Social Security claiming calculator

Type the primary insurance amount from your my Social Security statement — the unreduced check at full retirement age. The model applies SSA’s early-reduction and delayed-retirement formulas and the 2026 earnings-test amounts as labeled SSA figures, not a live scrape. Primer: 62 vs FRA vs 70. Couples file is already the 12-step household wall — no second playbook.

Quick answer: Type the primary insurance amount from your statement. This calculator applies early-claim reduction and delayed-retirement credits, and it labels the 2026 earnings-test amounts already printed on the page. It does not invent a benefit from your wages.

The statement

PIA at full retirement age ($ / month) Full retirement age Claim age (years) Claim age extra months

62 is the earliest. Credits stop at 70. PIA is yours — this page does not invent a bend-point PIA from wages.

Work / COLA / horizon

Wages this year if you claim ($) Earnings-test year Annual COLA % (example, not a forecast) Lifetime horizon (age)

2026 earnings test (SSA): $24,480 under FRA all year; $65,160 in the FRA year until the birthday month. After FRA, no test. 2026 COLA was 2.8% — type it only as a what-if.

62 / FRA / 70

—

Educational estimate. One worker, one PIA. Spousal, survivor, WEP (repealed), and government-pension offsets are out of scope — that file is couples claiming. Earnings withheld before FRA are not a fine; SSA recomputes at FRA. Medicare is a 65 calendar even if you delay the check. Not advice. Confirm SSA retirement-age and while-working pages for the year you file.

What this means for you

What this means for you: claiming before full retirement age shrinks the monthly check. Waiting past full retirement age raises it until 70 in this model. The earnings test can withhold checks if you work before full retirement age. Spousal and survivor benefits are out of scope.

How to use this calculator

Open the Social Security claiming calculator and keep the sample numbers or replace them with your own. The result updates as you type.
Read the headline figure first, then the breakdown or chart under it.
Use Copy share link if you want those inputs in the URL. The page is an educational estimate, not a filing, approval, or recommendation.

FAQ

What is PIA?

The unreduced monthly benefit at full retirement age. This page wants the figure from your Social Security statement.

How much does waiting change the check?

The page uses SSA's early-reduction formula and about 8% a year for delayed retirement credits until 70.

What is the earnings test?

A withhold-and-recompute rule if you work before full retirement age. The dollar amounts are the labeled 2026 figures on the page. After full retirement age the test stops.

Educational, not financial advice. Page updated October 24, 2026 — no tax, limit, or rate figure was changed in this review.