FAQs

No. Social Security GPS is independent planning software. We are not connected to, endorsed by, or affiliated with the Social Security Administration or any other government agency. For official information about your benefits, visit ssa.gov. Our reports are planning estimates; your actual benefit amounts are determined by the SSA when you file.

Because Social Security is confusing, and most calculators answer confusion with more numbers. Social Security GPS answers it with a picture. Your retirement is a car driving down the road of life. Advance the car and you see how much Social Security will pay you each month at that point, and whether that makes sense for your particular case. Everything the software does is built around that car. That is what makes it simple enough to sit at the center of a real conversation, whether you are planning on your own or working through it with your advisor, while the nuances that actually move the numbers are handled underneath: inflation, wage growth, the earnings test, spousal and survivor timing, and the full range of filing strategies.

Yes, it does! Social Security GPS features a detailed break-even analysis to help you understand the long-term financial implications of different claiming strategies. You can see the age at which one strategy pulls ahead of another and compare your options visually.

Yes. You can enter as many what-if scenarios as you like, each with a different combination of choices, and compare the results side by side. Individual reports can be downloaded and saved, so you keep a record of every scenario you run.

Yes. Social Security GPS models filing strategies for spousal benefits, survivor benefits, and divorced-spouse benefits, and shows how the timing of each spouse's claim affects your combined lifetime benefits. This is one of the areas where planning software earns its keep, because these rules interact in ways that are hard to see on your own.

Yes. Social Security GPS includes calculations for earnings and income limitations if you are considering filing for benefits before reaching your full retirement age. The impact of the earnings test is factored in automatically, so you can see how continuing to work affects your benefit.

Good news: it no longer needs to. The Social Security Fairness Act repealed both provisions. WEP and GPO no longer apply to benefits payable for January 2024 and later; December 2023 was the last month they could apply. If you ran a report before the repeal, run it again. Your numbers may have improved.

No. Social Security GPS helps you compare your options and choose the strategy that fits your situation, but filing always happens directly with the Social Security Administration. When you are ready, you can file at ssa.gov, by phone, or at your local Social Security office. Bring your Social Security GPS report along as your roadmap.

Not much. The most useful item is your Social Security statement, which you can download in a few minutes from your my Social Security account at ssa.gov. It contains your earnings history and benefit estimates. From there, you enter basic information such as your birth date and the retirement ages you are considering, and the software does the rest.

The full Social Security GPS product is free for at least one year, with all features included. Create an account with your name, email, phone number, and password to use the full product. You can also use the Basic calculator without an account.

Yes. Social Security GPS is designed around advisor access with unlimited client records, so everyone in your office can work from the same tool. User access and permissions for your team are set up during onboarding.

Keeping your information secure is a priority for us. One request on your end: please use the public contact and updates forms for general questions only, and do not send Social Security numbers, account numbers, or detailed financial records through them. If you would like to review our current security documentation before entering client information, just ask during onboarding and we will provide it.