RetireNerd Calculator

Social Security Benefit Estimator

Use your recent pay to get a rough monthly benefit range at age 62, full retirement age and age 70. Then compare it with your official Social Security Statement.

Why this is an approximation: Social Security uses your highest 35 years of wage-indexed earnings. One recent salary cannot recreate that record, but it can provide a useful starting range.
Three inputs + one helpful estimate

Enter your details

2026 formula
This determines your full retirement age.
$
Use wages or net self-employment income covered by Social Security.
Social Security uses up to 35 years. Fewer years can mean zeros in the average.
Estimated monthly benefit—

Enter your birth date, recent salary and years worked.

Plain-English guide

What this estimate tells you

The full retirement age amount is the estimated benefit from your own work record. Claiming at 62 permanently reduces that monthly amount. Waiting beyond full retirement age adds delayed retirement credits until age 70.

Why salary alone can miss the mark

A worker whose pay rose sharply late in a career may see an estimate that is too high. A worker whose recent pay is temporarily low may see one that is too low. Years with no covered earnings also lower the real calculation when there are fewer than 35 earning years.

What marital status changes

Marital status does not change the retirement benefit earned on your own record. A spouse or qualifying former spouse may have an additional benefit based on another person's record. That cannot be calculated from your salary alone.

Use the result well

  • Compare the estimate with your Social Security Statement.
  • Check the earnings history for missing or incorrect years.
  • For a couple, compare both workers' estimates and survivor needs.
  • Do not treat the age-70 amount as a reason everyone should delay; health, work and available savings matter.
Already have your official estimate?

Compare what claiming at 62, full retirement age or 70 means for your plan.

Open the claiming guide →

Educational estimate: This is not an official SSA calculation or a promise of benefits. It uses the 2026 PIA bend points and taxable wage base with a simplified career-earnings assumption. Laws and benefit formulas can change.