Social Security Claiming Calculator
STONEBRIDGE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT
You’ve earned a federal retirement worth understanding clearly. We help federal employees across the Denver metro area coordinate CSRS, FERS, TSP, FEHB, FEGLI, and Social Security into one clear retirement plan, so you can make confident decisions about when to retire, how your income will work, and how to protect the benefits you’ve earned.
Social Security Claiming Calculator
Compare your monthly Social Security benefit at four common claiming ages: 62 (early), 65 (Medicare age), 67 (full retirement age), and 70 (max). Enter your benefit at Full Retirement Age and see what claiming earlier or later actually produces, plus a lifetime-benefit projection to age 90.
- % of FRA benefit
- 0%
- Months of payments to age 90
- 0
- Lifetime benefit to age 90
- $0
- Versus claiming at 62
- —
This calculator uses the standard SSA actuarial adjustments and does not include cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs), spousal/widow benefits, taxation of benefits, the Windfall Elimination Provision or Government Pension Offset (both can affect federal retirees with CSRS or CSRS Offset service), or the earnings test for claimants who continue working before FRA. For federal retirees, claiming age also interacts with the FERS Supplement (which ends at 62 regardless of when you claim Social Security). For a claiming strategy built around your specific federal retirement, taxes, and longevity profile, request a personalized Federal Retirement Report.
How the Social Security Claiming Calculator Works
Enter your monthly Social Security benefit at Full Retirement Age (FRA, usually 67 for most current workers), choose a claiming age, and the calculator shows your adjusted monthly benefit, the percentage of FRA it represents, and a lifetime projection to age 90.
The actuarial adjustments are fixed by SSA: claiming at 62 yields about 70% of your FRA benefit, 65 about 87%, 67 (FRA) is the baseline 100%, and 70 produces about 124% via delayed retirement credits worth 8% per year.
The lifetime-to-90 projection matters more than the monthly comparison for most people. Claiming at 62 produces eight more years of payments than claiming at 70 — but each payment is much smaller. Whether the larger monthly benefit at 70 actually wins depends on how long you live.
For federal retirees, Social Security claiming interacts with two other moving parts the calculator does not show: the FERS Supplement (which ends at 62 regardless of when you claim Social Security) and the Windfall Elimination Provision (which can reduce SSA benefits for CSRS and CSRS Offset retirees).
For a claiming strategy built around your specific pension income, TSP withdrawal plan, longevity expectations, and CSRS history if applicable, request a personalized Federal Retirement Report.
What Your Claiming Age Means
The phrase “federal retirement specialist” gets used loosely. Most retirement advice on Social Security claiming ignores the federal angle. The default rule of thumb — claim at FRA, or delay to 70 if you can afford it — assumes a clean Social Security record and no other government pension — but they are not the right people to advise on the FERS Supplement earnings test, the FEHB five-year continuous enrollment rule, the FEGLI premium escalation at 65 and 70, or the Survivor Benefit Plan election trade-offs.
For federal retirees, the picture is more complex. If you have CSRS or CSRS Offset service, the Windfall Elimination Provision can reduce your Social Security benefit. If your spouse expects a CSRS spousal benefit, the Government Pension Offset may zero it out. If you retire from FERS before 62, the FERS Supplement bridges to Social Security age but ends at 62 strictly. We know the OPM forms by number, the retirement application sequence in detail, the difference between an immediate annuity and a deferred annuity, the conditions for an MRA+10 retirement, and how a CSRS Offset employee’s pension is calculated.
We know the Special Retirement Supplement formula and the earnings test rules. We know which TSP withdrawal strategy creates an immediate tax problem and which does not. We know when an SF-50 history needs to be re-pulled and when a Certified Summary of Federal Service is required to lock down a high-3 calculation.
A specialist runs the actual numbers — your Social Security benefit projection, the WEP/GPO impact, the FERS Supplement timing, and your tax bracket year by year — and recommends a claiming age based on the integrated picture, not a generic rule. This is what federal employees need at the moment of retirement — not generic retirement planning that ignores the parts of the system that are uniquely federal. For federal employees who want a broader educational overview before working through their own plan, our Federal Retirement Workshop is designed to help explain the major benefit programs and retirement decisions in plain language.
