Social Security Retirement Calculator (2026 Benefit Estimate)
Estimate your Social Security retirement benefit from career earnings with the 2026 bend-point formula, and compare claiming at every age from 62 to 70.
Compare retirement claiming ages using an SSA statement PIA or a simplified 2026 earnings formula. The PIA is the benefit before claiming-age adjustments. The earnings option is a formula illustration; it does not reconstruct wage indexing, historical annual caps or future benefits from an actual earnings record.
How to use this tool
- Enter your birth date to determine full retirement age.
- Enter average earnings and years for the benchmark, or supply the full-retirement PIA from SSA.
- Choose the calendar age and extra months when payments start.
- Compare monthly payments and constant-benefit totals to ages 80 and 90.
Formula
Illustrative AIME = average earnings × min(years, 35) ÷ 420, rounded down
PIA = 90% of first $1,286 + 32% from $1,286 to $7,749 + 15% above
Monthly payment = PIA × age factor, rounded down to dollars
The earnings benchmark caps every year at $184,500 and rounds PIA down to a dime. Early retirement reduces benefits by 5/9% monthly for the first 36 months and 5/12% thereafter. Waiting after full retirement age adds 2/3% monthly until 70 for supported birth years. For a birthday after the second, the first eligible retirement month is the month after turning 62. First-day birthdays attain ages in the preceding month.
Example
With a June 15, 1970 birthday and illustrative earnings of $60,000 for 35 years, AIME is $5,000. PIA is 0.9 × 1,286 + 0.32 × 3,714 = $2,345.88, rounded to $2,345.80. The first eligible month, age 62 and one month, gives about 70.42% or $1,651. Full retirement age 67 gives $2,345; age 70 gives 124% or $2,908.
Frequently asked questions
Can average earnings prove I have enough credits?
No. Check your actual SSA record. Retirement generally requires 40 credits; in 2026, $1,890 earns one credit, up to four yearly.
Why do fewer years lower the benchmark?
It averages 35 years. With 25 earning years, ten zeros lower the average. Actual indexed earnings determine which years SSA selects.
Do the totals predict purchasing power?
No. They hold benefits constant and exclude inflation, tax, mortality and earnings-test withholding. Keep a supplied PIA on one consistent dollar basis.
Are delayed credits always paid immediately?
Credits earned in the claiming year before age 70 may not be applied until the following January. The comparison shows the eventual credited rate, without that temporary payment timing.
Sources
This tool gives an estimate for general information only. It is not financial, tax, legal or medical advice — check with a qualified professional before you rely on the result.
Last updated: 2026