Social Security Calculator
2026 SSA benefit formula
Your Earnings
$
Your average inflation-adjusted earnings over your top 35 working years
Claiming Age
Retirement Income
$
Pension, 401k, IRA withdrawals/yr
Enter your average earnings and planned claiming age to estimate your Social Security benefit.
Monthly Benefit at 67
$0
Primary Insurance Amount
Your BenefitAmount
Primary Insurance Amount (PIA)—
Monthly benefit at chosen age—
Annual benefit—
AIME (avg indexed earnings/mo)—
Full Retirement Age—
Claiming Age ComparisonMonthly
Age 62 (reduced)—
Age 67 (full)—
Age 70 (maximum)—
Lifetime Totals (to age 85)Amount
Lifetime if claiming at 62—
Lifetime if claiming at 67—
Lifetime if claiming at 70—
Break-even age (62 vs 67)—
Break-even age (67 vs 70)—
Monthly Benefit by Claiming Age
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How Social Security Benefits Are Calculated
In 2026 the maximum Social Security retirement benefit is $4,152 a month at full retirement age, $2,969 for someone claiming at 62 and $5,181 at 70. The average retired worker gets $2,071 after the 2.8% COLA, and full retirement age is 67 for anyone born in 1960 or later. Enter your average earnings and claiming age above to estimate your benefit and your break-even age.
The Social Security Administration calculates your benefit using a three-step formula. First, your lifetime earnings are indexed for inflation and averaged over your highest 35 earning years to produce your Average Indexed Monthly Earnings (AIME). Second, the SSA applies a progressive "bend point" formula to the AIME to produce your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA): the benefit you receive at Full Retirement Age. Third, the PIA is adjusted based on when you claim.
The 2026 bend points are: 90% of the first $1,286 of AIME, plus 32% of AIME between $1,286 and $7,749, plus 15% of AIME above $7,749. This progressive structure means lower earners receive a higher replacement rate than higher earners: Social Security replaces roughly 75% of pre-retirement income for low earners vs. 25% for high earners.
2026 Benefit Limits
Maximum monthly benefit at age 70: $5,181. At full retirement age: $4,152. At 62: $2,969. Average retired worker benefit in January 2026: $2,071/month after the 2.8% COLA. The maximum is only achievable by workers who earned at or above the taxable maximum ($184,500 in 2026) for 35+ years.
Early vs Delayed Claiming
Claiming at 62 (5 years early): benefit reduced by 30%. Claiming at 70 (3 years late): benefit increased by 24% above FRA. Each month before FRA costs 5/9% per month (first 36 months) then 5/12% per month. Each month after FRA gains 2/3% = 8%/year delayed retirement credits.
Full Retirement Age (FRA)
Born 1943-1954: FRA is 66. Born 1955: 66 and 2 months. Born 1956: 66 and 4 months. Born 1957: 66 and 6 months. Born 1958: 66 and 8 months. Born 1959: 66 and 10 months. Born 1960 or later: FRA is 67. This calculator assumes FRA of 67 for birth year 1960+.
Spousal & Survivor Benefits
Spouses can claim up to 50% of their partner's PIA (at FRA) even if they never worked. Divorced spouses married 10+ years may also qualify. Survivor benefits allow a widow/widower to receive up to 100% of their deceased spouse's benefit. These are not included in this calculator.
Estimated Benefit by Earnings
Monthly amounts from the 2026 formula for a worker with full retirement age 67, using average indexed earnings over the best 35 years. Replacement rate is the benefit at 67 as a share of those earnings.
| Average earnings | AIME | At 62 | At 67 (PIA) | At 70 | Replaces |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $25,000 | $2,083 | $989 | $1,413 | $1,752 | 68% |
| $40,000 | $3,333 | $1,269 | $1,813 | $2,248 | 54% |
| $50,000 | $4,167 | $1,455 | $2,079 | $2,578 | 50% |
| $65,000 | $5,417 | $1,735 | $2,479 | $3,074 | 46% |
| $80,000 | $6,667 | $2,015 | $2,879 | $3,570 | 43% |
| $100,000 | $8,333 | $2,319 | $3,313 | $4,108 | 40% |
| $150,000 | $12,500 | $2,757 | $3,938 | $4,883 | 32% |
| Maximum ($172,296) | $14,358 | $2,952 | $4,217 | $5,229 | 29% |
The formula is progressive: 90% of the first $1,286 of AIME counts, then 32% up to $7,749, then 15% above that. That is why a $25,000 earner gets back 68% of earnings while a $150,000 earner gets 32%. Missing years count as zero, so fewer than 35 years of work lowers the average.
