PiggySize lets you model claiming Social Security at any age from 62 to 70 — drag one slider and the projection instantly recalculates your monthly benefit, using the same reduction and delayed-credit rules the SSA uses.
Before you start
- Retirement planning is a Pro feature (included in the 30-day trial).
- Get your real benefit estimate from SSA.gov first — PiggySize adjusts whatever amount you enter for the age you choose; it doesn't calculate a benefit from your earnings history.
- You need permission to update retirement settings.
Steps
- Go to Retirement (opens in a new tab) and open the Social Security settings card.
- Turn on Include Social Security.
- Set Annual COLA Increase — it defaults to 2.5%. This is the yearly raise Social Security gives to keep up with inflation, called a cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA.
- Drag the medal on the claiming-age slider to the age you want to model, anywhere from 62 to 70.
- Enter Your Monthly Amount (at age X) — your estimated benefit at that exact age, from your SSA statement. If you move the slider again later, PiggySize recalculates this amount for you automatically.
- If your spouse has their own Social Security benefit, repeat with Spouse Claiming Age and Spouse Monthly Amount.
- Scroll up to see how the change ripples through your projection.
How the projection handles it
- Reduction and delayed credits: claiming before 67 (Full Retirement Age) permanently reduces your benefit — as much as 30% at 62. Claiming after 67 increases it — up to 24% at 70.
- COLA: your benefit grows every year by your COLA rate, both before and after you start claiming.
- Spousal benefits: if you're married, the projection automatically checks whether you'd get more from 50% of your spouse's full benefit than from your own — and uses whichever is higher. Spousal amounts are capped at your Full Retirement Age benefit; they don't get the bonus for delaying past 67 that your own benefit gets.
- Still working before Full Retirement Age? If you claim early and keep earning active income, the projection applies Social Security's earnings test: it withholds $1 of benefit for every $2 you earn above the SSA's current annual limit (the app keeps this updated), or $1 for every $3 in the year you reach Full Retirement Age. Withholding stops once you reach it.
- Taxes: Social Security isn't always fully taxable. The projection uses the IRS's formula, based on your "provisional income" (your other income plus half your Social Security benefit), to work out how much — 0%, up to 50%, or up to 85% — counts as taxable.
Good to know
- PiggySize uses Full Retirement Age 67 for these calculations. If you were born before 1960, your actual SSA full retirement age may be a bit earlier — check your exact FRA at SSA.gov.
- Survivor benefits aren't simulated month by month, but if you have a spouse, the Insights panel includes a reminder about survivor-benefit planning — Social Security pays the higher of the two benefits if one spouse passes away.
- The slider only goes from 62 to 70 because those are the real minimum and maximum Social Security claiming ages.
- Pro members can ask Piggy to compare claiming at different ages side by side.
FAQ
What's the earliest and latest age I can model?
62 to 70 — the same minimum and maximum claiming ages the SSA allows.
Does PiggySize calculate my benefit amount for me?
No. Enter your own estimate from SSA.gov (or your my Social Security account) at any age, and the projection adjusts it automatically whenever you move the claiming-age slider.
How does my claiming age affect my spouse's benefit?
Each of you models your own claiming age and amount. If 50% of the higher earner's benefit would pay the other spouse more than their own benefit, the projection automatically uses the higher amount.
Is Social Security taxed in the projection?
Yes, using the IRS's provisional-income formula, which taxes 0%, up to 50%, or up to 85% of your benefit depending on your other income.