24Help.orgWITH DR. ED WEIR
Checked September 25, 2026 · Official sources linked below

A LITTLE MATH. A LOT MORE CLARITY.

See what the numbers
mean for you.

Explore your benefit increase, retirement timing, taxes, and Medicare premiums. One question at a time.

With Dr. Ed Weir · Former Social Security District Manager

01 / COLA + MEDICARE

Your raise, before and after Part B.

Use the official 3.6% COLA to estimate your 2027 benefit. The 2027 Part B premium is still pending.

2027 COLA: 3.6%, announced by Social Security. The 2027 Part B premium is not yet published; any premium you enter is hypothetical.

Before Medicare, taxes, or other deductions. Use your benefit notice, not your bank deposit. This tool is not for SSI.

The announced 3.6% rate is fixed. Social Security benefit increases begin with January 2027 payments.

What will you see?

Your full benefit increase, the change in your Part B premium, and the difference between them.

Sources: SSA 2027 COLA announcement · CMS premium information · COLA checked October 22, 2026

02 / RETIREMENT BREAK-EVEN

A smaller check sooner.
Or a bigger check later?

Enter one benefit amount. Move the two ages. See when waiting catches up.

Start with your full benefit

Your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), before deductions.

Showing an example: $2,000. Replace it with your amount.

Full retirement age67 years

January 1 birthday? Use the previous year. Born before 1943? Use SSA’s calculator.

Compare two starting ages

Drag a slider, use the arrow keys, or tap − / + to adjust by one month.

OPTION A

Start benefits at

62 years

Adjust one month
Estimated monthly benefit—Before Medicare and taxes

OPTION B

Start benefits at

67 years

Adjust one month
Estimated monthly benefit—Before Medicare and taxes

Your total benefits over time

Each line adds up the monthly checks.

See the amounts in a table

Sources: SSA full retirement ages · Early retirement reductions · Delayed retirement credits · Benefit rounding · Reviewed September 26, 2026

FIND YOUR STARTING AMOUNT

Where do I find my PIA?

Your Primary Insurance Amount is the starting amount for your retirement benefit at full retirement age, before deductions.

  1. Sign in to your my Social Security account ↗ and open your retirement benefit estimates or Social Security Statement.
  2. Find the monthly estimate for your full retirement age. Use that as an estimate here. It may not be labeled “PIA.”
  3. Check the future earnings assumption. Your estimate may assume you keep working. Use an assumption that matches your plans.

Not sure? Call Social Security at 800-772-1213 and ask for your Primary Insurance Amount and full retirement age.

Use the full amount before Medicare or taxes, not the amount deposited in your bank. Do not enter a reduced age-62 estimate as your PIA.

03 / SOCIAL SECURITY TAXES

Taxable does not mean taxed at 85%.

Estimate the part of your Social Security benefits included in federal taxable income. This does not calculate your tax bill.

Uses the federal benefit-taxability rules in IRS Publication 915 (2025). Recheck the applicable return instructions before filing.

A lump-sum payment for an earlier year; benefits repaid exceed benefits received; a traditional IRA deduction while you or your spouse has a workplace retirement plan; foreign/adoption/savings-bond income exclusions; income excluded as a bona fide resident of Puerto Rico or American Samoa (Form 4563); or nonresident-alien tax rules.

Use SSA-1099 box 5, or the Social Security-equivalent Tier I amount in RRB-1099 box 5, not your bank deposits. Other railroad benefits are outside this tool. For a joint return, combine both spouses’ benefits. Do not include SSI.

Wages, taxable pensions/IRA withdrawals, interest, dividends and other taxable income—before adjustments. Exclude Social Security. For a joint return, include both spouses.

Publication 915 Worksheet 1, line 7 adjustments only. Do not enter the standard deduction, itemized deductions, or the extra senior deduction here.

Understand the number first.

See your combined income and the estimated taxable portion of your benefits.

Sources: IRS Publication 915, Worksheet 1 · IRS Tax Guide for Seniors · Checked September 25, 2026

04 / IRMAA: INCOME-RELATED MEDICARE PREMIUMS

Why does Medicare cost you more?

See the 2026 income tier, extra Part B premium, and separate Part D surcharge. Then find out what to do if your income changed.

2026 premiums usually use 2024 income, or 2023 if 2024 was unavailable. These are not 2027 brackets. The 2027 table will be added after official publication and review.

Drug-only coverage after a kidney transplant has different premiums. This tool will not estimate those amounts.

Use the AGI on the return SSA used (line 11 on the 2023 or 2024 Form 1040/1040-SR). Use the joint amount for a joint return.

Form 1040 or 1040-SR, line 2a. For Medicare IRMAA, MAGI = AGI + tax-exempt interest.

Your premium, explained.

Separate the standard Part B premium from the income surcharge. Amounts shown are per person, not per couple.

Sources: SSA 2026 IRMAA tables · CMS 2026 premiums · Ask SSA to use newer income

MAKE THE NEXT STEP EASIER

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