AgeGapCalc

Dating Age Range Table: Half Your Age Plus 7 by Age

This table applies the half-your-age-plus-7 rule to every age from 18 to 60: the suggested minimum partner age is your age ÷ 2 + 7 (rounded up), and the suggested maximum is (your age − 7) × 2. Where the formula gives a minimum below 18, the table shows 18, because only adult ages are discussed on this site.

Half-your-age-plus-7 suggested dating age range by age, 18 to 60
Your age Minimum suggested age Maximum suggested age
18 18 22
19 18 24
20 18 26
21 18 28
22 18 30
23 19 32
24 19 34
25 20 36
26 20 38
27 21 40
28 21 42
29 22 44
30 22 46
31 23 48
32 23 50
33 24 52
34 24 54
35 25 56
36 25 58
37 26 60
38 26 62
39 27 64
40 27 66
41 28 68
42 28 70
43 29 72
44 29 74
45 30 76
46 30 78
47 31 80
48 31 82
49 32 84
50 32 86
51 33 88
52 33 90
53 34 92
54 34 94
55 35 96
56 35 98
57 36 100
58 36 102
59 37 104
60 37 106

How to read this table

The range is what the folk rule suggests, not a verdict on any relationship. The minimum is rounded up to a whole year: at 31, for example, 31 ÷ 2 + 7 = 22.5, so the table shows a minimum of 23. For ages where the formula suggests less than 18 — the youngest rows — the site’s adult-only convention applies and the minimum is shown as 18.

Prefer to compute a specific age, including checking a partner’s age against the range? Use our dating age rule calculator, or read the full explainer of the rule for its disputed origins and criticisms.

About the rule and its limits

What is the half your age plus 7 rule?

It is a folk guideline for dating age ranges. Take your age, divide it by two, and add seven — that gives the suggested minimum partner age. Subtract seven from your age and double it for the suggested maximum. It circulates as a social rule of thumb, not a scientific or legal standard.

Where did the half your age plus 7 rule come from?

The formula is commonly traced to early twentieth-century print, where it appeared as a humorous maxim rather than serious advice. It spread through popular culture over the following decades and now circulates widely as shorthand in discussions about age gaps between adults.

What is an appropriate age to date?

There is no single appropriate age to date; views differ across cultures, families and individuals. What is broadly consistent is that dating decisions belong to adults, and this site only discusses ages 18 and above. The half-your-age-plus-7 rule is one informal benchmark people use, not a standard.

What are the age limits for dating?

Legally, rules about ages and relationships vary by jurisdiction, and this site does not give legal advice. Socially, the half your age plus 7 formula is the most cited informal limit: minimum = your age ÷ 2 + 7, maximum = (your age − 7) × 2, computed for adults. Treat it as shorthand, not authority.

Skip the arithmetic

Calculate an age difference now →