Benefit from Earnings Record

Paste your earnings history from your SSA statement to rebuild your benefit the way SSA does: wage-indexed earnings, your best 35 years, the bend point formula and every COLA since you turned 62.

Your record

“2019, $52,300” style. Use the Social Security column, not Medicare.

$

Benefit at full retirement age

$2,978

Full retirement age 67

Years with no earnings

0

Counted as zeros in your best 35

One more year of work adds

$11 a month

At $90,000 a year

How the benefit is built

Average indexed monthly earnings (AIME)$6,976
90% of the first $1,286$1,157
32% up to $7,749$1,821
15% of the rest$0
Primary insurance amount, 2028$2,978

You turn 62 in 2028. This uses 2026 bend points, so it reads in today's dollars.

Monthly benefit by claiming age

Indexed earnings

YearEarningsTaxable maximum appliedIndex factorIndexedIn best 35
1988$21,0003.6126$75,865Yes
1989$21,8403.4750$75,895Yes
1990$22,7143.3216$75,447No
1991$23,6223.2023$75,644No
1992$24,5673.0454$74,815No
1993$25,5503.0194$77,145Yes
1994$26,5722.9405$78,134Yes
1995$27,6352.8271$78,128Yes
1996$28,7402.6953$77,464Yes
1997$29,8902.5467$76,122Yes
1998$31,0852.4201$75,228No
1999$32,3292.2923$74,108No
2000$33,6222.1722$73,034No
2001$34,9672.1216$74,185No
2002$36,3652.1005$76,385Yes
2003$37,8202.0504$77,546Yes
2004$39,3331.9593$77,066Yes
2005$40,9061.8901$77,318Yes
2006$42,5421.8071$76,877Yes
2007$44,2441.7286$76,482Yes
2008$46,0141.6898$77,753Yes
2009$47,8541.7156$82,100Yes
2010$49,7681.6760$83,413Yes
2011$51,7591.6251$84,114Yes
2012$53,8291.5759$84,829Yes
2013$55,9831.5560$87,110Yes
2014$58,2221.5027$87,489Yes
2015$60,5511.4522$87,929Yes
2016$62,9731.4359$90,425Yes
2017$65,4921.3880$90,903Yes
2018$68,1111.3394$91,231Yes
2019$70,8361.2911$91,454Yes
2020$73,6691.2556$92,498Yes
2021$76,6161.1531$88,343Yes
2022$79,6811.0949$87,239Yes
2023$82,8681.0484$86,879Yes
2024$86,1831.0000$86,183Yes
2025$89,6301.0000$89,630Yes
2026$90,0001.0000$90,000Yes
2027$90,0001.0000$90,000Yes
2028$90,0001.0000$90,000Yes
2029$90,0001.0000$90,000Yes
How it works

Indexing. Each year's earnings, capped at that year's taxable maximum, are scaled by the national average wage index for the year you turn 60 over the index for the year earned. Earnings from 60 on count at face value. The 2024 index of $69,846.57 is the latest published.

Best 35 years. The highest 35 indexed years are summed and divided by 420 months, rounded down. Fewer than 35 years of earnings leaves zeros in the average.

The formula. 90% of AIME up to the first bend point, 32% up to the second and 15% above, rounded down to the dime. Bend points are fixed by the year you turn 62; 2026's are $1,286 and $7,749. COLAs apply from that year on.

Check. A worker born in 1959 who earned the taxable maximum every year from 22 comes out at $4,152 at full retirement age, SSA's published 2026 maximum.

What it leaves out. Future wage growth beyond today's dollars, the windfall elimination provision and government pension offset (repealed for benefits from 2024), disability freezes and military wage credits.