Dear Larry: I am 68 and want to find out what my PIA is to help my planning. I called SS twice and got 2 very different answers. I have a SS statement dated 15 months before I turned 66 and that doesn’t match either of the two amounts the SS reps said. And I can’t find the amount on my account at mysocialsecurity.gov. What do you suggest? Thank you for all you do to help real life folks like me be smarter about all this.

Hi,

You should be able to get that information from Social Security, but if not our maximization software has a Social Security benefit calculator that uses the exact same formula as Social Security. So, that would be an excellent option for determining the amount of your PIA (primary insurance amount). In theory, you could calculate the benefit rate yourself, but the formula is very complicated (https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0300605021).

By the way, I'm guessing that the reason you aren't able to obtain an online estimate using 'my Social Security' is because you're probably signed up for Medicare. For whatever reason, Social Security limits their online options available to people who've applied for benefits, even if they've only applied for Medicare and not monthly benefits.

Best, Jerry