Social Security Life Expectancy Calculator
SSA's Period Life Table gives a 65-year-old man a remaining life expectancy of 18.1 years (to about 83) and a 65-year-old woman 20.7 years (to about 86). Enter your own age and sex below to see your SSA-based life expectancy, survival odds at key ages, and how that compares to your Social Security break-even age.
Last updated September 15, 2026
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How to use life expectancy in your claiming decision
Life expectancy is one input into a claiming-age decision, not the whole answer. The math is simple in concept: claiming early (age 62) pays a smaller monthly check for more years; waiting (up to age 70) pays a larger check for fewer years. Which one adds up to more lifetime income depends on how long you actually live relative to the break-even age for the two options you're comparing.
SSA's Period Life Table gives you a population-average estimate for someone your age and sex. If you're in good health, have a family history of longevity, or have higher income and education, your real odds of living well past the average are typically better than the table alone suggests. If you have a serious chronic condition, the reverse can be true. Use the calculator above alongside your own health picture — not instead of it.
SSA life expectancy table, ages 62–90
The table below is the SSA Period Life Table for calendar year 2023, the version used in the 2026 OASDI Trustees Report. It shows remaining life expectancy in years for men and women at each age from 62 to 90. Source: SSA Actuarial Life Table (Table 4.c6).
| Age | Male remaining years | Female remaining years |
|---|---|---|
| 62 | 20.29 | 23.08 |
| 63 | 19.56 | 22.27 |
| 64 | 18.83 | 21.46 |
| 65 | 18.12 | 20.66 |
| 66 | 17.41 | 19.87 |
| 67 | 16.71 | 19.08 |
| 68 | 16.02 | 18.30 |
| 69 | 15.34 | 17.53 |
| 70 | 14.66 | 16.76 |
| 71 | 14.00 | 16.01 |
| 72 | 13.34 | 15.26 |
| 73 | 12.69 | 14.53 |
| 74 | 12.05 | 13.81 |
| 75 | 11.42 | 13.10 |
| 76 | 10.80 | 12.41 |
| 77 | 10.19 | 11.73 |
| 78 | 9.61 | 11.08 |
| 79 | 9.04 | 10.44 |
| 80 | 8.50 | 9.82 |
| 81 | 7.97 | 9.22 |
| 82 | 7.46 | 8.64 |
| 83 | 6.97 | 8.08 |
| 84 | 6.50 | 7.54 |
| 85 | 6.04 | 7.02 |
| 86 | 5.61 | 6.53 |
| 87 | 5.20 | 6.05 |
| 88 | 4.81 | 5.61 |
| 89 | 4.45 | 5.19 |
| 90 | 4.11 | 4.80 |
To read this table: a 70-year-old man has 14.7 years of remaining life expectancy, or about age 84.7; a 70-year-old woman has 16.8 years, or about age 86.8. These are period estimates — they apply 2023 mortality rates over a person's full remaining lifetime rather than projecting future medical improvement, so they tend to run slightly more conservative than SSA's cohort life expectancy tables.
Break-even age, explained
The break-even age is the age at which the cumulative dollars from a later claiming age overtake the cumulative dollars from an earlier one. Before that age, claiming earlier has paid out more in total; after it, waiting has paid out more.
Worked example. Say your Full Retirement Age (67) benefit is $2,000/month. Claiming at 62 pays $1,400/month; claiming at 67 pays the full $2,000/month. Every month you wait past 62, you give up $1,400 in income — but each year of waiting also adds to your eventual larger check. By age 78–79, the extra $600/month you've been collecting since 67 has made up for the $1,400/month you gave up between 62 and 67, and from then on, claiming at 67 pays more in total. That's the break-even age. Compare it to your own SSA life expectancy above: if you expect to live well past your break-even age, waiting tends to maximize lifetime income; if you expect to live close to or short of it, claiming earlier can make more sense.
Limitations
- Population average, not a prediction. The SSA period life table describes a large population, not any individual. Your own health, family history, income, and lifestyle can move your real odds meaningfully in either direction.
- Period, not cohort, table. This calculator uses SSA's period life table, which applies 2023 mortality rates as a snapshot. It does not project future improvements in medicine and longevity the way SSA's cohort life tables do, so actual outcomes for younger people tend to run somewhat longer than shown here.
- Break-even math assumes level benefits. The break-even and lifetime figures don't include future cost-of-living adjustments, taxation of benefits, or the earnings test for people who claim early while still working.
- No spousal or survivor benefits. This tool estimates an individual's own retirement benefit only. Married couples should also see the Spousal Calculator, since a spouse's survivor benefit often changes the optimal claiming strategy.
Frequently asked questions
How accurate is the SSA life expectancy calculator?
It applies the Social Security Administration's own Period Life Table — the same mortality data SSA's actuaries use — to your current age and sex. The math is exact for the population average, but any single person's actual lifespan will differ based on health, family history, income, and lifestyle. Treat the result as a well-grounded starting point, not a personal prediction.
What is the SSA Period Life Table?
It's SSA's official actuarial table (Table 4.c6) showing, for each age and sex, the probability of dying within a year, the number of survivors out of a hypothetical starting group of 100,000 people, and the average remaining years of life. This calculator uses the 2023 period life table, the version cited in the 2026 Trustees Report, published at ssa.gov/oact/STATS/table4c6.html.
Does life expectancy affect when I should claim Social Security?
It's one of the biggest factors. Claiming early (62) pays less per month but for more years; waiting (up to 70) pays more per month but for fewer years. If your life expectancy is well above the break-even age for your situation, waiting typically produces more lifetime income. If it's below, claiming earlier can make more sense. Health, other income, and spousal benefits also matter.
What is the break-even age for Social Security?
The break-even age is when the total dollars received from claiming later catches up to and then exceeds the total from claiming earlier. For a $2,000 Full Retirement Age benefit, the break-even age between claiming at 62 and 67 is about 78.7, between 67 and 70 about 82.5, and between 62 and 70 about 80.4. Enter your own numbers above for your personal break-even ages.
Do healthy people live longer than the SSA average?
The SSA period life table is a population average across everyone at a given age, including people who are already seriously ill. Research on longevity consistently finds that people who have already reached 62 to 65 in good health — and especially those with higher income and education — tend to outlive this average. This calculator doesn't have a published SSA adjustment for health or income, so treat the result as a floor rather than a ceiling if you're in good health.
Why is my life expectancy different from the national average?
The commonly cited U.S. "life expectancy at birth" (around 76 for men and 81 for women in the 2023 SSA table) includes infant and childhood mortality, which pulls the average down. Once you've already reached 62 or 65 without dying earlier, your remaining life expectancy is higher than the at-birth figure — that's why the SSA table shows separate numbers for every age, not just birth.