How is social security benefits calculated for retirement

Throughout your working life, you accumulate an earnings record (sometimes called a work record). That’s the foundation the Social Security Administration (SSA) uses to calculate your benefits, using a three-step process.

First, Social Security adjusts your earnings for historical changes in U.S. wages, takes your 35 best-paid years and produces what it calls your average indexed monthly earnings (AIME). Only income up to the maximum taxable earnings — the annually adjusted cap on how much of your earnings are subject to Social Security taxes — is counted. (The maximum taxable earnings in 2022 are $147,000.)

Second, they apply a formula to that monthly average to determine your primary insurance amount (PIA) — the amount you’ll get each month from Social Security if you claim benefits at your full retirement age. That's 66 and 4 months for people born in 1956, gradually rising to 67 for people born in 1960 or later.

The formula breaks down your average monthly wage into three parts. In 2022, it is:

  • 90 percent of the first $1,024 of your AIME;
  • plus 32 percent of any amount over $1,024 up to $6,172;
  • plus 15 percent of any amount over $6,172.

The sum of those three figures is your PIA, also known as your full retirement benefit. The sliding scale is designed to weight the benefit to help low-wage earners, who need retirement money the most.

Finally, the SSA plugs in the age at which you claim benefits. They take a bite from the full benefit if you are younger than full retirement age — you can lose more than a quarter of your benefits by starting Social Security at 62, the earliest possible age. But they add to your benefit for each month between full retirement age and 70 that you delay claiming benefits. You can gain up to 32 percent extra in benefits this way.

Keep in mind

  • The SSA recalculates your benefit annually, adjusting for inflation and figuring in the previous year’s income.
  • If your previous year’s income ranks in your top 35 years of earnings, Social Security will shove aside a lower-earning year. That means your average monthly earnings figure will go up.
  • If you worked fewer than 35 years, Social Security credits you with zero earnings for each year up to 35.

Benefit Calculators (En español)

The best way to start planning for your future is by creating a my Social Security account online. With my Social Security, you can verify your earnings, get your Social Security Statement, and much more – all from the comfort of your home or office.

We have a variety of calculators to help you plan for the future or to assist you with your needs now.

Online Benefits Calculator

These tools can be accurate but require access to your official earnings record in our database. The simplest way to do that is by creating or logging in to your my Social Security account. The other way is to answer a series of questions to prove your identity.

Additional Online Tools

Benefit Calculation Examples for Workers Retiring in 2023

Primary Insurance Amount

The basic Social Security benefit is called the primary insurance amount (PIA). Typically the PIA is a function of average indexed monthly earnings (AIME). We determine the PIA by applying a PIA formula to AIME. The formula we use depends on the year of first eligibility (the year a person attains age 62 in retirement cases).

Formula bend points
CaseAIMEFirstSecondFormula applied to AIME
A $5,052 $1,115 $6,721 .9(1115) + .32(5052 - 1115) = $2,263.34
B 10,503 926 5,583 .9(926) + .32(5583 - 926) + .15(10503 - 5583) = $3,061.64

Because the worker in case A is first eligible for benefits in 2023, and also retires in 2023, there are no applicable cost-of-living adjustments, or COLAs, to the amount computed above. Therefore, the case-A PIA is the case A amount computed above truncated to the next lower dime, or $2,263.30.

The worker in case B is first eligible in 2019 (the year case B reached age 62). Thus the case-B PIA is the case B amount computed above truncated to the next lower dime and increased by cost-of-living adjustments, or COLAs, for 2019 through 2022. These COLAs are 1.6 percent, 1.3 percent, 5.9 percent, 8.7 percent, respectively. The resulting PIA is $3,627.10.

Benefit Based on PIA and Age

The amount of retirement benefits paid depends on a person's age when he or she begins receiving benefits. We reduce benefits taken before a person's normal (or full) retirement age and we increase benefits taken after normal retirement age.

We assume the worker in case A begins receiving benefits at the earliest possible age, which is age 62. Because case A's normal retirement age is 67 years, the benefit amount for case A is reduced for 60 months of early retirement. The $2,263.30 PIA is thus reduced to a monthly benefit of $1,584.00.

The benefit amount for case B, assuming that benefits begin exactly at normal retirement age of 66 years and 6 months, is not reduced except for rounding down to the next lower dollar. The $3,627.10 PIA is thus reduced to a monthly benefit of $3,627.00.

In addition to case B, we also have other benefit examples for workers whose earnings have equalled or exceeded maximum taxable amounts. These examples show AIME and benefit amounts for retirement at ages 62, 65, 66, 67, and 70.

Is Social Security based on the last 5 years of work?

We: Base Social Security benefits on your lifetime earnings. Adjust or “index” your actual earnings to account for changes in average wages since the year the earnings were received. Calculate your average indexed monthly earnings during the 35 years in which you earned the most.

How does Social Security determine your retirement benefit amount?

Social Security benefits are typically computed using "average indexed monthly earnings." This average summarizes up to 35 years of a worker's indexed earnings. We apply a formula to this average to compute the primary insurance amount (PIA). The PIA is the basis for the benefits that are paid to an individual.

How are retirement benefits calculated?

A money purchase monthly retirement benefit is calculated by multiplying your current total contributions (employee- and employer-required contributions, plus accrued interest) by an actuarial factor based on your age when the annuity begins.

What is the formula for Social Security benefits?

Data source: Social Security Administration. If you turn 62 in 2019, the bend points to use in your Social Security benefits formula are $926 and $5,583. ... 4. Apply the Social Security benefits formula to AIME..