How can I change the earnings that the Quick Calculator estimates?
Because Social Security benefits are based on earnings, the Quick Calculator must estimate your past earnings based on the earnings you enter for the current year. After you enter the information required by the Quick Calculator, you will see your benefit estimates and the phrase “See the earnings we used,” located under your retirement benefit estimates. To change your earnings, and hence your benefit estimates, please follow the following steps. • Click on “See the earnings we used” to see the estimated earnings. • To change your past earnings, you have 2 options. You can • manually change the earnings shown for any year(s), or • you can enter a “relative growth factor” for your past earnings. Note that if you select option 2, you must check the second option box in addition to entering a growth factor in the box provided. • If you choose to see your benefit estimates in future dollars, you may enter a growth factor for your future earnings. You can change growth factors as often as
