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Social Security Calculator

A rough estimate of your Social Security retirement benefit from your typical earnings, and how much claiming early or late changes it.

With steady earnings of $70,000 a year, your Social Security retirement benefit would be about $2,613 a month at your full retirement age of 67, in today's dollars. Claiming at 67 pays about $2,613 a month.

Monthly benefit claiming at 67
$2,613
At 62
$1,829
At full retirement age
$2,613
At 70
$3,240

Monthly benefit by typical earnings and claiming age (full retirement age 67, today's dollars)

EarningsAt 62At 67At 70
$30,000$1,082$1,546$1,917
$50,000$1,455$2,079$2,578
$70,000$1,829$2,613$3,240
$100,000$2,319$3,313$4,108
$150,000$2,757$3,938$4,883
$184,500$3,059$4,369$5,418

How this calculator works

Your benefit at full retirement age (the primary insurance amount) is 90% of your average indexed monthly earnings up to $1,286, 32% of the part up to $7,749, and 15% above that: the 2026 formula. The calculator treats your typical earnings as your average over 35 years, capped at the $184,500 wage base.

Claiming early cuts the benefit by 5/9 of 1% a month for the first 36 months and 5/12 of 1% beyond; waiting past full retirement age adds 2/3 of 1% a month (8% a year) until 70.

What it assumes

  • A rough estimate in today's dollars. Your real benefit uses your actual earnings record, indexed to wage growth: see your statement at ssa.gov/myaccount.
  • Fewer than 35 years of earnings lowers the average; spousal and survivor benefits aren't included.

Questions people ask

How much Social Security will I get?

With steady earnings of $70,000 a year, about $2,613 a month at full retirement age in today's dollars. Your Social Security statement has your own estimate.

Should I claim Social Security at 62 or wait?

Claiming at 62 pays 30% less for life (with a full retirement age of 67); waiting to 70 pays 24% more. Waiting usually pays off if you live past your early 80s.

What is my full retirement age?

67 if you were born in 1960 or later; 66 plus 2 months for each year after 1954 for people born 1955 to 1959.

Are Social Security benefits taxed?

Up to 85% of benefits can be taxable federally, depending on your other income; most states don't tax them.

Related calculators

  • 401(k) CalculatorWhat your 401(k) grows to by retirement with your contributions, your employer's match and investment returns, within the 2026 limit of $24,500.
  • RMD CalculatorYour required minimum distribution from an IRA or 401(k) this year: last year-end's balance divided by the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table divisor for your age.
  • Senior Deduction CalculatorThe extra $6,000 deduction for people 65 and older, for 2025 to 2028: how much you keep after the income phase-out, and the federal tax it saves.

Sources

Updated by the RateHerald team. The maths is tested against worked examples; report a problem.

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