Social Security Calculator — benefit from AIME & claim age

How it works

Two steps. The PIA: your AIME is split at two bend points and taxed at declining marginal rates — 90% of the first $1,286, 32% between $1,286 and $7,749, 15% above — which by design replaces more of a low earner's income than a high earner's. This page reads the bend points and rates from a reviewed data pack of the 2026 SSA figures. The claim-age adjustment: benefits taken before full retirement age (67) are reduced by 5/9 of 1% for each of the first 36 early months and 5/12 of 1% for each additional month; benefits delayed past 67 earn a credit of 2/3 of 1% a month, up to age 70. What this page does NOT do is compute your AIME — that requires indexing 35 years of earnings by the national wage series. Enter the AIME from your Social Security statement, which shows it, and the page prices the formula around it.

Claim-age adjustment (full retirement age 67, SSA, read 2026-07-22)

Source: SSA benefit-reduction and delayed-retirement-credit tables. Early reduction: 5/9 of 1% per month for the first 36 months, 5/12 of 1% beyond. Delayed credit: 8% per year (2/3 of 1% per month) to age 70.

Worked example

On the default inputs — an AIME of $6,000, claimed at full retirement age — the PIA is 0.90 × $1,286 + 0.32 × ($6,000 − $1,286) = $1,157.40 + $1,508.48 = $2,665.88 a month (the earnings are below the second bend point, so the 15% tier doesn't apply). Claim the same PIA at 62 and it drops 30% to $1,866.12; wait until 70 and it rises 24% to $3,305.69 — the SSA adjustment factors applied to this calculator's PIA.

Frequently asked questions

What is AIME and where do I find it?

Average indexed monthly earnings — your highest 35 years of earnings, each indexed to national wage growth, averaged to a monthly figure. Computing it requires your full earnings history and SSA's wage-index series, so this page takes it as an input; your Social Security statement at ssa.gov shows your AIME and PIA estimate.

What are the bend points?

The two dollar amounts where the PIA formula's marginal rate steps down — 90%, then 32%, then 15%. For 2026 they are $1,286 and $7,749. They rise with national wage growth each year, which is why this page carries a data year and a review date.

Why does claiming early cut the benefit so much?

Because the reduction compounds monthly: 5/9 of 1% for each of the first 36 months before full retirement age, then 5/12 of 1% beyond — 60 months early at age 62 totals exactly 30%. The reduction is permanent, not just until full retirement age.

How much do I gain by waiting until 70?

The delayed retirement credit adds 2/3 of 1% a month — 8% a year — for each month from full retirement age to 70, a 24% increase over the PIA at the FRA of 67. The credit stops at 70, so there is no benefit to delaying further.

Should I claim early or wait?

That depends on health, other income, spousal benefits, and how long you expect to draw — trade-offs this page prices but does not judge. It shows the monthly amount at each age; the break-even between a smaller check for longer and a larger check for less time is a personal calculation.

Does this handle spousal or survivor benefits?

No — it prices the worker's own retirement benefit from their AIME. Spousal benefits (up to 50% of the worker's PIA) and survivor benefits follow their own rules, as do the earnings test for claiming while still working and the taxation of benefits.

How accurate is this, and what does it exclude?

The PIA formula and adjustment factors are the published SSA figures applied exactly; the estimate is only as good as the AIME you enter. It excludes the 35-year earnings indexing that produces AIME, cost-of-living adjustments after claiming, spousal and survivor benefits, the retirement earnings test, benefit taxation, and Medicare premiums. Use your ssa.gov statement's AIME and treat this as an estimate of the formula, not an official determination.