Social Security benefits began at age 65 in 1940.
Posted by Real Time with Bill Maher, Checked
- Sources
- 4 support2 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 80%
Real Time with Bill MaherOct 24, 2026
Sources confirm that regular monthly Social Security benefits began in January 1940 and that the original age for retirement benefits was 65, so the claim's core assertion holds. The 1942 date in one source reflects the original 1935 schedule, which the 1939 amendments advanced to 1940, and the later rise to age 67 does not affect the claim.
What was said
… Here in America, we spend six times more on every person over 65 than we do on those under 25, and this is not sustainable. When Social Security went into effect in 1940, life expectancy for an American man was 61, and Social Security kicked in at 65, so you can see why it was such a workable way of getting money to older people, because they were dead before they got it. …
Real Time with Bill Maher · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. AP reports that regular ongoing monthly benefits began in January 1940.[1]
Supports. US News reports that the Social Security Act originally paid monthly benefits starting at age 65 and that regular monthly payments to retirees began in 1940.[6]
Supports. CRS states the full retirement age was 65 at the inception of Social Security in the 1930s, and the SSA historical page notes that benefits were originally to be paid at age 65 and advanced to 1940 under 1939 amendments.[2][4]
Context. PolitiFact notes that the retirement age was later raised to 67 under the 1983 law, which is a later change and does not contradict the claim about the original start age.[3]
Context. The SSA table shows that normal retirement age for people born in 1940 was 65 and 6 months, a birth-year rule rather than the 1940 start date, so it does not contradict the claim.[5]
Sources
6 sources: 3 fact-checkers, 2 primary, 1 not rated
- 1How Social Security works and what to know about its futureapnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 2Obama's Social Security Stumble - FactCheck.orgfactcheck.org · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 3Who's right on life expectancy, DeSantis or Haley? Bothpolitifact.com · fact-checker · cited for: context
- 4The Social Security Retirement Age: An Overview - Congress.govcongress.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
- 5Normal retirement age (NRA) - Social Security Administrationssa.gov · primary source · cited for: context
- 6The History of Your Social Security Payments - U.S. Newsmoney.usnews.com · not rated · cited for: supports
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post