Our role is to help federal employees coordinate retirement benefits, income planning, tax strategy, healthcare decisions, and survivor protection into one comprehensive retirement plan so that important decisions are made deliberately rather than by default. Learn more about our approach and what makes Stonebridge Capital Management different.
How We Help Federal Employees Time Social Security
A Personalized Federal Retirement Roadmap
We bring together your pension, TSP, FEHB, FEGLI, survivor benefits, Social Security, and retirement timing into one coordinated retirement plan.
You’ll see where you stand today, the options available to you, your projected retirement income, and a retirement timeline you can move toward with confidence.
Plain-Language Guidance, Not Sales Pressure
Federal retirement is complicated enough without jargon, sales tactics, or manufactured urgency.
We explain your options clearly, answer your questions honestly, and help you understand the trade-offs before making decisions.
Decisions happen at your pace, not ours.
Colorado-Based Federal Retirement Specialists
Stonebridge is based in the Denver metro area and serves federal employees throughout Colorado’s Front Range.
Meet with us in person at our Inverness office or virtually from anywhere in Colorado.
When questions arise, you’ll have a local team you can reach, not a national call center.
Ready to see how the pieces fit together for your specific situation?
Federal Retirement Topics That Interact With Claiming Age
The federal retirement decisions that drive lasting income are concentrated in a handful of benefit programs. Each has its own complexity, and each matters.
CSRS & FERS Pension Planning
Your federal pension is likely the foundation of your retirement income. Understanding when you can retire, how much income your pension may provide, and how survivor benefit elections affect your family can have a lasting impact on retirement.
We help you evaluate your retirement eligibility, project your pension under different retirement dates, and understand the trade-offs involved in retiring sooner or working longer.
Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) Strategy
For many federal employees, the TSP is their largest retirement asset. Decisions about investments, withdrawals, Roth conversions, and whether to leave funds in the TSP or move them to an IRA can have a significant impact on retirement income and taxes. We help you evaluate your options, understand the trade-offs, and coordinate your TSP strategy with your pension, Social Security, and overall retirement plan.
FEHB and Medicare Coordination
Your FEHB coverage may be one of the most valuable benefits you carry into retirement. Decisions about Medicare enrollment, which FEHB plan to keep, and how your coverage will work alongside Medicare can have a lasting impact on healthcare costs and coverage. We help you understand your options, evaluate the trade-offs, and make informed decisions about healthcare in retirement.
FEGLI Life Insurance Decisions
The life insurance decisions you make before retirement can have long-term consequences for both cost and coverage. As you age, certain FEGLI premiums can increase significantly, making it important to evaluate your options well before retirement. We help you understand your FEGLI elections, compare costs and benefits, and determine whether maintaining FEGLI, reducing coverage, or exploring private insurance alternatives may better support your family’s goals.
FERS Supplement
For eligible FERS retirees, the FERS Supplement can provide an important source of income between retirement and age 62. Understanding whether you qualify, how much you may receive, and how post-retirement earnings can affect the benefit is an important part of retirement planning. We help you evaluate how the FERS Supplement fits into your overall retirement income strategy and retirement timing decisions.
Survivor Benefit Plan
The survivor benefit election you make at retirement can affect both your retirement income and your spouse’s financial security for years to come. Because these decisions can be difficult or costly to change after retirement, they deserve careful consideration. We help you understand the costs, benefits, and trade-offs involved so you can make an informed decision based on your family’s needs and goals.
Social Security Timing for Federal Retirees
When to claim Social Security is one of the most important retirement income decisions you will make. Claiming earlier provides income sooner, while delaying can increase your monthly benefit for life. We help you evaluate your options and coordinate Social Security with your FERS pension and other income sources to create a retirement income strategy designed around your specific situation.
Frequently Asked Questions About Social Security Claiming
What age should I claim Social Security?
