Social Security Benefits Calculator

It first turns your average indexed monthly earnings (AIME) into your primary insurance amount (PIA) using the 2026 bend points. The formula pays 90% of your AIME up to $1,286, 32% of the part between $1,286 and $7,749, and 15% of anything above $7,749. It then adjusts that PIA up or down based on how your claiming age compares to your full retirement age.

Your AIME is the inflation-adjusted average of your highest 35 years of Social Security earnings, divided by 420 months. This calculator starts from your AIME rather than recomputing it from your full earnings history. The most reliable source is your personalized statement at ssa.gov, which shows your AIME or lets you derive it from your estimated PIA.

Claiming early reduces your benefit by 5/9 of 1% per month for the first 36 months early, then 5/12 of 1% per month for any additional months. With a full retirement age of 67, claiming at 62 is 60 months early, which cuts your benefit by 30%. The reduction is permanent for as long as you receive retirement benefits.

For anyone born in 1943 or later, delayed retirement credits add 2/3 of 1% per month, which is 8% per year, up to age 70. With a full retirement age of 67, waiting until 70 raises your benefit by 24%. Credits stop accruing at age 70, so there is no advantage to waiting beyond that.

Full retirement age depends on your birth year. It is 66 for people born from 1943 to 1954, rises by two months per year for those born from 1955 to 1959, and is 67 for anyone born in 1960 or later. The calculator sets this automatically once you enter your birth year.

No. The 2026 bend points apply to workers first eligible in 2026, while other eligibility years use their own bend points. The Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset were repealed for benefits payable after December 2023, so they no longer apply to current benefit calculations. The tool also omits later COLAs, spousal and survivor rules, the earnings test, taxes, and Medicare deductions. Confirm the result with the Social Security Administration.