Benefit by Claiming Age
For a full retirement age of 67 and a PIA of $2,000 a month.
| Claim at | Share of PIA | Monthly benefit |
|---|---|---|
| 62 | 70.0% | $1,400 |
| 63 | 75.0% | $1,500 |
| 64 | 80.0% | $1,600 |
| 65 | 86.7% | $1,733 |
| 66 | 93.3% | $1,867 |
| 67 | 100% | $2,000 |
| 68 | 108% | $2,160 |
| 69 | 116% | $2,320 |
| 70 | 124% | $2,480 |
Ignoring COLAs, taxes and investment returns, claiming at 67 overtakes claiming at 62 at about age 78 and 8 months, and waiting until 70 overtakes 67 at about age 82 and 6 months. If you are married and the higher earner, waiting also raises the survivor benefit your spouse could receive.
2026 Social Security Key Numbers
| Item | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Cost-of-living adjustment | 2.8% (paid from January 2026) |
| Average retired worker benefit | $2,071 a month (was $2,015) |
| Aged couple, both receiving | $3,208 a month |
| Maximum benefit at full retirement age | $4,152 a month |
| Taxable maximum (wage base) | $184,500 |
| Earnings for one work credit | $1,890 (4 credits max, at $7,560) |
| Earnings test, under full retirement age | $24,480 ($1 withheld per $2 over) |
| Earnings test, year you reach FRA | $65,160 ($1 withheld per $3 over) |
| PIA bend points | $1,286 and $7,749 of AIME |
| Full retirement age | 67 if born in 1960 or later |
Bend points are fixed by the year you turn 62, so the 2026 figures apply to people born in 1964. Later years get new bend points that rise with average wages, which keeps estimates like the ones above roughly in today's dollars. The 2026 Trustees Report projects that the retirement trust fund can pay full benefits until late 2032, after which income would cover about 78% unless Congress acts. For the rest of your plan, see the retirement calculator and the Medicare cost calculator.
Method and sources. PIA = 90% of AIME up to $1,286, plus 32% of AIME from $1,286 to $7,749, plus 15% above $7,749 (2026 bend points). AIME is estimated as average indexed annual earnings ÷ 12, capped at $14,358, SSA's 2026 maximum for a worker reaching 62. Early claiming: 5/9 of 1% per month for the first 36 months before FRA and 5/12 of 1% after that; delayed credits: 2/3 of 1% per month to age 70. All table values computed with these rules. Sources: SSA benefit formula bend points, SSA maximum-taxable benefit examples, SSA 2026 COLA fact sheet, 2026 Social Security and Medicare Trustees Report summary, IRS guidance on the One Big Beautiful Bill senior deduction. Your my Social Security statement uses your real earnings record and is the figure to rely on.
This calculator provides estimates only. Actual benefits are calculated by the SSA based on complete earnings records. Create a my Social Security account at ssa.gov for your personalized benefit statement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Social Security uses a three-step process: (1) Index your earnings for inflation and average the highest 35 years to produce AIME (Average Indexed Monthly Earnings). If you worked fewer than 35 years, zeros are averaged in. (2) Apply the bend point formula to AIME: 90% of the first $1,286/month, plus 32% of AIME from $1,286 to $7,749, plus 15% above $7,749 (2026 bend points). This produces your PIA: your full benefit at FRA. (3) Adjust PIA based on claiming age: reduce for early claiming, increase for delayed claiming.
There is no universally "best" age: it depends on health, longevity expectations, other income, and marital status. The math: claiming at 62 gives lower monthly payments but more of them. Claiming at 70 gives higher payments but fewer years to receive them. The break-even age between claiming at 62 and at 67 is about 78 years and 8 months, and between 67 and 70 it is about 82 and a half. If you expect to live past those ages, waiting produces more lifetime income. Key factors favoring early claiming: poor health, need the income, high discount rate. Favoring delay: good health, long family history, higher-earning spouse (delay to maximize survivor benefits).
FRA is the age at which you receive 100% of your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA). Born 1943-1954: FRA is 66. Born 1955-1959: FRA increases by 2 months per year (66+2 months for 1955, up to 66+10 months for 1959). Born 1960 or later: FRA is 67. Claiming before FRA permanently reduces your benefit. Claiming after FRA permanently increases it by 8% per year (delayed retirement credits). FRA was increased from 65 to 67 by the 1983 Social Security reform, and further changes are possible as the program's finances are debated.
