’d receive based on their real PIA. For those in good health and who can bridge the income gap through work or savings, it’s a good idea to wait until 70 to maximize their lifetime benefit.
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