Bend Points (Social Security)

The bend points are where Social Security’s progressivity lives. The formula replaces 90 percent of the first slice of your career-average monthly earnings, 32 percent of the middle band, and only 15 percent of everything above the second point, so lower earners get back a far larger share of their wages than higher earners. The 90/32/15 percentages are fixed in law; the dollar thresholds are re-indexed to national wage growth every year and lock in permanently at the year you turn 62.

The practical consequence: extra earnings help your benefit less and less as your average climbs. A dollar of career-average earnings in the 90 percent band raises your monthly check nine times more than a dollar in the 15 percent band. The Social Security calculator runs your earnings through the 2026 bend points and shows the claiming-age math on top.