What Is Full Retirement Age for Someone Born in 1957?

If you were born in 1957, you may have had the year 2022 on your radar as the year you would retire. After all, you turned 65 in 2022, and 65 has long been associated with retirement. 

But the age for full retirement, meaning the age at which you can begin collecting full Social Security retirement benefits, has crept up over time and now exceeds age 65 for many Americans. 

If you were born in 1957, your full Social Security retirement age is 66 years and six months. That means 2023 is actually the target year for your retirement. And if you were born in the latter half of 1957, your full retirement age may creep into 2024.

How Much Social Security Will I Get at Age 66?

The chart below shows the percentage of Social Security retirement income you will receive according to your age when you begin collecting benefits if you were born in 1957.

As of March 2023, the average Social Security retirement check for a retired worker was $1,830 per month.

For a more complete breakdown of the percentage of Social Security retirement benefits you will collect at any given age, including how your collection age affects the benefits received by your spouse, visit the Social Security Administration’s retirement planner page for people born in 1957.

There are four important things to note for people born in 1957.

1. You are still eligible to collect reduced Social Security retirement benefits if you decide to retire before the age of 66 years and six months.
   
   You became eligible for reduced benefits at age 62, and will receive a partial Social Security check should you decide to collect before your full retirement age (see the chart above).
   
   
2. While waiting until you are 66 years and six months old to collect Social Security will net you 100% of your benefits, you can boost your income even more by continuing to wait.
   
   Delaying your benefits beyond your full retirement age increases your benefits by 8% annually until being capped off at age 70. Waiting until age 70 will net you 128% of Social Security retirement benefits.
   
   
3. You may collect Social Security benefits while continuing to work if you have not yet reached your full retirement age.
   
   In 2023, you may earn up to $21,240 per year without affecting your Social Security retirement income. Earning more than that will reduce the size of your Social Security check.
   
   Once you reach your full retirement age, there is no limit to how much money you can make while also receiving Social Security benefits. 
   
   
4. Your full Social Security retirement age is not tied to the age at which you become eligible for Medicare.
   
   Although you must wait until you are 66 years and six months to be eligible for full Social Security retirement benefits, you remain eligible for full Medicare benefits at age 65. See below for more information about how your retirement age affects your Medicare enrollment.  

How Does Social Security and Retirement Affect Medicare Eligibility Age?

The age at which you qualify for Medicare does not change. Unless you have a qualifying disability, you will become eligible for Medicare at age 65 (provided you meet the additional eligibility requirements). 

However, your age, retirement from the workforce and Social Security status can all affect your Medicare eligibility and enrollment in the following ways.

1. If you are collecting Social Security benefits by age 65, you will be automatically enrolled in Medicare. But if you are not collecting Social Security by that time, you will not be automatically enrolled in Medicare and will have to manually enroll yourself.
   
   
2. You must be eligible for Social Security benefits in order to be eligible for Medicare. You do not have to be collecting your Social Security checks in order to enroll in Medicare; you just have to be eligible to collect them.
   
   
3. If you retire from your job and lose your employer-sponsored health insurance plan, you will become eligible for a Special Enrollment Period during which you may enroll in private Medicare plans. 
   
   
4. Once you become eligible for Medicare at age 65, you have until the age of 65 and three months to enroll. If you don’t, you may face late enrollment penalties once you do sign up (unless you are eligible for a Special Enrollment Period). An additional enrollment period exists for Medicare Supplement Insurance, or Medigap.

Consult our guide to Medicare eligibility and enrollment for more detailed information about how your age, Social Security collection and health insurance status all play a role in your Medicare benefits.