Social Security Calculator

Estimate your monthly Social Security retirement benefit using your age, income and when you want to retire.

Your actual benefit may be lower or higher than estimate made with this calculator, because it does not take into account your actual earnings history.
We assume you have earnings every year until you begin receiving Social Security benefits. If you had several years of noncovered employment or your earnings changed significantly from year to year, this calculator will overestimate or underestimate your benefit.

Desired age to begin Social Security

You will qualify for benefits at age 62.
Based on your date of birth, your full retirement age is 67 years.

Estimated Social Security retirement benefits

Benefit at expected age

$1,343/monthly

$16,116/annually

This is your estimated benefit
if you begin taking Social Security at age 62.

Benefit at full retirement age

$1,938/monthly

$23,256/annually

This is your estimated benefit
if you begin taking Social Security at age 67.

Estimated benefits from age 62 to 70

monthly
yearly
You selected
Full retirement age
Max benefit

Social Security break-even age

Your break-even point is the age at which the cumulative amount you may receive if you file later equals the cumulative amount you may receive if you file early. It signifies the point at which it may "pay off" to wait.

Age 78.3 is the age at which the total number of dollars you receive if you retire at age 67 exceeds the total number of dollars you'll receive if you retire at 62.
cumulative benefits if you file at age 62
cumulative benefits if you file at age 67

About these results

We estimated and then indexed your past earnings by using your current annual salary, the national average wage indexing series and the Social Security Administration's annual wage base.
We assume that people age 18 to 22 are less likely to have full-time earnings.
Future earnings are based on correct annual salary and expected annual salary increase.
With the exception of the indexing factor applied to past earnings, the calculations do not include an inflation rate. The results are presented in today's dollars.

Calculate your estimated Social Security benefits

Tina Orem
By Tina Orem  
Edited by Chris Hutchison  

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Knowing when to start taking Social Security benefits is a critical decision in retirement planning (signing up for and choosing a Medicare plan is another).

How to use this Social Security calculator

  1. Enter your date of birth. The Social Security Administration uses your date of birth to determine when you're eligible for 100% of your retirement benefits, among other things.

  2. Tell us what age you'd like to start taking your Social Security retirement benefits. How much your Social Security retirement check is depends in part upon when you decide to retire.

  3. Enter your current annual income. This helps us estimate your past and future earnings.

  4. Enter an estimate of your future annual salary to increases. This helps us estimate what you might earn between now and when you decide to retire.

Social Security is just one element of retirement income. Check out our free retirement calculator to estimate how much to save for retirement and how long that money might last.

How we got here

Three things greatly influence the size of your Social Security retirement benefits: your highest 35 years of earnings, when you were born and when you decide to start taking benefits. This Social Security benefits calculator accounts for those three things.

The math to calculate Social Security retirement benefits is complex, and the calculator also incorporates the following data from the Social Security Administration:

  • The average wage index series, which tracks average wages in the United States and annual changes in those average wages.

  • The annual wage base, which reflects the maximum amount of a person's wages subject to Social Security taxes in a given year.

  • The SSA's annual cost-of-living adjustments.

  • The bend points the SSA applies to a person's average indexed monthly earnings.

  • Full retirement age by birth year, as set by the SSA.

  • The set percentages by which the SSA decreases or increases a person's benefits depending on their birth year and when they apply for retirement benefits.

Next steps: More answers about Social Security retirement benefits

Key Social Security terms to know

Primary insurance amount (PIA): This is the Social Security retirement benefit a person receives if they apply for benefits at full retirement age.

Full retirement age: The age at which a person is entitled to 100% of their monthly Social Security retirement benefit (their PIA). The full retirement age for Social Security ranges from 65 to 67. The SSA decides a person's full retirement age based on when they were born.

Eligibility age: The earliest age at which a person can begin taking Social Security retirement benefits. Typically this is age 62. The eligibility age is not the same as the full retirement age. Taking Social Security benefits before full retirement age typically results in a smaller monthly check.

Bend point: The PIA is the sum of three distinct percentages of portions of the worker's average indexed monthly wages. The thresholds of these portions are the "bend points" in the PIA formula.

Spousal benefits: Social Security spousal benefits may provide a monthly sum to a retired worker's spouse or former spouse. The amount is up to 50% of the value of the retired worker's benefit. Receiving spousal benefits doesn't reduce the retired worker's retirement benefits; spousal benefits are on top of the retired worker's benefits.

Survivor benefits: Social Security survivors benefits are paid to a surviving spouse and eligible dependents of a deceased person who qualified for Social Security retirement benefits. The amount depends on the benefits the deceased was receiving or could have received, the survivor's relationship to the deceased and the applicant's age.