You get a bigger check by waiting — but you miss years of payments. When does waiting actually pay off?
Break-even ages assume you live exactly to the listed age and that benefits are not taxed. In practice, up to 85% of Social Security can be federally taxed (and 11 states still tax SS), which can shift the math. For couples, the higher-earner break-even is also affected by survivor benefits — see the Survivor & Spousal SS calculator.
