US SS benefits online calculator

[cmarshall]

There are a lot of SS benefits calculators out there, but this one is the best that I have ever seen.  I exchanged some emails with the developer who was very helpful in explaining the intricacies.

 

To use it you just copy and paste your covered earnings history from your account at ssa.gov or type the same information in from your annual SS statement.  The program then calculates everything including recomputation to reflect current earnings, Delayed Retirement Credits, Spousal benefits, etc.

 

ssa.tools

[tonray]

Why wouldn't you just use the estimate provided by Social Security itself ? Which by the way is 100% accurate

[cmarshall]

16 minutes ago, tonray said:

Why wouldn't you just use the estimate provided by Social Security itself ? Which by the way is 100% accurate

 

If you are interested read the description on the site.  If you are not that interested, then I am not going to explain it to you.

[Bubbha]

Thank you, this looks very useful

[BobinBKK]

On 4/15/2021 at 10:09 AM, tonray said:

Why wouldn't you just use the estimate provided by Social Security itself ? Which by the way is 100% accurate

Yes I agree. I received my first SS retirement benefit this month and it was exactly as stated on the SSA website.

[Pib]

Yea...the SSA estimate was 100% accurate when I decided to start my SS retirement benefit....it even included the credit for my military service.

[JimGant]

20 hours ago, Pib said:

it even included the credit for my military service.

Yeah, for military service from 1968 to 2001, the SSA seems to do a good job assessing these credits without any input from you. But, if you're really an old dude and served prior to 1968, you need to interface with the SSA to receive your credits for this time frame.

 

Quote

Just to clarify, SSA retirement applications ask if the applicant had active military service prior to 1968 because deemed military wage credits are automatically added after that. For service prior to 1968, people need to provide proof of their active duty (e.g. form DD-214) to get the credits. Mistakes can occur, but I’d be very surprised if you aren’t already receiving full credit for your service.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/receiving-extra-social-security-credit-military-service

 

[Berkshire]

On 4/16/2021 at 3:37 PM, Pib said:

Yea...the SSA estimate was 100% accurate when I decided to start my SS retirement benefit....it even included the credit for my military service.

"Credit for military service"....?  Have not heard of that.  So it's extra above what the SSA estimates are? 

[Pib]

14 minutes ago, Berkshire said:

"Credit for military service"....?  Have not heard of that.  So it's extra above what the SSA estimates are? 

Info at below SSA webpage.

 

https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/military.html#:~:text=From 1957 through 2001%2C if,of your Social Security benefit.

 

[Berkshire]

7 minutes ago, Pib said:

Info at below SSA webpage.

 

https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/military.html#:~:text=From 1957 through 2001%2C if,of your Social Security benefit.

 

Interesting...thanks.  But I did notice this from that page...

 

[In January 2002, Public Law 107-117, the Defense Appropriations Act, stopped the special extra earnings that have been credited to military service personnel.]

 

So personnel in the military after Jan 2002 no longer get this....I guess.

[Pib]

29 minutes ago, Berkshire said:

So personnel in the military after Jan 2002 no longer get this....I guess.

Correct....in all deals with how military pay and benefits has changed over the decades.   But for service before Jan 2002 as talked in the article, there is some extra SS credit. 

 

However as JimGant mentioned earlier if your military service started after around 1968 then SSA the SSA should have you military service info already.   The military and SSA apparently started to talk to each other better/better data exchange.   It's just pre-1968 military service that the SSA may not have got the require info from the military to ensure the extra credit goes on your SSA record.  My service began in 1970 and I found the SSA already had my data....I received the extra credit without having to prove my military service to ensure I got the credit.