Retirement and family
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.
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Monthly benefit by typical earnings and claiming age (full retirement age 67, today's dollars)
| Earnings | At 62 | At 67 | At 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.
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.
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Sources
Updated by the RateHerald team. The maths is tested against worked examples; report a problem.