PC Slower Than It Used to Be?
A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Crashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteThe latest Social Security Administration (SSA) age-by-sex figures show that women retired-worker beneficiaries receiving payments in December 2025 averaged from $1,285.50 a month at age 62 to $2,024.08 at age 70. Those are averages for different groups of beneficiaries—not a forecast of what one woman will receive if she claims at a particular age. Your own benefit depends on your earnings record, birth date, claiming month and, in some cases, family-benefit eligibility.
Average monthly Social Security retirement benefit for women by age
The table reports the average monthly retired-worker benefit received by women at each exact age in December 2025. The figures are from the Social Security Administration’s 2026 Annual Statistical Supplement.
| Age | Average monthly benefit |
|---|---|
| 62 | $1,285.50 |
| 63 | $1,300.20 |
| 64 | $1,342.07 |
| 65 | $1,457.40 |
| 66 | $1,629.09 |
| 67 | $1,801.82 |
| 68 | $1,836.58 |
| 69 | $1,876.96 |
| 70 | $2,024.08 |
Source: Social Security Administration, 2026 Annual Statistical Supplement; age-specific average monthly benefits for women retired-worker beneficiaries in December 2025.
Why this is not a claim-age calculator
Women receiving benefits at age 62 are not the same women whose benefits are represented at age 70. Each age group includes beneficiaries with different earnings histories and claiming histories. The table therefore cannot show how much a particular woman would gain by waiting, or what she would have received had she claimed earlier.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
#1 Best Overall
SSA also reports averages for women newly awarded retired-worker benefits in 2025. That is a separate measure: it covers new awards in that calendar year, rather than all women receiving retired-worker payments in December 2025.
| Age at award | Average monthly benefit for women newly awarded in 2025 |
|---|---|
| 62 | $1,275.24 |
| 63 | $1,441.59 |
| 64 | $1,537.06 |
| 65 | $1,809.92 |
| 66 | $2,014.87 |
| 67 | $2,313.99 |
Source: Social Security Administration, 2026 Annual Statistical Supplement; 2025 awards to women retired workers. The displayed award statistics do not provide the same full age sequence through 70 as the December 2025 payment table.
How claiming age changes your own retirement benefit
SSA calculates a worker’s benefit using their earnings record and the age they start receiving benefits. Claiming before full retirement age (FRA) reduces the monthly retirement benefit; delaying past FRA increases it, but delayed retirement credits stop at age 70. The precise result depends on birth date and the month benefits begin.
Claiming before full retirement age
A worker can generally start retirement benefits at 62, but each month claimed before FRA reduces the monthly amount compared with waiting until FRA. As one dated example, SSA’s 2025 calculation appendix gives a maximum reduction of 30% for someone who elected benefits at 62 in 2025 and had an FRA of 67. That example is not a universal percentage for every birth year or claiming month.
Waiting until or after full retirement age
For people born in 1960 or later, FRA is 67. Under SSA’s schedule, a worker in this birth group who claims at 67 receives 100% of their full-retirement benefit; waiting until 70 raises that scheduled amount to 124%. For people born in 1943 or later, delayed retirement credits accrue at 8% per year, credited monthly, after FRA and before age 70. Other birth cohorts have different schedules, so use an estimate based on your own record rather than applying these examples to yourself.
A higher monthly amount is not automatically the best choice. Claiming earlier starts payments sooner; delaying means covering expenses without those retirement checks in the meantime. Health, expected longevity, work income, savings, dependents and survivor needs can all affect the trade-off. SSA’s retirement-planning guidance says, “There is no ‘best age’ for everyone.”
Rank #3
Ways women can increase or protect their Social Security benefit
Check your earnings record and consider whether more work helps
SSA bases retirement benefits on a worker’s highest 35 years of covered earnings. If there are fewer than 35 years with earnings, zeros are included in the calculation. Additional work may raise the benefit if new earnings replace a zero or a lower-earning year; it will not necessarily do so in every case.
- Review your earnings history through your personal my Social Security account and correct errors if you find them.
- Use SSA’s estimate tools to see how different future earnings and start ages affect your own projected benefit.
- Consider the cost, time and effect on caregiving or other responsibilities before working longer solely to increase a benefit.
Compare claiming dates using your own estimate
Ask SSA for estimates at several possible start ages, including FRA and ages after FRA if you are considering a delay. Compare the monthly amount with the months of payments you would give up while waiting, and account for whether you can cover expenses during that period. A strategy that produces a larger monthly check may not suit someone who needs income sooner or cannot afford to delay.
Review spouse, divorced-spouse and survivor benefits before filing
An eligible spouse or child may qualify for up to one-half of a worker’s full-retirement benefit, subject to SSA rules. Spouse and survivor benefits are not interchangeable: survivor benefits can have different claiming and sequencing rules.
For many people born on or after January 2, 1954, deemed filing means an application for retirement or spouse benefits generally prompts SSA to consider both benefits when the person is eligible. In general, they cannot claim only a spouse benefit and let their own retirement benefit grow. A surviving spouse may, however, be able to claim survivor benefits separately and delay their own retirement benefit. Before applying, ask SSA to compare the available benefits on both records and explain how a filing would affect them.
Know the 2026 earnings test if you claim while working
If you work while receiving benefits before FRA, SSA may withhold some checks when your earnings exceed the annual limit. For 2026, the limits are:
| 2026 circumstance | Earnings limit |
|---|---|
| Under FRA for the entire year | $24,480 |
| Reach FRA during the year | $65,160, counting earnings only before the month FRA is reached |
These are SSA’s 2026 thresholds and can change from year to year. Starting with the month you reach FRA, earnings no longer reduce benefits under the earnings test. SSA later adjusts benefits to account for months when checks were withheld and reviews new earnings to determine whether they increase the benefit.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteKeep Medicare enrollment on a separate checklist
Delaying Social Security retirement benefits does not automatically delay Medicare enrollment. SSA advises people who are not receiving Social Security at 65 to apply for Original Medicare (Parts A and B) three months before turning 65. Current-employer health coverage can affect enrollment circumstances, so check with Medicare or SSA about how your coverage applies before deciding when to enroll.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to make the decision
Use your personal estimate rather than the population averages, then compare the practical consequences of each start date. Before choosing, check:
- Cash flow: Can you meet expenses if you wait to claim?
- Work and earnings: Could more covered earnings replace lower years in your 35-year record, and will the earnings test apply if you claim while working?
- Health and longevity: How do your health and expectations affect the value of starting sooner versus receiving a larger monthly benefit later?
- Family benefits: Could a spouse, former spouse or survivor benefit change the filing sequence?
- Medicare: Have you checked enrollment timing independently of when you start Social Security?
SSA can show estimates for different start ages through a my Social Security account. Its published averages help describe benefits received by groups of women; they cannot determine the right claiming age or predict an individual payment.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
