{"id":287098,"date":"2026-04-30T08:00:38","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T12:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/futbolete.com\/us\/?p=287098"},"modified":"2026-04-30T08:00:38","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T12:00:38","slug":"whats-the-worst-retirement-age-usa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/futbolete.com\/us\/whats-the-worst-retirement-age-usa\/","title":{"rendered":"This Is the \u201cWorst\u201d Retirement Age in the US According to Experts and Retirees"},"content":{"rendered":"

Financial experts don’t agree on much, but on this particular question they’re remarkably unified: claiming Social Security at 62<\/strong> is, from a purely financial standpoint, the single worst decision<\/em><\/strong> most American retirees can make.<\/p>\n

The evidence isn’t anecdotal because a 2019 study by a wealth management firm concluded that 92% of people<\/strong> would come out ahead by waiting until at least 65 to claim Social Security<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Anything earlier was considered suboptimal, with 62<\/strong> sitting at the very bottom of the range. The same research found that roughly 57% of retirees would accumulate more money by holding off until 70<\/strong>, while only 6.5% would actually benefit from claiming before age 64.<\/p>\n

Retiring at Age 62: A Penalty That Never Goes Away<\/h2>\n

A separate team of researchers reached the same conclusion. A 2022 analysis by economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta and Boston University found that virtually all American workers between ages 45 and 62<\/strong> should wait beyond 65 to collect their benefits.<\/p>\n

The mechanics behind this are worth understanding, because the damage isn’t temporary<\/strong>; it compounds across an entire retirement.<\/strong><\/p>\n

For anyone born in 1960 or later, filing at 62<\/strong> results in a 30% reduction compared to what they would receive at their full retirement age of 67<\/strong>. The Social Security Administration calculates this by cutting benefits five-ninths of 1% for each month claimed early, up to 36 months before full retirement age<\/strong>, and five-twelfths of 1% per month beyond that.<\/p>\n

Retiring at 62 Cuts $45,600 Off of Your Payments<\/h2>\n

What makes this particularly painful is that the reduction is permanent. Even as annual cost-of-living adjustments raise the check over time, the penalty is baked in forever \u2014 and it also affects any survivor benefits a spouse may later receive.<\/p>\n

Put in concrete dollar terms: someone who claims at 62 instead of waiting until 67 could receive $45,600 less over a lifetime<\/strong>, assuming they live to 85. And compared to someone who delays all the way to 70, the gap widens to roughly $60,000 in total lifetime benefits \u2014 the difference between $1,400 a month and $2,480 a month.<\/p>\n

So Why Do So Many People Do It?<\/h2>\n

Here’s the uncomfortable irony: despite being the worst financial option, 62 is also the most common actual retirement age in the United States<\/strong>. Workers tend to plan on retiring around 65 or 66, but the average real-world retirement happens at 62 \u2014 a gap driven by health deterioration, layoffs, and caregiving responsibilities that force people out of the workforce earlier than they intended.<\/p>\n

The data on forced early retirement is striking. Among people who retired in 2025, 46% did<\/strong> so earlier than planned, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute. In 76% of those cases, the early exit was driven by factors outside their control.<\/p>\n

Health problems, disability, or company-level changes like downsizing and closures<\/strong>. Separate research found that more than half of full-time workers in their early 50s are pushed out of their jobs before they’re ready to retire. In other words, many Americans don’t choose 62 \u2014 it chooses them.<\/p>\n

The Broader Retirement Picture<\/h2>\n

Claiming early doesn’t happen in isolation. It lands on top of an already strained retirement landscape. Independent projections estimate that roughly 45% of Americans will face retirement funding shortfalls even if they wait until 65 to retire. Claiming at 62 only deepens that hole<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

For lower-income households earning under $50,000<\/strong>, Social Security isn’t just one income stream among many \u2014 it’s the primary source of retirement income. Among current recipients, 61% say that losing even half of a monthly payment would leave them unable to cover basic expenses.<\/p>\n

When 62 Actually Makes Sense<\/h2>\n

Experts are careful to note that “worst statistically<\/strong>” doesn’t mean “wrong for everyone.” Someone with a serious illness and a shortened life expectancy would likely be better off claiming as early as possible. And for someone who loses their job at 62 and can’t find new work, early Social Security<\/strong> may be the only viable bridge. Health, liquidity needs, and personal circumstances all matter.<\/p>\n

For those who do have a choice and are in good health, the guidance from most financial professionals is consistent: wait as long as possible, up to age 70<\/strong>. Delaying Social Security functions as a form of insurance against a long retirement, market volatility, and rising inflation \u2014 three risks that tend to hit hardest in the later years.<\/p>\n

This article is intended for informational purposes only<\/strong> and does not constitute financial, legal, or professional advice. Retirement planning decisions are highly individual and depend on personal health, financial circumstances, family situation, and long-term goals. Readers are strongly encouraged to consult with a qualified financial advisor or retirement planning professional before making any decisions regarding Social Security claiming strategies or retirement timing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Financial experts don’t agree on much, but on this particular question they’re remarkably unified: claiming Social Security at 62 is, from a purely financial standpoint, the single worst decision most American retirees can make. The evidence isn’t anecdotal because a 2019 study by a wealth management firm concluded that 92% of people would come out […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":287099,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"format":"standard","override":[{"template":"1","parallax":"1","fullscreen":"1","layout":"right-sidebar","sidebar":"default-sidebar","second_sidebar":"default-sidebar","sticky_sidebar":"1","share_position":"hide","share_float_style":"share-monocrhome","show_featured":"1","show_post_meta":"1","show_post_author":"1","show_post_date":"1","post_date_format":"custom","post_date_format_custom":"d\/m\/Y H:i","show_post_category":"1","show_post_reading_time":"0","post_reading_time_wpm":"300","post_calculate_word_method":"str_word_count","show_zoom_button":"0","zoom_button_out_step":"2","zoom_button_in_step":"3","show_post_tag":"1","number_popup_post":"1","show_author_box":"0","show_post_related":"1","show_inline_post_related":"1"}],"image_override":[{"single_post_thumbnail_size":"no-crop","single_post_gallery_size":"crop-715"}],"trending_post_position":"meta","trending_post_label":"Trending","sponsored_post_label":"Sponsored by","disable_ad":"0","subtitle":"Claiming Social Security at the \"worst\" age costs most retirees around $45,000. Here\u2019s why experts say you must wait"},"jnews_primary_category":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[41],"class_list":["post-287098","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-finance","tag-retirement"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/futbolete.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/287098","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/futbolete.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/futbolete.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futbolete.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futbolete.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=287098"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/futbolete.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/287098\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":287100,"href":"https:\/\/futbolete.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/287098\/revisions\/287100"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futbolete.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/287099"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/futbolete.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=287098"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futbolete.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=287098"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/futbolete.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=287098"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}