Social Security Calculator
Estimate your monthly Social Security benefit from your Average Indexed Monthly Earnings (AIME) using the official 2026 SSA bend points.
The SSA computes your benefit from your AIME through a three-bracket formula with annual “bend points.” Enter your AIME from your SSA.gov earnings record — the calculator applies the verified 2026 bend points ($1,286 and $7,749) and rounds down to the dime, exactly as the SSA does, to estimate your monthly benefit at full retirement age.
Average Indexed Monthly Earnings from SSA.gov
How to use this calculator
- Find your AIME on your SSA.gov earnings record.
- Confirm the bend points (2026 defaults are pre-filled and verified).
- Enter your AIME.
- Click Calculate to see your estimated monthly benefit at full retirement age.
The formula
PIA = 90% of AIME up to $1,286 + 32% of AIME from $1,286–$7,749 + 15% of AIME above $7,749 (2026 SSA bend points), rounded down to the dime
Worked example
With an AIME of $8,000, the 2026 formula gives a PIA of $3,263.21 — an estimated monthly benefit of $3,263.20, or $39,158.40 per year, at full retirement age.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I find my AIME?
Log in to your account at SSA.gov and open your earnings record — it shows your indexed earnings history. Your AIME is the average of your highest 35 years of indexed earnings, divided by 420 months. If you have fewer than 35 years of earnings, the missing years count as zeros, which drags the average down.
What are bend points?
The dollar thresholds where the benefit formula's replacement rate drops: 90% of AIME up to the first bend point, 32% between the two, and 15% above the second. They rise each year with average wages. For 2026 they are $1,286 and $7,749, published by the SSA at ssa.gov/oact/cola/piaformula.html.
Is this my actual benefit amount?
No — it's an estimate of your Primary Insurance Amount at full retirement age. Claiming at 62 cuts benefits by up to 30%; delaying to 70 boosts them by up to 24% versus full retirement age. Spousal benefits, the earnings test, and taxation of benefits aren't included. Use the SSA's own calculators for your official estimate.
How does the SSA round benefits?
The PIA is rounded down to the next lower multiple of $0.10 — never up. This calculator does the same, so the monthly figure matches SSA methodology. The annual figure is simply the monthly benefit times 12.
Will Social Security still be there when I retire?
The trustees project the combined trust funds can pay full benefits until the mid-2030s, then about 75–80% of scheduled benefits from payroll taxes alone unless Congress acts. Most planners model a 20–25% haircut for younger workers rather than zero — plan for it, but don't plan on nothing.