AARP Hearing Center
Your retirement benefit is based on your lifetime earnings in work in which you paid Social Security taxes. Higher income translates to a bigger benefit (up to a point — more on that below). The amount you are entitled to is modified by other factors, most crucially the age at which you claim benefits.
For reference, the Social Security Administration estimates that the average retirement benefit in 2024 will be $1,907 a month. The maximum benefit — the most an individual retiree can get — is $3,822 a month for someone who files for Social Security in 2024 at full retirement age (FRA), the age at which you qualify for 100 percent of the benefit calculated from your earnings history. FRA is 66 and 8 months for people born in 1958, and is gradually rising to 67 for those born in 1960 or later.
You’ll only know your own amount for sure when you apply, but there are ways to get a sense of it in advance. The quickest and easiest is to use AARP’s Social Security Benefits Calculator or check your online My Social Security account. The latter draws on your earnings record on file with the Social Security Administration; for the AARP calculator, you’ll need to provide your average annual income.
Both tools project what you could collect each month if you start Social Security at age 62, the earliest you can file for retirement benefits; at full retirement age; and at 70. Between 62 and FRA, Social Security reduces your benefit for filing early; between FRA and 70, it increases your payment as a reward for waiting.
For example, the AARP calculator estimates that an unmarried person born on Jan. 1, 1962, who has averaged a $50,000 annual income would get a monthly benefit of $1,386 if they file to start collecting retirement benefits on their 62nd birthday; $1,980 at full retirement age (in this case, 67); or $2,455 at 70. The AARP tool can also give you figures for every age in between, gauge the effect on your benefits of continuing to work and help you budget for your retirement years.
You can also get basic benefit estimates by calling the Social Security Administration at 800-772-1213. But remember, no matter where you get the numbers, they are estimates, not promises. Your actual benefit will vary, perhaps significantly, based on fluctuations in your earnings, cost-of-living adjustments, whether you continue to work after claiming benefits and changes in the Social Security law.
Keep in mind
Social Security sets a cap on how much of your income it takes into account in figuring your benefit. In 2024, the cap is $168,600 (it’s adjusted annually to reflect historical wage trends). Any income above that is not counted in your benefit calculation (and is also not subject to Social Security taxes).
Andy Markowitz covers Social Security and retirement for AARP. He is a former editor of the Prague Post and Baltimore City Paper.
More on Social Security
How are Social Security benefits calculated?
When should I file to get the maximum Social Security benefit?
Will my Social Security benefit decrease if the Medicare premium increases?