Social Security family maximum calculator
There is a cap on the total Social Security paid on one worker's record. For a worker who turns 62 in 2027, it is 150% to 175% of the worker's full benefit (PIA), figured on the bend points $1,712, $2,471 and $3,223. Enter the PIA and the year to see the family maximum.
The amount at full retirement age, from the worker's Social Security statement.
The year the worker turns 62 (or dies or becomes disabled before 62).
Family members getting benefits on this record. Not ex-spouses.
Family maximum, eligibility in 2027
$3,351.30
- Worker's own benefit (PIA)
- $2,000.00
- Left for spouse and children
- $1,351.30
- Half the PIA for 2 people
- $2,000.00
- Family maximum as % of PIA
- 167.6%
Over the limit: Social Security lowers the spouse's and children's payments so the total stays at $3,351.30. The worker's own benefit is not reduced.
The formula
Social Security's Office of the Chief Actuary computes the retirement and survivor family maximum much like the PIA itself: four percentages of four slices of the worker's PIA. For a worker who turns 62, or dies before 62, in 2027, the total paid on the record cannot exceed:
- 150% of the first $1,712 of the PIA, plus
- 272% of the PIA over $1,712 through $2,471, plus
- 134% of the PIA over $2,471 through $3,223, plus
- 175% of the PIA over $3,223.
The total is rounded down to the next lower multiple of 10 cents. The bend points are set by the year of eligibility, not the year benefits start, and SSA raises them each year with the national average wage index; the calculator has every year from 1979 to 2027 from SSA's table.
Family maximum at common PIAs (2027 eligibility)
| PIA | Family maximum | Left for family | % of PIA |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1,000.00 | $1,500.00 | $500.00 | 150% |
| $1,500.00 | $2,250.00 | $750.00 | 150% |
| $2,000.00 | $3,351.30 | $1,351.30 | 167.6% |
| $2,500.00 | $4,671.30 | $2,171.30 | 186.9% |
| $3,000.00 | $5,341.30 | $2,341.30 | 178% |
| $3,500.00 | $6,124.90 | $2,624.90 | 175% |
| $4,000.00 | $6,999.90 | $2,999.90 | 175% |
Who counts toward the limit
- SSA says a spouse or child could get up to half of the worker's full retirement age benefit; when the family's total would go over the maximum, the spouse's and children's payments are lowered to fit.
- Payments to ex-spouses do not count toward the family maximum.
- If you qualify for more than one Social Security benefit, SSA pays the highest one, not the sum.
What the calculator leaves out
- Disabled workers' families: SSA uses a special, different formula for the family of a disabled worker.
- Age reductions for a spouse who starts before full retirement age, and the earnings test, which can reduce a family member's payment.
- How SSA divides the reduced amount among family members, and survivor benefit rates, which differ from the half-of-PIA figure above.
For the worker's PIA itself, use the bend points and PIA calculator; for a spouse's benefit, see Social Security spousal benefits.
Check our work
Every figure on this page was read from these official documents. Follow the links and compare.
- Formula for Family Maximum BenefitSocial Security Administration, Office of the Chief Actuary. Read on November 14, 2026.
- Benefit Formula Bend PointsSocial Security Administration, Office of the Chief Actuary. Read on November 12, 2026.
- What you could get from Family benefitsSocial Security Administration. Read on November 12, 2026.