Social Security bend points by year.

What a bend point is

SSA describes the bend points as the dollar amounts in the Primary Insurance Amount formula, so called because the formula, graphed, is a series of line segments joined at those amounts. The PIA is the benefit a person would receive at normal retirement age, before the dime rounding. For someone first eligible in 2026 it is 90% of the first $1,286 of average indexed monthly earnings, plus 32% of the amount from $1,286 through $7,749, plus 15% of the amount over $7,749, rounded down to the next lower multiple of $0.10.

Which year counts is the year of eligibility: the year a worker turns 62, becomes disabled before 62, or dies before 62. It is not the year benefits start.

Bend points by year, 1979 to 2027

The first two columns are the PIA formula. The last three are the maximum family benefit formula, which SSA applies to the PIA at 150%, 272%, 134% and 175% across its three bend points. Both sets rose 4.2% from 2026 to 2027: the first PIA bend point by $54 and the second by $328.

How a bend point is computed

SSA indexes the 1979 amounts to national average wages. For 2026 it multiplies $180 by the 2024 average wage index of 69,846.57 and divides by the 1977 index of 9,779.44, which gives $1,285.59, rounded to $1,286. The second bend point is $1,085 times the same ratio, $7,749.27, rounded to $7,749. The family-maximum bend points follow the same method from $230, $332 and $433. The 2027 figures come from SSA’s table; SSA has not printed the 2027 computation on the pages used here.

Worked example with real bend points

Take a hypothetical worker with $6,000 of average indexed monthly earnings. For 2026 eligibility the PIA is 0.90 × $1,286 = $1,157.40 plus 0.32 × ($6,000 − $1,286) = $1,508.48, which is $2,665.88 and rounds down to $2,665.80. For 2027 eligibility it is 0.90 × $1,340 = $1,206.00 plus 0.32 × $4,660 = $1,491.20, a PIA of $2,697.20, which is $31.40 more.

A higher hypothetical earner with $9,000 uses all three slices for 2027: $1,206.00 plus 0.32 × $6,737 = $2,155.84 plus 0.15 × $923 = $138.45, a total of $3,500.29 and a PIA of $3,500.20. The 2027 family maximum for that PIA is 1.50 × $1,712 = $2,568.00 plus 2.72 × $759 = $2,064.48 plus 1.34 × $752 = $1,007.68 plus 1.75 × $277.20 = $485.10, or $6,125.20 after dime rounding.

Common mistakes and edge cases

• Using the claiming year instead of the year of eligibility. A worker who turns 62 in 2027 uses the 2027 bend points even if benefits start later.
• Treating bend points as earnings thresholds. They split monthly AIME into slices; they are not annual wage limits like the taxable maximum.
• Forgetting the rounding. The PIA rounds down to the next lower dime.
• Confusing PIA with the check. Claiming age, cost-of-living adjustments and other rules change the amount actually paid.

What this does not cover

This page does not compute your AIME, which depends on your indexed earnings record, or apply early or delayed claiming, cost-of-living adjustments after eligibility, spousal or survivor amounts, or the family maximum for disability. SSA prints the 90, 32 and 15 percent formula for 2026 only; applying it to earlier years is an assumption the calculator makes. Look up your own record in your my Social Security account, and see the earnings limit by year if you plan to work while collecting.