Social Security's official terms can mislead people into making costly claiming decisions. "Full retirement age" suggests that's when you should claim, even though waiting longer means bigger monthly checks. This bill would require the Social Security Administration to replace confusing terms in all its materials: "early eligibility age" becomes "minimum monthly benefit age," "full retirement age" becomes "standard monthly benefit age," and "delayed retirement" becomes "maximum monthly benefit age." No benefits change — just the language, with a deadline of January 2027. The goal is to help the roughly 70 million Americans receiving Social Security make better-informed decisions about when to start collecting.
Congressional Summary
Claiming Age Clarity ActThis bill changes certain terms that are used by the Social Security Administration (SSA) to describe the ages at which a worker may claim Social Security retirement benefits.First, the SSA must use minimum monthly benefit age instead of early eligibility age. This refers to the earliest age (62 under current law) at which a worker may claim benefits. (Currently, the benefit amount of a worker who claims benefits early is reduced to account for the longer period during which the worker is expected to receive benefits.)Second, the SSA must use standard monthly benefit age instead of full retirement age and normal retirement age. These terms refer to the age at which a worker may claim benefits without a reduction in the benefit amount. (Currently, this age ranges from 65 to 67, depending on the worker's year of birth.)Finally, the SSA must use the term maximum monthly benefit age for any reference to age 70 as the maximum age at which a worker may receive delayed retirement credits. The SSA may not use the term delayed retirement credit. These terms refer to the mechanism that increases the benefit amount of a worker who delays claiming benefits after reaching the full retirement age. (Currently, a worker receives a credit for each month between the full retirement age and age 70 that the worker delays claiming benefits. Each credit increases the benefit amount that the worker will receive after claiming benefits by a specified percentage.)
Legislative Subjects
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- Senate
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in Senate
- Action Date
- 2025-04-29
- Date Added
- 2026-04-14