There is no single right answer. Claiming at 62 maximizes the number of months you receive payments but at a permanently reduced amount. Claiming at 70 maximizes the monthly benefit via 8% per year delayed retirement credits. For most federal retirees in average health, claiming at or near Full Retirement Age (67) is reasonable. But the right answer depends on your other income sources, your health, your spouse’s situation, and whether you have CSRS service that triggers the Windfall Elimination Provision.
What is the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and does it apply to me?
WEP can reduce your Social Security benefit if you also receive a pension from work where you did NOT pay Social Security taxes — which applies to CSRS retirees and CSRS Offset retirees for their CSRS service years. FERS employees are not affected by WEP because they paid Social Security taxes throughout their federal careers. If you are CSRS, your SSA-projected benefit assumes no WEP reduction; the actual benefit at claiming time may be lower. We model this in the Federal Retirement Report.
What about the Government Pension Offset (GPO)?
GPO reduces Social Security SPOUSAL or SURVIVOR benefits for individuals who receive a government pension from non-Social-Security-covered work. For CSRS retirees, GPO can completely eliminate spousal Social Security benefits in many cases. FERS is generally not affected by GPO for the FERS portion of their work history.
How does the FERS Supplement interact with my Social Security claim?
The FERS Supplement is paid from your retirement date until the month you turn 62 — that cutoff is fixed regardless of when you actually claim Social Security. Many federal retirees who delay Social Security to 67 or 70 face a gap between the Supplement ending at 62 and Social Security starting. That gap needs to be funded from TSP withdrawals or other assets, and it’s one of the most important planning windows in early federal retirement.
If I claim at 62, can I still work?
Yes, but with a catch before FRA: the earnings test. In 2025, every $2 you earn from wages or self-employment above $23,400 reduces your annual Social Security benefit by $1. The earnings test stops at your FRA. After that, you can earn unlimited income with no Social Security reduction. The earnings test is one of the strongest arguments against claiming early if you plan to continue working.
How much is Social Security taxed?
Up to 85% of your Social Security benefit can be subject to federal income tax depending on your ‘provisional income’ — which includes half your Social Security benefit plus your other taxable income (pension, TSP withdrawals, investment income). For federal retirees with a full FERS pension plus active TSP withdrawals, most or all of Social Security ends up taxable. Colorado state taxes Social Security for higher-income retirees but with notable exemptions.
Should I take Social Security at 62 just in case the system runs out of money?
This is a common fear but a weak strategy. Social Security is funded through 2033-2035 under current projections at full benefit levels. After that, without Congressional action, benefits would automatically drop to roughly 80% of scheduled levels. Even in that worst-case scenario, claiming at 70 still produces more lifetime income than claiming at 62 for anyone living past their late 70s. We do not recommend claiming early based on solvency fear alone.
Serving Federal Employees Across The Colorado Front Range
Stonebridge is based in the Denver metro area and works with federal employees throughout Colorado’s Front Range.
Our clients serve in a wide range of federal agencies and organizations across the state, including the Denver Federal Center, VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System, Buckley Space Force Base, the Internal Revenue Service, the United States Mint, NREL, NOAA, NIST, and many others.
We meet with clients in person at our Inverness office and virtually throughout Colorado.
Primary Service Area
Denver · Littleton · Highlands Ranch · Centennial · Lakewood · Englewood · Parker · Castle Rock · Aurora · Arvada · Westminster · Broomfield · Thornton · Wheat Ridge · Golden · Lone Tree
Extended Service Area
Colorado Springs · Boulder · Fort Collins · Loveland · Greeley · Pueblo
Get Your Federal Retirement Report
The Federal Retirement Report is designed to help you understand where you stand today and what decisions may lie ahead. Built around your service history, benefits, and retirement goals, it provides a personalized analysis of your pension, TSP, healthcare benefits, survivor elections, retirement income, and other key planning considerations.
There is no cost and no obligation. It is simply a practical way to gain clarity before making important retirement decisions.