What Is Full Retirement Age for People Born in 1957?

The Full Retirement Age (FRA) is a key concept for Social Security benefits. It is a specific age determined by your birth year, and reaching it allows you to receive your unreduced Social Security benefits. Understanding how FRA impacts benefit amounts is important for making informed decisions about when to claim benefits.

Full Retirement Age for 1957 Births

For individuals born in 1957, the Full Retirement Age is 66 years and 6 months. This age is part of a gradual adjustment that has been increasing for those born after 1937. These phased increases were introduced to help ensure the long-term solvency of the Social Security system.

Knowing this specific age is important for planning when to apply for benefits, as claiming them earlier or later can significantly alter the monthly amount received.

Understanding Your Social Security Benefit at Full Retirement Age

Reaching your Full Retirement Age means you qualify for your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA). This is the full, unreduced monthly benefit and serves as the baseline for all Social Security benefit calculations. The PIA is determined by a formula that considers your lifetime earnings, specifically your Average Indexed Monthly Earnings (AIME).

To calculate AIME, the Social Security Administration (SSA) uses your earnings from your 35 highest-earning years, indexed to account for changes in average wages. If you have fewer than 35 years of earnings, zero earnings years are included, which can reduce your AIME. The PIA formula then applies specific percentages to portions of your AIME to arrive at your full monthly benefit.

Claiming Social Security Benefits: Before or After Full Retirement Age

The age at which you begin receiving Social Security benefits, relative to your Full Retirement Age, directly impacts your monthly payment. You can start receiving benefits as early as age 62, but claiming early results in a permanent reduction from your Primary Insurance Amount. For someone with a Full Retirement Age of 66 years and 6 months, claiming at age 62 would result in approximately a 27.5% permanent reduction in their monthly benefit. This reduction is calculated based on five-ninths of one percent for each month for the first 36 months, and five-twelfths of one percent for each additional month of early claiming.

Delaying benefits past your Full Retirement Age can lead to a larger monthly payment. For individuals born in 1943 or later, delaying benefits results in delayed retirement credits (DRCs) that increase your benefit by 8% for each year you wait, up until age 70. These credits accrue monthly at a rate of two-thirds of one percent. There is no additional benefit increase for delaying past age 70. Claiming at age 70 ensures you receive the maximum possible monthly benefit based on your earnings record.

Other Factors Affecting Social Security Benefits

Beyond your Full Retirement Age and claiming decision, other factors can influence the amount of Social Security benefits you receive. If you claim benefits before reaching your Full Retirement Age and continue to work, your benefits may be subject to an earnings test. Under this test, a portion of your benefits may be temporarily withheld if your earnings exceed specific annual limits. In 2025, if you are under your Full Retirement Age, $1 in benefits is withheld for every $2 you earn above $23,400. In the year you reach your Full Retirement Age, a more generous limit applies, and the earnings test stops completely once you reach your Full Retirement Age.

A portion of your Social Security benefits may also be subject to federal income tax. This depends on your “combined income,” which includes your adjusted gross income, any nontaxable interest, and half of your Social Security benefits. For an individual filer in 2025, if combined income is between $25,000 and $34,000, up to 50% of benefits may be taxable. If combined income exceeds $34,000, up to 85% of benefits may be taxable. For those filing a joint return, these thresholds are $32,000 and $44,000, respectively.