RETIREMENT PLANNING · FREE TO USE
Social Security Benefits Calculator
Estimate your monthly Social Security benefit from earnings or your SSA statement. Compare monthly and annual amounts for starting ages 62 to 70.
Rules and examples checked · Based on the SSA sources below
Your benefit estimate
See what you could receive
Enter your details, then select the blue button to see your results.
Or try an example to explore the calculator.
Total benefits over time
Each line shows benefits accumulated by that age. The table below has the same totals at your chosen age.
How to read this estimate
Independent planning tool, not affiliated with SSA. Confirm your personal benefit with Social Security.
How to use the Social Security benefits calculator
Estimate your own retirement benefit from your earnings, or enter the full retirement age amount on your Social Security statement. The results show monthly and annual amounts for starting ages 62 through 70, before taxes and Medicare deductions.
1. Choose your starting information
For an earnings estimate, enter covered work income and years worked. If you have stopped working, use the income from your last working year. For a statement comparison, enter your unreduced monthly estimate at full retirement age.
2. Separate stopping work from claiming
Enter when you plan to stop working, then choose when benefits would begin. These can be different ages. The earnings model counts wages only until the earlier of those dates.
3. Read the monthly and yearly amounts
Compare your selected age with the other rows. The yearly figure represents 12 monthly benefits, not necessarily what you would receive in your first calendar year.
For an estimate using your actual earnings history, use SSA's personal retirement calculator. This site's earnings option reconstructs a simplified history from the information you enter.
Social Security benefits by age: a $2,000 example
The table below assumes a person born January 2, 1964, whose benefit at full retirement age 67 is $2,000 a month. It holds the earnings record fixed. These are example amounts, not average benefits or a prediction for your income.
| Starting age | Full-benefit share | Per month | Per full year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62 | 70% | $1,400 | $16,800 |
| 65 | 86.7% | $1,733 | $20,796 |
| 67 | 100% | $2,000 | $24,000 |
| 70 | 124% | $2,480 | $29,760 |
Birth dates and exact starting months can change the percentages. The calculator handles those month differences. See SSA's early and delayed retirement rules, or use our 62 vs 67 vs 70 calculator to compare cumulative benefits.
How Social Security retirement benefits are calculated
Your highest 35 earning years set the starting amount
SSA adjusts earlier covered earnings for changes in national wages and generally uses the highest 35 years. Missing years count as zero. The monthly average is called average indexed monthly earnings, or AIME. A progressive formula converts it into the primary insurance amount, or PIA: the starting point for your full retirement benefit. SSA explains this calculation.
Your starting month changes the benefit
Starting before full retirement age generally lowers the monthly amount. Waiting after full retirement age adds delayed retirement credits until 70. Your full retirement age depends on your birth date; it is not automatically 65 or 67 for everyone.
Work credits determine eligibility, not the benefit amount
Your own retirement benefit normally requires 40 credits. You can earn up to four per year, so 10 working years may be enough, but low earnings can mean fewer credits. This is separate from the 35-year benefit calculation. See SSA's credit requirements.
Questions about your Social Security estimate
How much Social Security will I get if I make $30,000 or $75,000 a year?
One year's salary cannot determine your benefit. Enter your annual covered income, work years and birth date for a rough estimate. Two people earning the same salary can receive different amounts because their past earnings and claiming dates differ.
How do I find my estimated Social Security benefit online?
- Sign in to my Social Security.
- Review your earnings record and locate your retirement estimate at full retirement age.
- Select “Use my Social Security estimate” above and enter that monthly amount, before deductions. Keep the estimate in current dollars for a current-dollar comparison.
Check the future-work assumptions in your statement. This tool holds the record behind that amount fixed when comparing ages; it does not access your SSA account.
What if I worked only 10, 15 or 20 years?
If you qualify, fewer than 35 earning years can reduce your average because the remaining years contribute zeros. For example, 20 earning years generally leave 15 zero years. Use the years-worked field, then confirm your actual credits with SSA. Read more about Social Security after a shorter career.
Can I stop working before I start Social Security?
Yes. You can stop work and claim later. Your stop-work date affects the earnings used in the calculation; your claiming date affects the age adjustment. An SSA estimate that assumes more future work may change if you stop sooner. SSA explains the difference.
Why could my actual payment be different?
This is a gross estimate. Taxes, Medicare premiums and other deductions can reduce the deposit. Working before full retirement age may also cause benefits to be withheld under the earnings test. Future COLA and earnings after claiming are not projected here. Spouse, survivor, SSDI and SSI benefits follow separate rules.
Calculation details and official sources
Rules checked October 9, 2026. Income estimates use a 2026-dollar snapshot, with published wage indexes through 2024 and COLA effective through December 2025. Unpublished wage indexes and formula parameters stay at their latest published values; future income stays flat and no future COLA is added. These are planning assumptions, not forecasts.
Historical income is estimated from your most recent annual income, wage indexes and a 2% relative career-growth assumption. Benefits use the highest 35 indexed earning years, the formula for the year you reach 62, and applicable published COLA. Statement-based comparisons hold the earnings record fixed. Delayed-credit results include all credits for comparison; your first actual payments may reflect some credits later.