Knowing how much you may receive from Social Security is important for retirement planning. Social Security’s benefit calculators give you a preview of your future payments. How much Social Security income you may receive when you retire will depend on: Your earnings over your lifetime The age at which you will begin receiving benefits Whether you will be eligible to receive a spouse's benefit instead of your own You can use Social Security's benefit calculators to: Estimate your retirement benefits based on when you would begin receiving them (from age 62 to 70) Calculate what payments you would receive based on your earning history Find out your full retirement age Learn about earning limits if you plan to work while receiving Social Security benefits When you are ready to retire, you can apply for Social Security benefits online.