US Social Security Retirement Benefit Calculator
PIA from AIME, then your monthly benefit at every claiming age from 62 to 70.
Your benefit by claiming age
| Start at | First month | Monthly | % of PIA | Paid by age 85 |
|---|
In today’s dollars. “Paid by age 85” adds up monthly benefits to your 85th birthday, before future cost-of-living increases.
How your PIA is worked out
Earnings test and spouse
Rules used and official sources
- Social Security Administration: cost-of-living increase and other determinations (Federal Register)
- 20 CFR 404.212: primary insurance amount from average indexed monthly earnings
- 20 CFR 404.409: full retirement age
- 20 CFR 404.410: reductions for claiming before full retirement age
- 20 CFR 404.313: delayed retirement credits
- 20 CFR 404.430: earnings test exempt amounts and excess earnings
Results are estimates for general information and planning, not financial advice. Banks and institutions may calculate differently (rounding, fees, rate changes). Confirm figures with your lender or a qualified adviser before deciding.
About the US Social Security Retirement Benefit Calculator
Your Social Security retirement benefit starts from your primary insurance amount (PIA): the monthly benefit at full retirement age, worked out from your average indexed monthly earnings (AIME) with a three-step formula. Claim earlier and it is reduced for every month before full retirement age; claim later, up to 70, and delayed retirement credits raise it.
Enter your date of birth and your AIME — or an average of your yearly earnings in today’s dollars to estimate it — and choose a claiming age. The calculator applies the formula for the year you reach 62, any cost-of-living increases since then, the reduction or credits for your start month, a spouse’s benefit and the earnings test if you keep working. Your official estimate, based on your full earnings record, is in your my Social Security account at ssa.gov.
How to use it
- Enter your date of birth: it sets your full retirement age and the formula year.
- Enter your AIME if you know it, or choose the estimate and type your average yearly earnings in today’s dollars and how many years you have worked or will work.
- Pick the age you plan to start benefits (years and months, 62 to 70).
- If you will keep working before full retirement age, enter your expected yearly earnings to see the earnings test.
- Optionally add your spouse’s date of birth, claiming age and own PIA to estimate their benefit on your record.
Examples
PIA $2,345.80 · full retirement age 67 (June 2031) · $1,651 a month from July 2026 (the first month at 62) · $2,345 at 67 · $2,908 at 70
90% of the first $1,286 + 32% of the next $3,714 = $2,345.88, rounded down to $2,345.80. At 62 the benefit is 59 months early: 20% + 23 × 5/12% ≈ 29.58% less.
Half of the worker’s PIA: $1,172 a month
From AIME to PIA
AIME is the average of your 35 highest years of earnings, each indexed to wage levels, divided by 420 months and rounded down to the dollar; years without earnings count as zero. The PIA is 90% of AIME up to the first bend point, plus 32% up to the second, plus 15% above it, rounded down to the next 10 cents (20 CFR 404.212). The bend points are those of the year you reach 62: for that year the SSA notice sets them at $1,286 and $7,749. If you reach 62 later, the calculator uses the latest bend points, so the result is in today’s dollars.
After the year you reach 62, each cost-of-living increase raises the PIA, rounded down to 10 cents each time; the latest increase is 2.8%.
Claiming early or late
- Full retirement age is 65 for people born in 1937 or earlier, rises by 2 months a year for 1938 to 1942, is 66 for 1943 to 1954, rises by 2 months a year again for 1955 to 1959, and is 67 for 1960 or later (20 CFR 404.409). You reach an age the day before your birthday, so people born on 1 January use the previous year.
- Before full retirement age the benefit is reduced by 5/9 of 1% for each of the first 36 months and 5/12 of 1% for each month beyond: 30% less at 62 when full retirement age is 67. A spouse’s benefit is reduced by 25/36 of 1% and then 5/12 of 1% a month: 35% less at 62 (20 CFR 404.410).
- After full retirement age delayed retirement credits add 2/3 of 1% a month — 8% a year — until 70 for people born in 1943 or later; earlier birth years earn less, from 11/24 of 1% a month (5.5% a year) for 1933 and 1934 up to 5/8 of 1% (7.5% a year) for 1941 and 1942, and the calculator applies the rate for your year (20 CFR 404.313).
- Before full retirement age, benefits can only start in a month you are 62 throughout, so most people’s first month is the month after their 62nd birthday.
Spouse’s benefit
A spouse can receive up to one-half of the worker’s PIA at their own full retirement age, less if they start earlier, and with no delayed credits after full retirement age. If the spouse has their own retirement benefit, they receive it plus any amount by which half of the worker’s PIA is higher. The worker generally must have started their own benefit first.
Working while you collect: the earnings test
Before the year you reach full retirement age, $1 of benefits is withheld for every $2 of earnings above $24,480 a year; in that year, $1 for every $3 above $65,160, counting only earnings before the month you reach full retirement age (SSA notice; 20 CFR 404.430). Withheld benefits are not lost: at full retirement age the benefit is recalculated to credit the months withheld. From full retirement age on there is no limit.
Limitations
- An estimate in today’s dollars: future cost-of-living increases and future wage growth are not included.
- The AIME estimate from average earnings is rough; your real AIME comes from your indexed earnings record, which SSA holds.
- Survivor, disability, divorced-spouse and family-maximum rules are not modelled, nor the deduction of Medicare premiums or tax withholding.
- Formula years cover people born in 1934 or later.
- The earnings test uses the current exempt amounts and treats the year you start benefits as the year tested.
Privacy
Everything happens in your browser. What you enter or open here is not uploaded or stored by MySmartCoPilot.
Frequently asked questions
How much less do I get if I claim at 62?
With a full retirement age of 67, starting at 62 means 60 months early: 36 × 5/9% + 24 × 5/12% = 30% less than your PIA. Because benefits start in the first month you are 62 throughout, most people start one month later, which makes the cut 29.58%.
How much more do I get by waiting until 70?
For anyone born in 1943 or later, each month after full retirement age adds 2/3 of 1%. With a full retirement age of 67, waiting until 70 adds 36 months × 2/3% = 24%.
Where do I find my AIME?
AIME comes from your indexed earnings record, which you can see in your my Social Security account on ssa.gov. If you do not know it, use this tool’s estimate from your average yearly earnings in today’s dollars.
Is the full retirement age 67 for everyone?
For people born in 1960 or later — except those born on 1 January 1960, who count as born in 1959 and have a full retirement age of 66 and 10 months. It is 66 for people born 1943 to 1954 and 66 and 2 to 10 months for 1955 to 1959.
Does working after I claim reduce my benefit for good?
No. The earnings test only withholds benefits temporarily before full retirement age; once you reach it, your monthly benefit is increased to account for the months withheld.
Is my information sent anywhere?
No. Your date of birth and earnings stay in your browser.