Our software uses the intermediate assumptions from the latest Social Security Trustees' Report for future real National Average Wage growth and your assumed inflation rate on the Settings screen for future benefit increases. The National Average Wage is used to index your past covered earnings when determining your highest 35 years of earnings. It does not affect your estimated future covered earnings.
Social Security assumes no increases in the National Average Wage beyond the increase from two years ago and no benefit increase beginning with the current year increase. These assumptions are very unrealistic. There has never been an extended 30 year period of zero real wage growth and zero inflation in the history of the United States. If you are under age 62, then, in general, Social Security’s estimated benefit will be artificially low.
Our software allows you to specify your future covered earnings.
Social Security assumes that your covered earnings will remain constant at the level of your last reported earnings, generally last year’s, which can be zero, up through the year prior to taking retirement benefits. If you will not actually have any future covered earnings, then Social Security’s benefit estimate will be artificially high.
Benefits calculated by our software agree with Social Security's AnyPIA calculator within a dollar a month when we both use the same assumptions.