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Your account can show retirement estimates at nine starting ages, along with disability and survivors estimates. The figures are planning estimates—not guaranteed payments—because they depend on the earnings SSA has posted, the date you choose, and assumptions about future earnings.
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Check your estimate in five steps
- Open the official account portal. Go to SSA.gov/myaccount and choose Sign in or Create an account. The my Social Security service is SSA’s secure online gateway to personal services.
- Open the retirement-planning tool. After signing in, find Plan for Retirement or Retirement Calculator. The wording can vary as SSA updates its account pages.
- Inspect the earnings record. Before relying on any amount, read the year-by-year earnings shown on your online Statement. Missing or incorrect wages can change every later calculation.
- Set the scenario. Choose an age in years and months or enter a planned benefit-start date. If you expect to keep working, enter an average future annual income so the estimate reflects that assumption.
- Compare the results. Run the calculator for age 62, your full retirement age (FRA), and age 70. Save the amounts and note whether the display uses today’s dollars or future, inflation-adjusted dollars.
These steps let you check your estimate without calling Social Security or waiting for a paper Statement.
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Retirement, disability and survivor projections
The online Statement is broader than a retirement-only quote. It includes personalized estimates for retirement, disability and survivors benefits, together with the earnings record used to calculate them. SSA’s redesigned Statement presents a bar graph with retirement estimates at nine different ages, depending on when benefits start.
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Your own earnings record
SSA describes the account this way: “Your account shows personalized estimates based on your earnings.” That personalization is the main advantage of signing in. The figures are tied to wages and self-employment income SSA has credited to your record rather than to a generic example.
A planning estimate, not a promise
The number is not a guaranteed monthly check. It is a projection based on the posted record, the selected claiming date and assumptions about future earnings. SSA may revise the estimate when new wages are posted or when its assumptions and other amounts are updated.
How to use Plan for Retirement accurately
Start with the record, not the headline number
Open the earnings section and scan every year for plausible wages. Look for a year that is blank even though you worked, an amount that is far below what you remember earning, or a year that appears twice. Because the calculation uses your complete covered earnings history, one late or missing year can affect the displayed estimate.
If something is wrong, follow SSA’s instructions for reporting an earnings error. Gather documents that support the correction, such as wage records or tax information, and keep a copy of what you submit. Do not treat a calculator result as final until you have resolved an obvious record problem.
Choose an age or an exact start date
The calculator accepts an age in years and months or a planned benefit-start date. Use an age when you are comparing broad choices; use a date when you are coordinating Social Security with a job change or another retirement-income decision. The tool specifically supports comparisons at 62, FRA and 70.
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Age 62 is the earliest possible retirement claiming age and produces a lower benefit than waiting. FRA is the age used for an unreduced retirement benefit under Social Security’s rules. Starting at 70 represents the latest age shown in the standard comparison and lets you see the effect of postponing the start date. The exact FRA depends on your birth information, so rely on the age displayed for your account rather than a general chart.
Enter future earnings deliberately
The future-income field is an assumption, not a forecast from your employer. Enter an average annual amount you reasonably expect to earn, including zero if you plan to stop covered work. To test uncertainty, run separate scenarios—for example, continued work at the expected salary and an earlier stop-work date—and label each saved result.
Check the dollar presentation
SSA’s calculators can show amounts in today’s dollars or in future dollars that reflect assumed inflation. The two displays can look dramatically different while representing the same planning scenario. Record which presentation you used before comparing ages, a spouse’s plan or another retirement-income source.
Compare the three key claiming ages
| Scenario | What to enter | What the result tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Age 62 | Select age 62, or a start date at 62, and apply the future-earnings assumption. | The earliest retirement start in the standard comparison; SSA says the benefit is lower than if you wait. |
| Full retirement age (FRA) | Use the FRA shown for your account and compare the same earnings assumption. | A benchmark for an unreduced retirement benefit under Social Security’s rules. |
| Age 70 | Select age 70 or a date at 70. | The latest standard age in the calculator’s comparison, showing the effect of delaying the start. |
Keep the inputs constant when you compare ages. Changing both the claiming date and the assumed income makes it impossible to tell which change caused the difference.
Read the Statement before you make a decision
What to verify
- Every year in which you had covered earnings appears.
- The amounts look consistent with your pay history and tax records.
- A recent year is not missing simply because SSA has not posted it yet.
- Self-employment income is represented correctly if you reported it.
- The estimate’s dollar basis—today’s or future dollars—is clearly noted.
Why a correction matters
Social Security benefits are based on the earnings SSA credits to you. A missing year is not a cosmetic issue; it can lower the projected amount and may affect retirement, disability and survivor estimates. Report a discrepancy through SSA’s error-reporting process rather than trying to compensate by entering a larger future-income number.
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When to recheck
Review the account after a new year of earnings is posted and whenever SSA updates calculator assumptions. A result you saved last year may differ even if you use the same claiming age because the underlying record or assumptions changed.
