ATAP Legacy Consulting

In the US, full retirement age is 67 for people born in 1960 or later, so claiming at 65 typically cuts monthly benefits by ~13%.
Federal health coverage eligibility begins at 65, and missing the 7-mo enrollment window without qualifying job-based coverage can mean premium surcharges and lower net checks.
Working at 65 can still help because the program uses your 35 highest-earning yr on record; stronger current earnings can replace weaker years or zeros.
The avg. retired worker gets ~$2.1K monthly in 2026, but avg. benefit when claiming at 65 is closer to ~$1.6K, or ~$19.3K yearly.
Higher retirement income can raise federal health premiums after ~$109K single or ~$218K joint, and even one-time withdrawals or investment sales can trigger surcharges.

Age 65 Brings Social Security and Medicare Choices

Two-person households in the federal health program could enroll either self-plus-one or self and family, and the lower-cost option was not always self-plus-one.
For the 2026 plan year, 39 plan options priced self and family below self-plus-one, while nine plans priced both enrollment types equally.
Those nine equal-priced options all came from one carrier, showing that two-person families needed to compare both enrollment structures instead of assuming one default.
One example showed the biggest gap at ~$67 less per pay period for self and family, adding up to roughly $1.7K yearly.
Benefits stayed the same either way, and guidance urged families to check brochures or carrier sites during Open Season before 2027 details arrived by Late-Q3.