Life Expectancy Calculator SSA
Look up your average remaining years and your odds of reaching 80, 90 or 100 from Social Security's actuarial life table, then see which claiming age gives the highest expected lifetime benefit.
Life expectancy calculator (SSA actuarial table)
When to claim Social Security, using your life expectancy
The SSA life expectancy table
The Social Security Administration's actuarial life table gives, for each age and sex, the chance of dying within a year and the average number of years left. The current table is the 2023 period life table, used in the 2026 Trustees Report. A 65-year-old man has an average of 18.12 more years and a 65-year-old woman 20.66. Life expectancy at birth is 75.79 years for males and 81.06 for females.
| Age | Male: years left | Female: years left |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | 56.69 | 61.74 |
| 25 | 52.06 | 56.90 |
| 30 | 47.50 | 52.08 |
| 35 | 43.02 | 47.34 |
| 40 | 38.59 | 42.64 |
| 45 | 34.21 | 38.01 |
| 50 | 29.90 | 33.45 |
| 55 | 25.73 | 29.01 |
| 60 | 21.79 | 24.73 |
| 65 | 18.12 | 20.66 |
| 70 | 14.66 | 16.76 |
| 75 | 11.42 | 13.10 |
| 80 | 8.50 | 9.82 |
| 85 | 6.04 | 7.02 |
| 90 | 4.11 | 4.80 |
| 95 | 2.77 | 3.23 |
| 100 | 2.04 | 2.23 |
Life expectancy calculator SSA: what the numbers mean
"Average remaining years" is a mean over everyone your age, so many people live well past it: half of 62-year-old men reach age 83, and about 23% reach 90. A period table assumes today's death rates continue, and it doesn't know your health, smoking, income or family history, so treat it as a baseline.
Using life expectancy to decide when to claim Social Security
For anyone born in 1960 or later, full retirement age is 67: claiming at 62 pays 70% of the full benefit and waiting until 70 pays 124%. The calculator weights each year of benefits by your chance of being alive that year, from the SSA table. For a 62-year-old man with a $2,000 full benefit, the expected lifetime total is about $349,297 claiming at 62, $382,367 at 67 and $393,074 at 70 (today's dollars, before cost-of-living increases and taxes). For break-even ages and your benefit estimate, use the Social Security quick calculator.
Common questions
What is the life expectancy of a 65-year-old?
18.12 more years for a man and 20.66 for a woman, from the SSA 2023 period life table.
Which life table does SSA use?
The actuarial life table on ssa.gov is the 2023 period life table used in the 2026 Trustees Report.
Is the SSA life expectancy table accurate for me?
It's an average for everyone your age and sex; your health and family history can move your own odds a lot.
Should I claim Social Security at 62 or 70?
If you expect to live past your early 80s, waiting usually pays more over a lifetime; married higher earners should also weigh survivor benefits.
Sources
- SSA Office of the Chief Actuary: Actuarial life table (2023 period, 2026 Trustees Report)
- SSA: Retirement age and benefit reduction
- SSA: Period life tables
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General information, not financial, tax or legal advice. Check important numbers with the official source before acting on them.