Social Security Benefits

The calculation for social security benefits is based on your highest 35 years of earnings (W-2 wages and self employment income). This is called the primary insurance amount (PIA) and you want it to be as high as possible. If you didn't work for some of those years, you'll have some zeros which will drive the PIA down. To maximize your benefit, you may want to consider working longer to replace some of the lower wage years.