How this is worked out
When should I claim Social Security?
Your monthly check at each age you could start, and what waiting is worth.
Work out my check from. A maximum earner has paid in at the earnings cap for 35 years: US$4,152 a month at full age in 2026.
Yearly pay, highest 35 years. Pay above US$184,500 a year is not counted.
Years you work. Up to 35 count. Fewer count as zero.
Your check at full age, a month. From your statement at ssa.gov.
Payments after the fund runs short. The 2026 Trustees Report. If the two funds share money, it shows 17% from 2034.
Every claim age. Totals are in today’s dollars, from the claim age up to the age shown.
Your answer in words. If you live to 85, claiming at 70 gives the largest total: US$547,685, which is US$44,546 more than claiming at 62.
Some choices came from your profile.
US inflation 3.4% (August 2026, US Bureau of Labor Statistics)
How every calculator on the site is built, and what changed and when, is on How it works.