Social Security Calculator 2026
Estimate your benefit from the 2026 formula — bend points $1,286/$7,749, the 2.8% COLA baked in — and see every claiming age from 62 (70% for life) to 70 (124%), plus the earnings test if you keep working.
The claiming-age decision is worth more than most people's biggest investment call.
2026 SSA parameters. Your SSA.gov statement is the authoritative estimate.
Three brackets, deliberately progressive
From earnings to PIA
SSA takes your best 35 years of wage-indexed earnings, averages them monthly (AIME), and applies the 2026 formula: 90% of the first $1,286, 32% up to $7,749, 15% beyond. A $70,000 career-average earner: AIME ≈ $5,833 → 0.9×$1,286 + 0.32×$4,547 ≈ $2,613/month at full retirement age.
Why replacement rates differ
That formula replaces ~50% of a $50,000 income, ~45% of $70,000, ~40% of $100,000 and under 35% at the wage cap — the program tilts toward lower earners by design. This estimator assumes a steady career at your entered income; your SSA.gov statement uses your actual record and wins any disagreement.
Every month you wait buys a bigger check — until 70
| Claim at | % of PIA | On a $2,000 PIA |
|---|---|---|
| 62 | 70% | $1,400 |
| 64 | 80% | $1,600 |
| 67 (FRA) | 100% | $2,000 |
| 68 | 108% | $2,160 |
| 70 | 124% | $2,480 |
Break-even between 62 and 70 lands near age 80 — under typical 62-year-old life expectancy, which is why delaying usually wins on the math. The genuine cases for 62: health that argues against longevity, no other income to bridge the gap, or a lower-earning spouse whose own record claims early while the higher earner's delays.
Delaying is a joint-life decision
When one spouse dies, the survivor keeps the larger of the two checks. That transforms the higher earner's delay-to-70 from a personal longevity bet into joint-life insurance: the 124% check pays as long as either spouse lives. The standard strategy — lower earner claims early (their check retires when the first spouse dies anyway), higher earner delays to 70. Spousal top-ups add up to 50% of the worker's PIA for a spouse with a small record, and a divorced spouse from a 10-year marriage has the same rights without affecting the worker's benefit.
The 1984 thresholds and the 2026 relief
Benefits become taxable above combined income of $25,000 single / $32,000 joint (up to 50% taxable) and $34,000 / $44,000 (up to 85%) — thresholds frozen since the 1980s, pulling more retirees in every year. The 2025 tax law responded with a bonus deduction of $6,000 per person aged 65+ (through 2028, phasing out above $75,000/$150,000 MAGI), which wipes out benefit taxation for most middle-income retirees. Roth withdrawals don't count toward combined income; traditional-IRA withdrawals do — a lever worth planning around.
Frequently asked Frequently asked questions
How much will I get?
A $70,000 career-average earner: ≈$2,613/mo at 67, $1,829 at 62, $3,240 at 70. Average check: $2,071; maximums $4,152 (FRA) and $5,181 (70).
Claim at 62 or wait?
62 pays 70% forever; 70 pays 124%. Break-even ≈ age 80 — delaying usually wins, especially for the higher earner in a couple.
What is full retirement age?
67 for everyone born 1960+. Delayed credits add 8%/yr from FRA to 70.
Can I work while collecting?
Yes — before FRA, $1 per $2 above $24,480 is withheld (recredited at FRA). From FRA, no limit.
Is it taxable?
Up to 85% above $34k/$44k combined income — but the $6,000 senior bonus deduction (65+, to 2028) zeroes it for most middle incomes.
What was the 2026 COLA?
2.8%, from January 2026.
Where these figures come from
All parameters from the Social Security Administration.
- PIA formula & bend points — SSA — Primary Insurance Amount and bend points.
- COLA & 2026 amounts — SSA — Cost-of-Living Adjustment.
- Earnings test — SSA — Working while receiving benefits.
- Your actual record — my Social Security account.
Last checked: July 2026. This estimator assumes a steady 35-year career at your entered income; your SSA statement reflects your true earnings record.
Select the question that matches where you are right now.
Your result is an inflation-protected, government-guaranteed annuity — the foundation the rest of retirement stacks on.
Subtract it from your target retirement spending: the gap is what your 401(k), IRA and savings must fund. A bigger check via delay shrinks that gap permanently.
Your official estimate — SSA.gov's statement uses your real 35-year record. Enter its number at the Standard level for precision.
2026 bend points and factors, steady-career assumption. All calculations run in your browser.
Three inputs, one giant decision.
The 62-to-70 spread is 77% more per month — the single largest lever most retirees control.
Fewer than 35 working years means zeros in the average; working one more year replaces a zero and lifts the PIA.
Income past $184,500 neither pays Social Security tax nor raises your benefit — the formula tops out, which is why high earners see sub-35% replacement and need private savings to carry the rest.
Raising the check, in practice.
Spending savings from 62–70 to "buy" the 124% check is often the best annuity money can't otherwise buy.
Check your earnings record for missing years — errors are common and correctable, and part-time years beat zeros.
Higher earner delays (survivor insurance), lower earner claims to taste. Worth thousands a year.
Social Security is the floor — build the rest on top.
What a guaranteed income stream costs alongside the check.
Annuity calculator →