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SSA offers three calculators with different levels of personalization. None gives the same automatic connection to your official record as my Social Security.
| Tool | Information required | Personalization | Scenario depth | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online Calculator | All covered earnings copied from your Statement, plus the requested personal details. | Manual entry of your actual history; it does not sign in to retrieve the record. | More detailed than the Quick Calculator and supports retirement-age and future-earnings comparisons. | A detailed estimate when you do not want a linked account. |
| Quick Calculator | Date of birth and basic earnings information. | Does not access SSA’s official earnings record. | Produces a rough estimate rather than a record-based projection. | A fast, preliminary range when you need a ballpark figure. |
| Detailed Calculator | Extensive historical and scenario inputs. | Manual; you supply the history and assumptions. | Designed for extensive calculations beyond a simple age comparison. | Complex what-if analysis on a computer. |
The Online Calculator is more labor-intensive because you must enter the covered earnings from your Statement. The Quick Calculator is easier but can be less representative because it neither reads nor verifies the official record. The Detailed Calculator is optional software for users who need extensive historical scenarios; it does not replace checking the Statement itself.
Important 2026 figures to understand
| 2026 figure | Meaning | How it affects your check |
|---|---|---|
| $184,500 | SSA’s stated 2026 limit on work earnings subject to Social Security tax. | Earnings above this annual limit do not increase the Social Security benefit calculation. |
| $1,890 per credit | SSA’s stated 2026 amount needed to earn one Social Security credit, with a maximum of four credits in the year. | Credits measure covered-work eligibility; they are not a monthly benefit amount. |
| Nine starting ages | The number of personalized retirement ages displayed in the redesigned online Statement. | Lets you see how the projected amount changes across a range of start dates instead of relying on one age. |
These figures are for 2026 and should not be carried into another year without checking SSA’s current values. The earnings-tax limit and credit amount are separate from the estimate shown for your individual claiming scenario.
How to interpret differences between estimates
Different claiming dates
If the only change is the start date, the difference reflects the timing rules built into Social Security. The age-62 result is lower than a later claim, while the FRA and age-70 results show progressively later starts. Compare the monthly amount with the number of months you would forgo by waiting; the calculator supplies the amounts, but the break-even decision also depends on health, cash needs, taxes and other household income that the tool does not know.
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Different future-income assumptions
A higher assumed future income can raise a projection when it replaces lower years in the earnings history or adds covered work before you claim. A zero-income scenario can show what happens if you stop working. Do not present either scenario as certain; label the assumption beside the amount.
Different dollar bases
An estimate in future dollars includes assumed inflation, while an estimate in today’s dollars expresses purchasing power in current terms. Always compare like with like. Mixing the two can make a later claim appear larger for reasons unrelated to the claiming decision.
Different update dates
SSA can update your earnings record and the assumptions used by its calculators. If a saved screenshot and the current account disagree, note the date of each and check whether a new earnings year or updated assumption explains the change.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Special situation: a pension from work not covered by Social Security
If you receive a pension from employment that did not pay into Social Security, a standard estimate may not capture every adjustment that could apply. SSA provides special calculator versions for cases involving the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) or Government Pension Offset (GPO). Use the applicable calculator listed by SSA and read its instructions rather than applying a generic percentage to the account estimate.
Troubleshoot common problems
You cannot sign in
- Confirm that you are using SSA’s official my Social Security portal, not a third-party calculator.
- Use the account-recovery or identity-verification options presented on the sign-in page.
- If access remains unavailable, use the calculator that accepts manual earnings while you work on account access; treat that result as an estimate because it is not reading your official record.
The retirement estimate is missing
Look for both Plan for Retirement and Retirement Calculator, since labels can differ. Also open the Statement itself; it may display the nine-age bar graph even when the planning link is not prominent.
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An earnings year is wrong
Stop and document the discrepancy. Gather supporting records and follow SSA’s error-reporting instructions. Re-run the estimate after SSA corrects the record; changing the future-income assumption cannot repair a historical error.
The number changed unexpectedly
Check three items: whether a new earnings year posted, whether you changed the selected start date or future income, and whether you switched between today’s and future dollars. If none explains the change, save the current screen and ask SSA to clarify the account record or calculation assumptions.
You have a pension from non-covered work
Use the WEP or GPO version in SSA’s calculator directory when applicable. A general my Social Security estimate may not reflect the special treatment required for that pension.
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A practical record-keeping routine
- Save the baseline. Record the date, selected claiming age, future-income assumption and dollar presentation.
- Keep the earnings check separate. Note any year that needs correction and the documents supporting it.
- Run consistent comparisons. Use the same future-income and dollar assumptions for age 62, FRA and 70 before exploring other scenarios.
- Revisit after updates. Check again when a new year of earnings posts or SSA changes its assumptions.
- Use the result as one input. Combine it with your expected work income, savings, taxes, health considerations and household benefits; the calculator cannot evaluate those personal trade-offs.
What you can and cannot learn online
You can learn
- How SSA’s current earnings record affects projected retirement, disability and survivor benefits.
- How the projected retirement amount changes when you select age 62, FRA or 70.
- How a stated future-income assumption changes the projection.
- Whether the display is expressed in today’s dollars or future dollars.
- Whether your record appears complete enough to use for planning.
You cannot learn from one number alone
- A guaranteed future payment, because the estimate depends on future earnings and SSA updates.
- The best claiming age for your household without considering cash flow, health, taxes and other income.
- A corrected historical record merely by changing calculator inputs.
- The effect of a non-covered pension unless you use the applicable WEP or GPO treatment.
The most reliable online check is therefore a two-part process: verify the record, then compare clearly labeled scenarios. SSA’s own guidance calls a personal my Social Security account the best way to plan for retirement because it uses your recorded earnings.
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