Social Security Benefits Calculator 2026
Estimate your monthly Social Security retirement benefit based on your earnings history and chosen claiming age. Uses the 2026 PIA bend-point formula.
How Social Security Benefits Are Calculated
The SSA uses a three-step process: (1) Index your historical earnings to today's wages using the National Average Wage Index. (2) Take your 35 highest-earning indexed years, sum them, and divide by 420 to get your AIME. (3) Apply the PIA bend-point formula to convert AIME into your base benefit.
2026 PIA Bend Points
The PIA formula replaces different percentages of income at different levels: 90% of the first $1,174 of AIME, 32% of AIME between $1,174 and $7,078, and 15% of AIME above $7,078.
When Should You Claim?
Claiming at 62 gives you more years of payments but a permanently reduced benefit. Waiting until 70 maximizes your monthly amount. The break-even point (when lifetime benefits from waiting surpass lifetime benefits from early claiming) is typically around age 78–82. If you're in good health and have other income sources, delaying is usually advantageous.
Married couples should coordinate — often it makes sense for the higher earner to delay as long as possible to maximize the survivor benefit.