We sometimes call a retired worker the primary beneficiary, because it is upon his/her primary insurance amount that all dependent and survivor benefits are based. If the primary begins to receive benefits at his/her normal (or full) retirement age, the primary will receive 100 percent of the primary insurance amount. If the spouse of a primary begins to receive benefits at his/her normal retirement age, the spouse will receive 50 percent of the primary's primary insurance amount.
The table below illustrates the effect of early retirement, for both a retired worker and his/her spouse. For our illustration, we have used a $1,000 primary insurance amount. With this primary insurance amount and both primary and spouse retiring at their respective normal retirement ages, the primary would receive $1,000 per month and his/her spouse would receive $500 per month. The table shows that retirement at age 62 results in substantial reductions in monthly benefits. Please note that relatively few people can begin receiving a benefit at exact age 62 because a person must be 62 throughout the first month of retirement. Thus most early retirees begin at age 62 and 1 month.
| Year of birth a | Normal (or full) retirement age | Number of reduction months b | Primary | Spouse | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amount | Percent reduction c | Amount | Percent reduction d | |||
| 1937 or earlier | 65 | 36 | $800 | 20.00% | $375 | 25.00% |
| 1938 | 65 and 2 months | 38 | 791 | 20.83% | 370 | 25.83% |
| 1939 | 65 and 4 months | 40 | 783 | 21.67% | 366 | 26.67% |
| 1940 | 65 and 6 months | 42 | 775 | 22.50% | 362 | 27.50% |
| 1941 | 65 and 8 months | 44 | 766 | 23.33% | 358 | 28.33% |
| 1942 | 65 and 10 months | 46 | 758 | 24.17% | 354 | 29.17% |
| 1943-1954 | 66 | 48 | 750 | 25.00% | 350 | 30.00% |
| 1955 | 66 and 2 months | 50 | 741 | 25.83% | 345 | 30.83% |
| 1956 | 66 and 4 months | 52 | 733 | 26.67% | 341 | 31.67% |
| 1957 | 66 and 6 months | 54 | 725 | 27.50% | 337 | 32.50% |
| 1958 | 66 and 8 months | 56 | 716 | 28.33% | 333 | 33.33% |
| 1959 | 66 and 10 months | 58 | 708 | 29.17% | 329 | 34.17% |
| 1960 and later | 67 | 60 | 700 | 30.00% | 325 | 35.00% |
| a If you are born on January 1, use the prior year of birth. b Applies only if you are born on the 2nd of the month; otherwise the number of reduction months is one less than the number shown. c Reduction applied to primary insurance amount ($1,000 in this example). The percentage reduction is 5/9 of 1% per month for the first 36 months and 5/12 of 1% for each additional month. d Reduction applied to $500, which is 50% of the primary insurance amount in this example. The percentage reduction is 25/36 of 1% per month for the first 36 months and 5/12 of 1% for each additional month. |