Retirement Planning: Start Early, Plan Smart

Retirement isn’t just a distant milestone—it’s a process that begins with preparation. The sooner you start planning, the more control you’ll have over your income, lifestyle, and peace of mind in the years ahead.

Set Up Your My Social Security Account

One of the most important tools for retirement preparation is your My Social Security account. With it, you can:

  • Verify your earnings history

  • Access your annual Social Security Statement

  • Estimate future retirement benefits

  • Update personal information

Set up your account securely at ssa.gov/myaccount.

Retirement Calculators: Estimate Your Future

Social Security offers free calculators that give you insights into your benefits based on different retirement ages and income scenarios.

Quick Calculator

Provides a rough estimate based on your birthdate and earnings.

Retirement Estimator

Uses your real earnings record to provide a more personalized estimate.

Retirement Age Calculator

Helps determine your Full Retirement Age (FRA) and shows how retiring earlier or later will affect your benefit amount.

Earnings Test Calculator

Estimates how working while receiving benefits before FRA could reduce your payments.

Early vs. Late Retirement Tool

Compares your monthly benefit amounts if you claim at age 62, FRA, or delay to age 70.

You can access all these calculators at ssa.gov/benefits/calculators.

Need Help?

If you're unsure where to start, we’re here to walk you through the process and help build a plan based on your goals and timeline.