Average Social Security Benefits and Impact of Early Claiming at Age 65
According to December 2025 data from the Social Security Administration (SSA), the average monthly benefit for individuals aged 65 is $1,607.27. This figure is notably lower than the overall average for all retired workers, which stood at $2,088.79 as of September 2026. There remains a gender gap in benefits, with men receiving an average of $1,772.00 and women receiving $1,457.40 per month. For individuals born in 1960 or later, the full retirement age is 67. Claiming benefits at age 65 results in a permanent 13.33% reduction in monthly payments compared to waiting until the full retirement age. While a 3.6% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) scheduled for 2027 is expected to increase average benefits by approximately $58 per month, Social Security is generally intended to replace only about 40% of pre-retirement income.
Tickers: $AAPL $AMZN $GOOG $META $MSFT $NVDA $TSLA
Topics: Cost-of-Living Adjustment Medicare Eligibility Retirement Planning Social Security Administration
Read the full article at Motley Fool
Part of the story Analysis of Average Social Security Benefit Disparities Between Men and Women (3 articles)