If your FRA is 67, claiming at 62 reduces your benefit by 30%. The reduction formula: 5/9 of 1% per month for the first 36 months before FRA, then 5/12 of 1% for each additional month. So 60 months early (age 62 with FRA 67): 36 months x 5/9% = 20%, plus 24 months x 5/12% = 10%, total = 30% reduction. This reduction is permanent: you receive the reduced amount for the rest of your life (with COLA adjustments). You can withdraw your application once, within 12 months of first claiming, if you repay everything you received. After FRA you can also voluntarily suspend benefits to earn delayed retirement credits until 70.
For each month you delay claiming past FRA, your benefit increases by 2/3 of 1% = 8% per year. Delaying from 67 to 70 (36 months) increases the benefit by 24%. If your FRA benefit (PIA) is $2,000, your benefit at 70 is $2,480. These credits stop accumulating at 70: there is no benefit to waiting past age 70. The credits apply to your own retirement benefit and, importantly, affect survivor benefits since a surviving spouse can receive up to 100% of the deceased's benefit at its claimed amount including delayed credits.
Yes, partially. Up to 85% of Social Security benefits may be taxable at the federal level depending on your "combined income" (adjusted gross income + nontaxable interest + 50% of Social Security). If combined income is under $25,000 (single) or $32,000 (married): no federal tax on SS. $25,000-$34,000 (single) or $32,000-$44,000 (married): up to 50% of SS is taxable. Above $34,000 (single) or $44,000 (married): up to 85% is taxable. These thresholds are not indexed for inflation: the 50% tier dates from 1984 and the 85% tier from 1994. Many retirees are surprised that their SS income becomes increasingly taxable as investment income grows.
If you claim before FRA and continue working, the earnings test applies. In 2026: for every $2 earned above $24,480/year, SSA withholds $1 in benefits. In the year you reach FRA, the limit rises to $65,160 and the withholding is only $1 for every $3 over that limit. Once you reach FRA, there is no earnings test: you can earn any amount without benefit reduction. Importantly, withheld benefits are not permanently lost: SSA recalculates and increases your benefit at FRA to account for months when benefits were withheld, partially offsetting the early claiming reduction.
A spouse who earned less (or nothing) can claim a spousal benefit of up to 50% of their higher-earning spouse's PIA at FRA. To receive the full 50%, the lower earner must wait until their own FRA. Claiming the spousal benefit early reduces it proportionally. The spousal benefit is automatically the greater of: their own earned benefit or the spousal benefit, not both combined. Divorced spouses who were married at least 10 years can also claim spousal benefits if currently unmarried. The higher earner's decision on when to claim significantly affects the lower earner's spousal AND survivor benefits.
The 2026 Trustees Report projects that the retirement trust fund (OASI) can pay full benefits until late 2032. After that, incoming payroll taxes would still cover about 78% of scheduled benefits, and about 83% if the retirement and disability funds were combined (combined reserves last until 2034). To fully fund benefits long-term, Congress will likely need to enact some combination of: benefit cuts, tax increases, full retirement age increases, or means-testing. If Congress does nothing, the reduction would apply to everyone receiving benefits at that point, including current retirees. Past reforms, such as the 1983 law that raised the full retirement age, were phased in over many years.
Social Security payroll taxes apply only to earnings up to the taxable maximum, which adjusts annually with average wage growth. In 2024: $168,600. In 2025: $176,100. In 2026: $184,500 (set by SSA in October 2025; it adjusts each January). Earnings above this amount are not subject to the 6.2% SS employee tax (nor the 6.2% employer match). Medicare's 1.45% payroll tax has no income cap. High earners pay no additional SS tax on income above the wage base but also don't receive additional SS credit for earnings above it. The maximum benefit is only achievable by workers who hit the taxable maximum for 35+ years.
Create a free my Social Security account at ssa.gov/myaccount. You can view your complete earnings record, see official benefit estimates at ages 62, FRA, and 70, verify that your employer has correctly reported your earnings, and check for any discrepancies in your record. The SSA also mails paper statements to workers 60 and older who don't have an online account. Your official SSA estimate is far more accurate than any online calculator because it uses your actual year-by-year earnings history rather than an assumed average. Always check your ssa.gov statement as your primary planning tool.
Yes. The rules that make up to 50% or 85% of benefits taxable above $25,000 of combined income (single) or $32,000 (joint) did not change. What is new is a $6,000 deduction for each taxpayer aged 65 or older, for 2025 through 2028. It shrinks by 6% of modified AGI above $75,000 (single) or $150,000 (joint), and for many retirees it wipes out the tax on their benefits, but it is a deduction, not an exemption.
You need 40 credits, usually about 10 years of work, to qualify for retirement benefits. In 2026 you earn one credit for each $1,890 of wages or self-employment income, up to 4 credits a year, so $7,560 of earnings gets you the full 4. Qualifying only makes you eligible; the benefit amount still depends on your highest 35 years of earnings.