Methodology · Social Security
The full benefit formula, not a rule of thumb.
Benefits are computed from the actual PIA formula, with the claiming-age adjustments and household benefit types the SSA applies.
The benefit
From earnings to a monthly check.
- 1.1PIA from Average Indexed Monthly Earnings via the 90% / 32% / 15% bend-point formula.
- 1.2AIME either from a salary estimate or from a year-by-year earnings record, indexed to the national Average Wage Index, with insured-status checks — and the cost of stopping work early.
- 1.3Claiming ages 62 through 70, with the early-claim reduction and delayed-retirement credit applied by month.
- 1.4Spousal (up to 50% of PIA) and survivor (up to 100%) benefits, and the retirement earnings test for claims before full retirement age.
Claiming comparisons
What each age is worth.
One call, every age
One call compares claiming ages: pairwise breakeven ages, sensitivity to living five years shorter or longer than expected, and combined household and survivor figures for a couple. It shows what the numbers say for each age; the choice stays yours.
Which years
Published figures, in today's dollars.
No guessed SSA figures
Bend points, the wage base, and the earnings-test limits are the SSA's published values through the current year. For anyone first eligible later, benefits are computed in today's dollars with the latest published bend points and wage index, rather than guessing at future SSA figures.
Where the engine stops.
The methodology overview lists every known limitation, with the capital-market defaults and how the engine is validated.