What Is Full Retirement Age for Someone Born in 1960?

Christian Worstell
In this article...
  • The full retirement age for people born in 1960 is 67 years old. That’s the age at which you can collect full Social Security retirement benefits. Learn more, including the age at which you become eligible for Medicare.

Most people associate the age of 65 with retirement. But your full retirement age, defined as the age at which you can begin receiving your full Social Security retirement benefits, is determined by the year you were born.

If you were born in 1960, your full retirement age is 67. That means you must wait until you are 67 years old in 2027 to collect 100% of your Social Security retirement benefits. As of February 2023, the average Social Security retirement check for a retired worker was $1,830 per month.

Have Medicare questions?

Talk to a licensed agent today to find a plan that fits your needs.

How Much Social Security Will I Get at Age 62?

If you claim Social Security before your full retirement age (you are eligible to collect as early as age 62), you will receive a reduced benefit amount. If you delay collecting Social Security until after your full retirement age, you can earn more than 100% of your allotted benefits.

If you were born in 1960, waiting until age 70 to retire will net you 128% of your benefits, which is the most you can receive.

Refer to the chart below to see how much of your Social Security benefits you can receive by starting to collect retirement benefits at various ages.

Retirement Age Chart
Age of Retirement Collection Percentage of Social Security Retirement Benefits
62 70%
63 75%
64 80%
65 86.7%
66 93.3%
67 100%
68 108%
69 116%
70 128%


If you were born in 1960 and claim reduced Social Security benefits before your full retirement age, you may still work and earn up to $19,560 per year without further affecting the amount of Social Security benefits you will receive. Earning more than that amount will further decrease the size of your Social Security check.

Once you reach your full retirement age, there is no limit as to how much money you can earn from working while also receiving Social Security benefits.

How Old Do You Have to Be to Get Medicare?

The age at which you qualify for Medicare has nothing to do with your full retirement age for Social Security. No matter which year you were born, you will become eligible for Medicare at age 65.

Some things to note:

  • You do not have to receive Social Security benefits in order to enroll in Medicare, but you must be eligible for Social Security retirement or disability benefits to be eligible for Medicare.

  • If you claim Social Security benefits before age 65, you will be automatically enrolled in Medicare when you turn 65. If you are not yet collecting Social Security by the time you are ready to enroll in Medicare, you will have to sign up for coverage manually.

  • The age at which you can first enroll in Medicare is typically three months before your 65th birthday, and this Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) continues until three months after your birthday.

    If you sign up before you turn 65, your coverage will begin on the first day of your 65th birthday month.

  • Unless you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period, you may be subject to Medicare late enrollment penalties and lapses in coverage if you sign up for Medicare Part B medical insurance or Part D prescription drug coverage outside of your Initial Enrollment Period.

    Continuing to work and maintaining employer-based health insurance beyond age 65 is a common way to qualify for a Special Enrollment Period.

Our guide to Medicare eligibility and enrollment has more complete and detailed information about how and when to sign up for Medicare.

Have Medicare questions?

Talk to a licensed agent today to find a plan that fits your needs.

Christian Worstell
About the Author

Christian Worstell is a senior Medicare and health insurance writer with HelpAdivsor.com. He is also a licensed health insurance agent. Christian is well-known in the insurance industry for the thousands of educational articles he’s written, helping Americans better understand their health insurance and Medicare coverage.

Christian’s work as a Medicare expert has appeared in several top-tier and trade news outlets including Forbes, MarketWatch, WebMD and Yahoo! Finance.

While at HelpAdvisor, Christian has written hundreds of articles that teach Medicare beneficiaries the best practices for navigating Medicare. His articles are read by thousands of older Americans each month. By better understanding their health care coverage, readers may hopefully learn how to limit their out-of-pocket Medicare spending and access quality medical care.

Christian’s passion for his role stems from his desire to make a difference in the senior community. He strongly believes that the more beneficiaries know about their Medicare coverage, the better their overall health and wellness is as a result.

A current resident of Raleigh, Christian is a graduate of Shippensburg University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. You can find Christian’s most recent articles in our blog.

If you’re a member of the media looking to connect with Christian, please don’t hesitate to email our public relations team at Mike@MyHelpAdvisor.com.

Read More
A woman lays on a yoga mat and stretches
Aetna Medicare Advantage plans may offer free membership to SilverSneakers, a popular fitness and ...
Smiling pharmacist helping customer at pharmacy
Medicare Advantage plans may pay for over-the-counter (OTC) drugs and products, while Original Medicare ...
Woman hands her Medicare insurance card to office worker at doctor's office
Discover whether the widely advertised Medicare flex card is legitimate. Learn about realistic spending ...