How Much Social Security Will I Get at Age 65?
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Why retirement age matters
Your actual benefit may be lower or higher than estimate made with this calculator, because it does not take into account your actual earnings history.
We assume you have earnings every year until you begin receiving Social Security benefits. If you had several years of noncovered employment or your earnings changed significantly from year to year, this calculator will overestimate or underestimate your benefit.
This is your estimated benefit
if you begin taking Social Security at age 62
This is your estimated benefit
if you begin taking Social Security at age 67
Estimated benefits from age 62 to 70
Social Security break-even age
Your break-even point is the age at which the cumulative amount you may receive if you file later equals the cumulative amount you may receive if you file early. It signifies the point at which it may "pay off" to wait.
Age 77.5 is the age at which the total number of dollars you receive if you retire at age 70 exceeds the total number of dollars you'll receive if you retire at 67.
About these results
We estimated and then indexed your past earnings by using your current annual salary, the national average wage indexing series and the Social Security Administration's annual wage base.
We assume that people age 18 to 22 are less likely to have full-time earnings.
Future earnings are based on correct annual salary and expected annual salary increase.
With the exception of the indexing factor applied to past earnings, the calculations do not include an inflation rate. The results are presented in today's dollars.
What happens if I retire before age 65?
What's your financial need?
How much more will I get if I put off retirement?
| Year of birth | Monthly increase | Annual increase |
|---|---|---|
| 1933-1934 | 11/24 of 1% | 5.5% |
| 1935-1936 | 1/2 of 1% | 6.0% |
| 1937-1938 | 13/24 of 1% | 6.5% |
| 1939-1940 | 7/12 of 1% | 7.0% |
| 1941-1942 | 5/8 of 1% | 7.5% |
| 1943 or later | 2/3 of 1% | 8.0% |
| Source: Social Security Administration | ||
- Your income. In general, the more money you've contributed to Social Security (through payroll taxes during your years of working), the higher benefit you'll get. Your income is calculated based on your 35 highest-earning years . Those years don't have to be consecutive.
- Your employment status. You can keep working while claiming Social Security benefits. However, if you retire early and earn more than a certain amount, the SSA will reduce your benefits. If you’re below full retirement age during all of this year, the SSA will reduce your benefits by 50% for every dollar you earn over $21,240; if you reach your full retirement age during 2023, you’ll lose 30% of every dollar you make over $56,520 during the months that you were below the full retirement age .
- Cost-of-living increases. The SSA makes annual cost-of-living adjustments to its benefits. The Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2025 was 2.5% and is 2.8% in 2026. You become eligible for cost-of-living benefit increases when you turn 62, even if you haven’t started receiving benefits. The SSA continues to factor the increases into the amount you'll receive, even if you wait until your full retirement age or later .
- Your pension eligibility. If you qualify for a pension from a job that didn’t deduct Social Security taxes from your paychecks, the SSA will reduce your benefits. This reduction often affects public school teachers, for example .
What's your financial need?
Article sources
- 1. SSA.gov. Retirement Benefits. Accessed Oct 24, 2025.
- 2. SSA.gov. Delayed Retirement Credits. Accessed Oct 24, 2025.
- 3. SSA.gov. Retirement Ready: Fact Sheet for Workers Ages 70 and Up. Accessed Oct 24, 2025.
- 4. SSA.gov. Social Security Benefit Amounts. Accessed Oct 24, 2025.
- 5. SSA.gov. How Work Affects Your Benefits. Accessed Oct 6, 2023.
- 6. SSA.gov. Your Retirement Benefit: How It's Figured. Accessed Oct 24, 2025.
- 7. SSA.gov. Windfall Elimination Provision. Accessed Oct 24, 2025.
- 8. SSA.gov. Form SSA-1 | Information You Need To Apply for Retirement Benefits or Medicare. Accessed Oct 24, 2025.
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