Enter the earner's full retirement age benefit, choose worker or spouse mode, and compare cumulative income across claim ages.
Inputs
Simple assumptions based on a configurable full retirement age.
Example: 3800
Earned Income (W-2 / self-employment)
Only include earnings that count for the SSA earnings test. Do not include Social Security benefits, investment income, or passive rental income.
Assumptions
Worker reductions are formula-driven and editable in the Admin section.
Spouse mode uses a configurable share of the worker benefit at the same claim age.
The graph uses monthly increments behind the scenes for detailed hover values and smoother break-even analysis.
COLA compounds at the next annual cycle based on the selected birth month and the assumption that claiming begins in that birth month.
The calculator applies a simplified earnings test using user-entered earned income by age. Before FRA it uses the under-FRA rule, and in the FRA year it uses the special higher-threshold rule before the FRA month.
The chart shows cumulative gross benefits only. It does not include taxes.
Click any legend label below the graph to hide or restore that claim-age line.
Benefit table
Base benefit plus the earned-income effect before FRA.
Claim age
Monthly benefit before earnings test
Annual benefit before earnings test
Net monthly range before FRA (based on Earned Income/age reduction)
% of FRA amount
Highest monthly amount in this mode
$0
Cumulative income by age
Each line shows total benefits received by each later age, using monthly increments.
Break-even points
These show the age where waiting until full retirement age overtakes each earlier claiming choice in total cumulative benefits.
Earlier claim age
Compared to age
Break-even age
Interpretation
Global claiming settings
Update the full retirement age, reduction formula, earnings test, spouse share, COLA, and default graph horizon used by the calculator.
Unlock all admin settings
Use one switch to enable editing across the full admin page.
Supports whole-year and half-year FRA values.
Default chart horizon and max zoom end age.
Worker early reduction formula
Edit the formula instead of maintaining a manual table.
Tier 1
First (months) early reduce by X / Y of Z% per month.
Default SSA-style example: first 36 months early reduce by 5 / 9 of 1% per month.
Tier 2
Any additional early months beyond Tier 1 reduce by X / Y of Z% per month.
Default SSA-style example: any additional early months beyond 36 reduce by 5 / 12 of 1% per month.
Spouse benefit setting
Set the spouse share of the worker benefit at the same claim age.
Spouse mode pays a percentage of the worker benefit at the same claim age.
Static example: if a worker FRA amount is $1,000 and the worker benefit at age 62 is $700, a 50% spouse share would pay $350.
Earnings test setting
Edit the earned-income thresholds and withholding ratios used before FRA and during the special FRA year rule.
Before FRA
FRA year special rule
COLA setting
Set the annual COLA used for the cumulative income graph and break-even analysis.