Social Security calculator: your benefit at every claiming age

How the Social Security calculator works

Your benefit is a formula applied to your earnings history, then adjusted for the month you start. The calculator follows the same three steps the SSA uses^[piaf]:

1. AIME. Each year's earnings, capped at that year's taxable maximum, are indexed to wage growth up to the year you turn 60. The highest 35 years are added and divided by 420 months, then rounded down to the dollar^[ex1]. Fewer than 35 years means zeros are averaged in.
2. PIA. Your full benefit (primary insurance amount) is 90% of AIME up to the first bend point, 32% up to the second and 15% above it, rounded down to the dime. The bend points are fixed by the year you turn 62^[bend].
3. Claiming age. Claiming before full retirement age cuts the PIA by 5/9 of 1% a month for the first 36 months and 5/12 of 1% after that; waiting past it adds 2/3 of 1% a month (8% a year) up to 70^{[cfr410][drc]}. The payment is rounded down to the dollar.

Without a pasted record, the estimator assumes your current earnings stay level in today's (wage-indexed) dollars for the number of years you enter, which is how the SSA's own quick estimates work. Paste the earnings record from your my Social Security account for the exact AIME: the tool then indexes each year with the national average wage index^[awi].

Social Security benefit by claiming age

The age you claim changes your check for life: for anyone born in 1960 or later, claiming at 62 pays 70% of the full benefit and waiting to 70 pays 124%^[nra]. On the default example's $2,345.80 PIA:

The total by 85 favors waiting, but only if you live long enough: use the Social Security break-even calculator to find the age where a later claim catches up, and the full retirement age tool for your exact months. Married? The higher earner's claiming age also sets the survivor benefit.

Worked example: the SSA's 2027 benefit calculation

The SSA's actuaries publish a worked example every October^[ex2]. Their case A was born in 1965, had covered earnings from 1987 through 2026 and retires at 62 in 2027:

• Indexed to 2025 (the year of age 60), the highest 35 years total $2,550,252, so AIME = $2,550,252 ÷ 420 = $6,072.
• With the 2027 bend points, PIA = 0.9 × $1,340 + 0.32 × ($6,072 − $1,340) = $2,720.24, rounded down to $2,720.20.
• Claiming at 62 is 60 months early: 36 × 5/9% + 24 × 5/12% = 30%. The benefit is $1,904 a month.

Our engine reproduces both SSA cases exactly, including case B (a maximum earner born in 1960, PIA $4,187.40 after the 2022–2026 COLAs). Those cases run as automated tests every time the site is built.

2026 vs 2027 Social Security figures

The SSA announced the 2027 figures on October 14, 2026: a 3.6% COLA and a taxable maximum of $192,300^[cola27].

See the 2027 COLA page for the new benefit on your check and the earnings limit page if you plan to work while collecting^[cola26].

Common mistakes when estimating Social Security

• Using your salary instead of AIME. The formula replaces a smaller share of higher earnings: $60,000 a year gives about 47% of pay at FRA, while $184,500 gives about 28%.
• Counting fewer than 35 years. Each missing year is a zero in the average. Ten years at $0 cut AIME by more than a quarter.
• Treating 62 as a fixed 25% cut. For anyone born in 1960 or later, the cut at 62 is 30%, and most people can't start before 62 and 1 month.
• Forgetting Medicare. From 65, the Part B premium ($202.90 a month in 2026) usually comes out of your check; see the Medicare Part B premium page.

All retirement benefit calculators

• Full retirement ageYour FRA, the month you reach it, and what 62 or 70 costs or adds.
• Break-even calculatorWhen waiting to claim pays off: 62 vs 67 vs 70.
• Spousal benefitsUp to 50% of your spouse’s full benefit, reduced if you claim early.
• Survivor benefitsWidow(er) benefits from 71.5% at 60 to 100% at survivor FRA.
• Earnings limit 2026–2027How much working before FRA withholds from your checks.
• COLA 2027: 3.6%Your new 2027 benefit and the COLA history since 1975.
• Payment schedule2026 and 2027 payment dates by birthday, SSI and SSDI.
• SSDI calculatorDisability benefit estimate, SGA and trial work limits.
• SSI amount 2026Federal SSI rate and how other income reduces it.
• 401(k) calculatorGrowth with employer match and the 2026–2027 limits.
• Roth IRA calculatorTax-free growth, income phase-out and the 2026 limit.
• RMD calculatorRequired minimum distributions from age 73 or 75.
• RMD tablesIRS Uniform Lifetime and Single Life tables, every age.
• IRMAA brackets 2026Medicare surcharges by income, Part B and Part D.
• Medicare Part B premium2026 premium $202.90, deductible and what comes out of your check.
• 2026 contribution limitsEvery account in one table, 2025 vs 2026 vs 2027.
• 401(k) limit 2026$24,500, catch-ups, and the 2027 limit of $25,500.
• IRA limits 2026$7,500 plus $1,100 catch-up; deduction phase-outs.
• Roth IRA income limitsPhase-out ranges and your reduced contribution.
• SIMPLE IRA limits$17,000 for 2026, catch-ups and the higher small-employer limit.
• 403(b) limitsDeferral limit, catch-ups and the 15-year rule.
• FSA and HSA limitsHealth and dependent care FSA, HSA, and your tax savings.
• Mega backdoor RothAfter-tax room under the $72,000 415(c) limit.
• QCD limit 2026$111,000 a year from your IRA to charity, tax-free.
• SEP IRA calculatorSelf-employed contribution at 20% of net earnings.
• Solo 401(k) calculatorEmployee deferral plus employer share for the self-employed.
• TSP calculatorFederal TSP with the 1% automatic and 4% match.
• FERS calculatorBasic annuity, MRA+10 reduction and supplement.
• Pension calculatorDefined-benefit formula and lump sum vs monthly.
• Annuity calculatorPayout from a lump sum, growth, and how long money lasts.
• Early retirementWill your savings last if you stop work early?