Full retirement age if you were born in 1956
Full retirement age, born 1956
66 and 4 months
Reached during 2022. This cohort turned 62 in 2018 and turns 70 in 2026.
- At age 62
- 73.33%$1,467 on a $2,000 PIA
- At full retirement age
- 100%$2,000
- At age 70
- 129.33%$2,587
- Delayed credit
- 8.0%/yrfrom FRA to 70
The calendar for this cohort
Full retirement age is a rule about your birth year, but what it means in practice is a set of dates. These are yours.
| Milestone | Year | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Turns 62 | 2018 | Earliest retirement claim. The benefit formula’s bend points are fixed for life at this year, and cost-of-living adjustments begin applying. |
| Reaches full retirement age | 2022 | The unreduced benefit becomes payable and the retirement earnings test stops applying. |
| Turns 70 | 2026 | Delayed retirement credits stop accruing. Waiting longer gains nothing. |
The 8 adjustments this cohort has actually seen
Adjustments apply from the year you turn 62, claimed or not. For this cohort that means every adjustment payable from January 2019 onward. Applied year by year to a $2,000 primary insurance amount — flooring to the whole dollar each year, the way SSA does it, not compounding one average rate — the result is $2,644.
| Payable year | Adjustment | Running amount |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2.8% | $2,056 |
| 2020 | 1.6% | $2,088 |
| 2021 | 1.3% | $2,115 |
| 2022 | 5.9% | $2,239 |
| 2023 | 8.7% | $2,433 |
| 2024 | 3.2% | $2,510 |
| 2025 | 2.5% | $2,572 |
| 2026 | 2.8% | $2,644 |
| Total since 2019 | +$644 |
The largest single adjustment in this cohort’s window was 8.7% and the smallest was 1.3%. Every adjustment since 1975.
What claiming early or late is worth, in dollars
The percentages below are statutory and apply to the primary insurance amount before any cost-of-living adjustment. A $2,000 primary insurance amount is used here so the arithmetic is legible; scale it to your own figure.
| Claim at | Share of PIA | Monthly | Against full retirement age |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62 (in 2018) | 73.33% | $1,467 | -$533 |
| 66 and 4 months (in 2022) | 100% | $2,000 | — |
| 70 (in 2026) | 129.33% | $2,587 | +$587 |
This site does not tell you when to claim
The table above is arithmetic, not advice. When to claim depends on your health, your savings, your spouse’s record, whether you are still working and how the earnings test interacts with all of it. This site covers rates, history and arithmetic and stops there, deliberately.
Other birth years
- 193765
- 193865 and 2 months
- 193965 and 4 months
- 194065 and 6 months
- 194165 and 8 months
- 194265 and 10 months
- 194366
- 194466
- 194566
- 194666
- 194766
- 194866
- 194966
- 195066
- 195166
- 195266
- 195366
- 195466
- 195566 and 2 months
- 195666 and 4 months
- 195766 and 6 months
- 195866 and 8 months
- 195966 and 10 months
- 196067
Common questions
What is full retirement age for someone born in 1956?
66 and 4 months, reached during 2022. Claiming before that permanently reduces the monthly benefit; claiming after it earns delayed retirement credits of 8.0% a year up to age 70.
How much less is a benefit claimed at 62 for this cohort?
73.33% of the primary insurance amount — a permanent reduction of 26.7%. On a $2,000 primary insurance amount that is $1,467 a month instead of $2,000.
How many cost-of-living adjustments has this cohort seen?
8 since age 62 in 2018, the most recent being 2.8% for 2026. Applied year by year to a $2,000 primary insurance amount they compound to $2,644.
Do adjustments only start when you claim?
No. Adjustments apply from the year you turn 62 whether or not you have claimed. Someone who waits until 70 still receives every adjustment in between — they are built into the benefit before the delayed retirement credits are applied.
Sources and freshness
- SSA Office of the Chief Actuary — Normal retirement age — verified 10 August 2026
- SSA Office of the Chief Actuary — Cost-of-Living Adjustments — verified 10 August 2026
Figures effective statutory, unchanged since 1983. Page figures last verified against the sources above on 10 August 2026. Corrections: the correction log · support@inventum.com.au