How the Social Security Optimizer works
We estimate your monthly Social Security benefit at different claiming ages by adjusting your full-retirement-age benefit (PIA) up or down using the Social Security Administration's published reduction and delayed-credit rules. Where available, the calculation is performed by the pmSSAnalyzer engine; otherwise a transparent local estimate is used.
Step by step
- Claiming before full retirement age (FRA) reduces the benefit; claiming after FRA (up to age 70) increases it with delayed-retirement credits.
- We compute the benefit at each age from 62 to 70 and highlight the age that maximizes the monthly amount.
- The result labels whether it came from the pmSSAnalyzer engine or the local estimate.
The math
Early reduction: 5/9 of 1% per month for the first 36 months early, then 5/12 of 1% per month beyond. Delayed credit: 2/3 of 1% per month (8%/year) after FRA up to age 70. (Per SSA rules.)
Sources & assumptions
- U.S. Social Security Administration benefit reduction and delayed-retirement-credit rules (public domain).
Note: When the pmSSAnalyzer engine is used, its detailed optimization logic is proprietary to that product; the SSA adjustment rules shown here are public.
- This is an educational estimate of Social Security benefits, not an official SSA determination.
- Actual benefits depend on your full earnings record. Speak with your advisor and review your SSA statement.