Retirement Calculator
Your Savings + Social Security

This calculator answers two questions on one screen: what your Full Retirement Age is, and how your Social Security benefit changes depending on when you claim it. Your FRA is fixed by your birth year under the Social Security schedule. The monthly benefit you actually receive is your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) adjusted for your claim age — reduced if you claim before FRA, increased if you delay past it.

The reduction for claiming early is 5/9 of 1% per month for the first 36 months before FRA, then 5/12 of 1% per month beyond that. The reward for delaying is a delayed retirement credit of 2/3 of 1% per month — about 8% per year — from FRA until age 70, after which the credits stop. These are the exact rules the Social Security Administration uses, applied to the FRA benefit you enter.

Social Security is only half the picture

Most retirement income comes from two places: Social Security and your own savings. The calculator also projects your personal nest egg — current savings plus monthly contributions, compounded to your target age — and shows an illustrative 4%-rule income from it. For a full readiness plan, use the US retirement planning guide; to project a 401(k) specifically, the 401(k) Calculator; and to model retiring early, the Early Retirement Calculator. If you stop work before 59½, the Rule of 55 Calculator checks whether your 401(k) can pay out without the 10% penalty in the meantime. If you want to know the point at which your existing balance reaches the target on compounding alone — with no further contributions — that is your Coast FIRE number, from the Coast FIRE Calculator.

Limits of any projection

Social Security benefits are indexed to inflation but can be changed by law; the trust-fund outlook may affect future benefits. Investment returns vary year to year, and your actual PIA depends on your full earnings record. Treat this as an educational estimate, not a guarantee or advice, and confirm your numbers with your ssa.gov statement and a licensed professional.

1. Enter your birth year. This sets your Full Retirement Age (FRA) under the Social Security schedule — 66 for people born 1943–1954, stepping up to 67 for anyone born in 1960 or later.
2. Enter your estimated monthly benefit at Full Retirement Age. This is your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) — find it on your personalized statement at ssa.gov/myaccount. If you do not have it yet, the default is close to the current average retired-worker benefit.
3. Review the claiming comparison: the calculator applies the exact SSA reduction and delayed-credit rules to show your monthly and annual benefit at 62, at your FRA, and at 70.
4. Add your current retirement savings, monthly contribution, expected return, and target retirement age to project your personal nest egg alongside Social Security — the two together are your retirement income picture.
5. Use the Full Retirement Age table to confirm your FRA, then explore the deeper tools linked below for 401(k), FIRE, and full retirement-readiness planning.