Confused about Full Retirement Age for those born in 1952 - when was my husband's FRA?

For people born in 1952, the Full Retirement Age is 66. This means if your husband was born in 1952, his FRA would have been when he turned 66, which would have been in 2018. If he waited until 2020 to claim, he would have actually received delayed retirement credits, which increase his benefit amount by 8% per year past FRA (up to age 70). So if he started in 2020, he was about 2 years past his FRA and would have received a higher amount than his base benefit.

My hubby was born in 1952 too! His FRA was definitely 66. We marked it on our calendar for years lol. But he couldn't wait and took it at 65 because we needed the money for our grandkids college. He got less than if he'd waited but we needed it then.

im born 1954 and mine was 66. pretty sure its the same for 1952. if he waited till 2020 he'd get extra $$$

The Full Retirement Age for people born in 1952 is 66 years. If your husband started collecting in 2020 and he was born in 1952, he would have been around 68 years old. This means he would have received delayed retirement credits of approximately 16% more than his primary insurance amount (PIA). This is because Social Security increases your benefit by about 8% for each full year you delay claiming past your FRA up until age 70. You can verify when he started receiving benefits by checking his my Social Security account online or reviewing his SSA-1099 tax forms from previous years. The SSA-1099 will show when payments began.

The SSA is IMPOSSIBLE to get information from these days!! I spent 3 HOURS on hold last month trying to ask a simple question about my husband's benefits (also born in the 50s) and got disconnected TWICE!! It's absolutely ridiculous how they treat seniors who just need basic information about their own benefits that THEY PAID INTO their whole lives!!!

To give you a complete answer: 1) For anyone born in 1952, Full Retirement Age is exactly 66 years. 2) If your husband was born in 1952 and started benefits in 2020, here's the math: - He would have been 68 in 2020 (born 1952 + 68 years = 2020) - That's 2 years after his FRA of 66 - Each year of delay after FRA adds 8% to your benefit amount - So he would have received approximately 16% more than his full retirement benefit 3) To confirm exactly when he started receiving benefits: - Check his my Social Security account online - Look at your tax records for when SSA-1099 forms first appeared - Review bank statements for when deposits began - Contact SSA directly for his benefit start date Let me know if you need help with any of this!

My sister had same question last year actually. Her husband was also 1952 and FRA 66. But did you know if your born January 1st they count you as born in previous year for SS purposes? Found that out random too.

wait does anybody know if 1952 people get the same COLA as everybody else? my cousin said they get less but that dont sound right

I just remembered something! When my husband turned 66 we had a little "FRA party" lol. It was April 2018 since he was born in April 1952. So yes, definitely 66 is right for your hubby too. Hope that helps!

I'm also trying to navigate Social Security benefits for my family and this thread has been so helpful! For those born in 1952, I can confirm the Full Retirement Age is 66. If you're looking for your husband's exact benefit start date, another option is to call your local Social Security office directly - sometimes they have shorter wait times than the national number. You can also request a copy of his Social Security Statement which will show his complete benefit history. The delayed retirement credits are definitely worth understanding since they can significantly increase monthly payments. Good luck getting everything sorted out!

I went through this exact same situation with my mom who was born in 1952! Her FRA was definitely 66, and we found the easiest way to confirm her benefit start date was by looking at her bank statements - we could see exactly when the Social Security deposits began. If your husband started in 2020 at age 68, he would have gotten those delayed retirement credits which are really significant - about 16% more than his full benefit amount. One thing that helped us was creating a simple timeline: born 1952 → FRA at 66 (in 2018) → if he waited until 2020, that's 2 extra years of 8% increases per year. The my Social Security online account is also super helpful once you get it set up - it shows the complete payment history. Hope this helps with organizing your retirement documents!

I'm also dealing with Social Security questions for my family and this conversation has been incredibly informative! Just to add one more confirmation - yes, for anyone born in 1952, the Full Retirement Age is definitely 66. What really stands out to me from reading everyone's responses is how much those delayed retirement credits can add up. If your husband really did start collecting in 2020 at age 68, that 16% increase over his full benefit amount is substantial and will continue for the rest of his life. One tip I learned when helping my parents with their SS paperwork: if you can't find the SSA-1099 forms easily, you can also check if your tax preparer has copies from previous years. They often keep client records that include those forms. Also, if you use tax software like TurboTax or H&R Block online, you might be able to access previous year returns that would show when SS income first appeared. Good luck with your research!

Welcome to the community! I went through a similar situation with my father who was also born in 1952. Everyone here is absolutely right - his FRA was 66, which would have been in 2018. If he started collecting in 2020, that's fantastic news for you! Those delayed retirement credits are like getting a permanent 16% raise on his Social Security benefits for life. I'd recommend starting with the simplest approach first: check your bank statements from 2020 to see when those Social Security deposits first appeared. That will give you the exact month he started. You can also create an account at ssa.gov/myaccount if you haven't already - it shows a complete payment history and benefit details. One thing I learned is that the delayed retirement credits don't just affect the monthly amount - they also increase the survivor benefits, which could be important for your future planning. The SSA customer service can be frustrating, but if you do need to call, try early morning (around 8 AM) or late afternoon after 4 PM when wait times are usually shorter. Good luck organizing everything!

I'm new to this community but have been lurking and reading through all these helpful responses! My situation is a bit different - my husband was born in 1951, so his FRA was 66 as well, but we made the mistake of having him claim early at 64 because we were worried about Social Security "running out of money" (thanks to all the scary news articles at the time). Now I realize we left a lot of money on the table by not waiting until his FRA or even later for those delayed credits everyone is talking about. For those dealing with this decision in the future - really take the time to understand these delayed retirement credits! We're talking about permanent increases to your monthly benefits that last for the rest of your life. I wish I had found a community like this back then to ask questions and get real advice from people who had been through it. Thanks to everyone sharing their experiences here - it's so valuable for those of us trying to navigate this complex system!

I'm new here and this thread has been so educational! My husband was also born in 1952 and I've been completely confused about when his FRA was and whether he made the right choice. Reading everyone's responses has really clarified things for me - it's definitely 66 for anyone born in 1952. I love all the practical suggestions about how to find the exact benefit start date. The bank statement idea is brilliant and probably the fastest way to get a clear answer. I had no idea about those delayed retirement credits potentially giving a 16% increase - that's huge! It sounds like if your husband did wait until 2020, you're in a really good financial position. One question I have after reading all these responses: does anyone know if there are any downsides to waiting past your FRA? I keep seeing that you can get those 8% annual increases until age 70, but are there any situations where it might not make sense to wait? Just trying to understand all sides of this decision for future reference. Thank you all for creating such a helpful and welcoming discussion!