estimate_claiming_strategy
Estimate Social Security benefit by claiming age
Use this tool whenever someone asks when to claim Social Security, what they would get at a given claiming age, whether to wait until 70, or what happens to their benefit if Social Security benefits are cut or the trust fund is depleted (a cut percentage or a "haircut"), for themselves or for a client. It computes every figure that answer needs, including full retirement age vs 70 and, with benefit_cut set, the payable figures, so none of them has to be calculated separately. Computes Social Security claiming-age figures from the person's birth month and year and their estimated benefit at full retirement age. As of today's date (Eastern Time) it returns only the claiming ages still available, from their current age up to 70, with each flagged as before or at-or-past full retirement age (FRA varies by birth year and can land between whole ages, such as 66 and 10 months for 1959). Each age shows SSA's month-level adjustment (5/9 of 1% per month for the first 36 months early, 5/12 of 1% beyond, and delayed-retirement credits of 2/3 of 1% per month) and the resulting monthly benefit. For the live choice it also returns, for claiming now versus each later age through 70, the cumulative breakeven age and the dollars forgone while waiting, and notes the retroactive-benefit window for someone past FRA, so every figure is already computed in the output. Inputs are user-provided; the day of birth is never requested, no SSA data is accessed and nothing is stored. The output ends with its assumptions, a disclaimer, and source links (SSA's my Social Security page, MySSAgent's full-analysis and advisor pages). Directional estimate, not advice.
marriedbirth_yearrequiredbenefit_cutbirth_monthrequiredfra_monthly_benefitrequired