Calculating Social Security benefits is a three-step process, broken down as follows:
- The worker’s earnings history is used to calculate his or her Average Indexed Monthly Earnings. ...
- The AIME is then used to calculate a monthly benefit amount known as the Primary Insurance Amount (PIA). ...
- The worker can adjust the resulting amount depending upon when he or she wants to begin collecting benefits. ...
What is the formula to determine social security?
With that in mind, the 2019 formula is:
- % of the first $926 of AIME.
- % of AIME greater than $926, but less than $5,583.
- % of AIME greater than $5,583.
How do you determine your Social Security benefit amount?
- For earnings that fall within the first band, you multiply by 90%. That is the first part of your benefit.
- For earnings that fall within the second band, you multiply by 32%. That is the second part of your benefit.
- For earnings that are greater than the maximum of the second band, you multiply by 15%. This is the third part of your benefit.
How does Social Security determine your benefits?
To sum it all up:
- Calculate Average Indexed Monthly Earnings (AIME). ...
- Apply the Social Security benefits formula to your AIME to calculate your primary insurance amount. ...
- Adjust your primary insurance amount based on cost-of-living increases for each year after you turn 62 but before retirement. ...
What is the maximum amount of Social Security benefits?
The Social Security Administration limits the maximum benefit that can be paid to a single family. In most cases, this amount will be equal to between 150% and 180% of the benefit that would be paid to the primary breadwinner upon reaching full retirement age.
What percentage of a spouse's Social Security benefit is a PIA?
If you're married, the PIA will also figure in any benefit amount that your spouse would be due, generally 50 percent of your PIA if the spouse turns on the tap at full retirement age. The PIA is also the basis of a survivor's benefit and a child's benefit.
What is the effect of Social Security on lower income earners?
The effect of these calculations is that a Social Security benefit "replaces" more of the income of lower-wage earners than it does for higher-wage earners. The effect is to help level the playing field in retirement between workers of different income levels.
How many years of work do you have to work to get Social Security?
It starts with Social Security examining your earnings history — with an emphasis on the money you earned during your 35 highest-paid years. That means that if you worked 40 years, Social Security would use your highest-paid 35 years in its calculations and ignore the other five.
What is PIA in Social Security?
The next step is to calculate your all-important primary insurance amount (PIA).
Why do I get my unemployment benefits early?
The reason: If you start early, you will get more payments for a longer period of time, but with smaller amounts of money in each payment .
Is Social Security an earned benefit?
The first is that a Social Security benefit is an earned benefit. It's not a freebie. We Americans earn our benefits by working for many years and paying the Social Security tax in each of those years. That tax is 6.2 percent of your wages up to a ceiling ($127,200 in 2017).
Is there a limit to how high a salary can go on Social Security?
There are limits to how high it can go, however, because wages above the ceiling aren't subject to Social Security tax and aren't counted in your benefit calculation. OK, now that we know the rules of the retirement road, let's see how Social Security figures out the dollars and cents that become your monthly benefit.
Benefit Calculators
The best way to start planning for your future is by creating a my Social Security account online. With my Social Security, you can verify your earnings, get your Social Security Statement, and much more – all from the comfort of your home or office.
Online Benefits Calculator
These tools can be accurate but require access to your official earnings record in our database. The simplest way to do that is by creating or logging in to your my Social Security account. The other way is to answer a series of questions to prove your identity.
Additional Online Tools
Find your full retirement age and learn how your monthly benefits may be reduced if you retire before your full retirement age.
How to calculate Social Security benefits?
Your Social Security benefit is based on your average indexed monthly earnings (AIME). You can calculate this by looking at your annual income each year. Make sure you only include the portion of your income that was subject to Social Security tax.
How much does the SSA withhold?
If you make more than $45,360 in 2018 after filing a claim for Social Security benefits, SSA withholds $1 in benefits for every $3 you earn in excess of this higher limit.
How many years do you have to work to get Social Security?
Add up your income for the 35 highest years. Social Security benefits are based on your average earnings for 35 years of work. If you haven't worked for at least 35 years, Social Security will average in zeroes for as many years as you are short. If you've worked more than 35 years, choose the 35 years in which you earned the most income.
How much will Social Security be reduced if you retire early?
However, if you claim your benefit before you reach full retirement, your benefits will be reduced by 30 percent.
What is the age of full retirement?
1. Determine your normal retirement age (NRA). Your NRA, also called "full retirement age," is based on the year you were born, but varies generally from 65 to 67. This is the age at which you will receive your full benefit amount. If you file a claim for Social Security benefits before this age, you'll get less money.
Is Social Security taxable if spouse is still working?
This is also true if your spouse is still working, since Social Security benefits are also taxable. Decide whether you plan to keep working. If you don't intend to completely quit working after you file your claim for Social Security benefits, the SSA may withhold some of your benefits.