This Social Security calculator estimates your primary insurance amount (PIA) from your average indexed monthly earnings, then shows the monthly benefit at claiming ages 62, full retirement age, and 70 — the claiming decision in one screen.

PIA (benefit at full retirement age) –
Claim at 62 –
Claim at FRA –
Claim at 70 –

Estimate only, in today’s dollars, using the 2025 PIA bend points ($1,226 and $7,391). Your real AIME comes from your top 35 years of indexed earnings (my.ssa.gov shows yours). COLA increases, spousal/survivor benefits, taxation and the earnings test are outside this quick model — the claiming-age geometry it shows is the durable part.

PIA Formula: 90% / 32% / 15% — Progressive by Design

Your statement's PIA replaces 90% of the first bend-point slice of AIME, 32% of the next, 15% above — low earners get proportionally more, by statute. The wider plan it feeds is our Retirement Calculator. Part of our Finance Calculators collection.

Worked Example (Verified)

  • AIME $6,000, born 1960+ (FRA 67) (defaults): PIA = 0.90×1,226 + 0.32×(6,000−1,226) = $2,631.08/mo; claim at 62 → $1,841.76 (70%); at 70 → $3,262.54 (124%) — an $1,421/mo spread for the identical work history, decided purely by timing
  • Early-reduction mechanics: 5/9 of 1% per month for the first 36 months early, 5/12 of 1% beyond → 60 months (FRA 67 claiming at 62) = exactly −30%
  • Delayed credits: 2/3 of 1% per month (8%/yr) from FRA to 70, born 1943+ — then they stop; claiming after 70 buys nothing
  • Break-even folklore: delaying from 62 to 70 “pays off” in total dollars around age 80–82 — longevity, health, spousal strategy and taxes move the real answer; the monthly figures above are the solid ground

Claiming Strategy Notes

  • The higher earner's delay raises the survivor benefit too — a joint decision wearing a single-person disguise.
  • Working while claimed early (before FRA) triggers the earnings test withholding — withheld amounts are recredited later, not lost, but cash-flow planning must know.
  • Benefits may be taxed (up to 85% federally depending on combined income) — gross here, net in life.
  • 35 years rule: zeros in your top-35 average drag AIME — a few late-career years can replace zero years and lift every figure on this page.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How is the Social Security benefit calculated?

SSA averages your top 35 years of wage-indexed earnings into AIME, then applies the PIA formula: 90% of the first $1,226 (2025 bend point), 32% up to $7,391, 15% above. AIME of $6,000 gives a PIA of $2,631.08 — your benefit at full retirement age, before claiming-age adjustments. This calculator runs the full chain.

How much less do you get claiming at 62?

With FRA 67, claiming at 62 is 60 months early: a 30% reduction (20% for the first 36 months at 5/9% each, 10% for the next 24 at 5/12% each). The defaults: $2,631.08 → $1,841.76 per month, permanently (COLA aside).

How much more for waiting until 70?

Delayed retirement credits add 8% per year (2/3% per month) from FRA to 70 for those born 1943 or later — FRA 67 → +24%, so $2,631.08 becomes $3,262.54. No credit accrues after 70, so there's never a reason to claim later than 70.

What is full retirement age?

66 for birth years 1943–1954, rising two months per year to 67 for 1960 and later. It's the age at which you receive exactly 100% of PIA — the hinge both reductions and delayed credits pivot on. The calculator's birth-year menu encodes the whole table.

Where do I find my real AIME or PIA?

Your official statement at my.ssa.gov — it uses your actual earnings record (check it: errors and missing years shrink AIME). Enter its AIME or PIA-adjacent figures here to explore claiming ages; treat this page as a planning model, not an SSA determination.

Is this Social Security calculator free?

Yes — free, instant, no sign-up.