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Break Even Point Social Security Calculator

Social Security Income Calculator works out Estimated monthly benefit and Estimated benefit a year from Date of birth, Benefit being estimated and How you want to describe your earnings. The default figures on this page give estimated monthly benefit of 1,828.00; change any entry and the result, the working and the sources update together.

Estimated monthly benefit
1,828.00
Social Security Benefit Calculator
Estimated benefit a year
21,936.00
Primary insurance amount (this year)
2,612.40
PIA at year of eligibility
2,612.40
Average indexed monthly earnings
5,833.00
Year of eligibility
2,026
Full retirement age
67
Months early (-) or late (+)
-60
Benefit as a percentage of PIA
70.0000 %
Maximum payable to the family
4,768.10
Taxable maximum this year
184,500
Earnings test exempt amount
24,480
Total received by age 85 (no future COLA)
504,528.00
Worked out from Social Security Act sec. 215 (computation of primary insurance amount) and sec. 202(q)/(w) (reduction for age and delayed retirement credits) and 5 other sources.
The steady-salary estimate assumes your pay always tracked the national average wage index. A real earnings history will give a different, usually lower, figure.
This is an independent estimate built from the published Social Security formulas. Only the Social Security Administration can give you your official benefit figure - check your my Social Security statement or ask SSA before relying on this for a claiming decision.

Your figures

Updates as you type
Formatting only. This does not change the calculation.
Sets your full retirement age, your year of eligibility and the bend points that apply to you.
The benefit payable at exactly full retirement age, shown on your Social Security statement. Used only when the earnings basis is "PIA".
Used only when the earnings basis is "AIME".
One figure per year, oldest first, starting at the first-earnings year below. Used only when the earnings basis is "earnings history".
Used with "steady salary": assumes your past pay rose in line with national average wages, so every indexed year equals this figure.
Fewer than 35 years leaves zeros in the 35-year average and lowers the benefit.
Cost-of-living adjustments are applied from your year of eligibility up to this year.
Used only for a disability (SSDI) estimate; it sets the year of eligibility and the number of computation years.
For a spousal or survivor estimate, the insured worker's PIA. Leave blank to use the PIA computed from the earnings inputs above.
Applied only to years after the last published cost-of-living adjustment. The 2025 Trustees Report intermediate assumption is 2.4%.
Projects the wage index, taxable maximum and bend points beyond the published tables. Roughly the Trustees Report ultimate CPI-W assumption of 2.4% plus a real wage differential of about 1.1 points.

How this is worked out

5 steps
  1. Year of eligibility (age 62) is 2026; earnings are indexed to 2024 and averaged over 35 years to an AIME of 5833.
  2. PIA = 90% of the first 1286 + 32% between 1286 and 7749 + 15% above = 2612.4.
  3. Full retirement age for someone born in 1964 is 67.
  4. Claiming 60 months early pays 70% of the PIA.
  5. Monthly benefit = 2612.4 x 0.7 truncated to the dollar = 1828.
Benefit by claiming agetable
agepercentOfPiamonthlyannual
62701,82821,936
63751,95923,508
64802,08925,068
6586.66672,26427,168
6693.33332,43829,256
671002,61231,344
681082,82133,852
691163,03036,360
701243,23938,868

Figures from Social Security benefit formulas (SSA), 2026 rules, checked 31 August 2026. Its 5 worked examples are re-run on every release, last on 15 September 2026. What changed · how reference data is kept current

Sources and references

6 sources

Keep this result

Save it, change one figure, then compare the two

The calculation stays free. Save this scenario, adjust one assumption, save that too, and put them side by side to see exactly what the change costs you. A free account keeps 5 scenarios and 2 comparisons; Personal makes both unlimited and adds exports and private links. Nothing is saved unless you press Save.

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What the Social Security Income Calculator calculates

Estimates the monthly Social Security retirement, disability, spousal or survivor benefit from a work history or a stated PIA, applying the statutory AIME, bend-point, cost-of-living and claiming-age rules.

How to use this Social Security Income Calculator

Enter Date of birth, Benefit being estimated, How you want to describe your earnings and Primary insurance amount (monthly). Estimated monthly benefit updates as you type. Change one figure at a time to see what drives the result.

How the result is worked out

Open “How this is worked out” beside the result for the step-by-step calculation behind Estimated monthly benefit, Estimated benefit a year and Primary insurance amount (this year).

The method follows Social Security ACT sec. 215 (computation of primary insurance amount) and sec. 202(q)/(w) (reduction for age and delayed retirement credits), Social Security Administration, Cost-of-Living Increase and Other Determinations for 2026, Social Security Administration, Office of the Chief Actuary - benefit formula bend points, AWI series, COLA series, normal retirement age and delayed retirement credit tables, Social Security Administration - Benefit examples for workers with maximum-taxable earnings and The Long-Range Economic Assumptions for the 2025 Trustees Report.

What you can compare

Change one input at a time to see how it affects Estimated monthly benefit, Estimated benefit a year and Primary insurance amount (this year). The inputs you can vary are Date of birth, Benefit being estimated, How you want to describe your earnings, Primary insurance amount (monthly), Average indexed monthly earnings and Annual Social Security covered earnings.

Understanding Estimated monthly benefit, Estimated benefit a year and Primary insurance amount (this year)

This is an independent estimate built from the published Social Security formulas. Only the Social Security Administration can give you your official benefit figure - check your my Social Security statement or ask SSA before relying on this for a claiming decision.

Results are general information, not financial, tax, legal, medical or engineering advice. Check any decision that matters with a qualified professional.

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Copy this code into any page. The calculator appears with the figures currently entered, sizes itself to fit, and a small credit line links back here. Free, no account, no ads inside it, no tracking of your readers. Set your own figures and fixed fields; Personal removes the credit line, sets your colour and shows you which sites use it.

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Frequently asked questions

How do I figure my break-even point for Social Security?

Estimates the monthly Social Security retirement, disability, spousal or survivor benefit from a work history or a stated PIA, applying the statutory AIME, bend-point, cost-of-living and claiming-age rules. Open “How this is worked out” beside the result to see each step for your own figures.

What is the breakeven point for SSI in 2026?

On the figures this page opens with — average indexed monthly earnings 11,463 — the estimated monthly benefit is 1,828. No single number fits everyone: change any figure above and the answer updates as you type, with each step of the arithmetic beside it.

What is the break-even point for Social Security 62 vs 67?

It needs Date of birth, Benefit being estimated, How you want to describe your earnings, Primary insurance amount (monthly), Average indexed monthly earnings and Annual Social Security covered earnings. Nothing else is required, and the figures stay in your browser.

What is the break even analysis for Social Security?

The result gives Estimated monthly benefit, Estimated benefit a year, Primary insurance amount (this year), PIA at year of eligibility, Average indexed monthly earnings and Year of eligibility, each labelled with its unit so the figure can be read on its own.

What information do I need for the Social Security Income Calculator?

You need Date of birth, Benefit being estimated, How you want to describe your earnings, Primary insurance amount (monthly), Average indexed monthly earnings, Annual Social Security covered earnings, Year the earnings list starts and Current annual salary. The page opens with default figures that give estimated monthly benefit of 1,828.00, so you can see the scale before entering your own.

What does this Social Security Income Calculator show?

It shows Estimated monthly benefit, Estimated benefit a year, Primary insurance amount (this year), PIA at year of eligibility, Average indexed monthly earnings, Year of eligibility, Full retirement age and Months early (-) or late (+), with the working and any warnings for your entries.

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