---
kind: "range"
citation: "20 C.F.R. §§ 404.280–404.287"
title: "20"
from: "404.280"
to: "404.287"
count: 8
url: "https://uscodex.org/cfr/20/404.280..404.287"
---

# §404.280. Recomputations.


At times after you or your survivors become entitled to benefits, we will recompute your primary insurance amount. Usually we will recompute only if doing so will increase your primary insurance amount. However, we will also recompute your primary insurance amount if you first became eligible for old-age or disability insurance benefits after 1985, and later become entitled to a pension based on your noncovered employment, as explained in [§ 404.213](/cfr/20/404.213.md). There is no limit on the number of times your primary insurance amount may be recomputed, and we do most recomputations automatically. In the following sections, we explain:

- (a) Why a recomputation is made ([§ 404.281](/cfr/20/404.281.md)),
- (b) When a recomputation takes effect ([§ 404.282](/cfr/20/404.282.md)),
- (c) Methods of recomputing (§§ [404.283](/cfr/20/404.283.md) and [404.284](/cfr/20/404.284.md)),
- (d) Automatic recomputations ([§ 404.285](/cfr/20/404.285.md)),
- (e) Requesting a recomputation ([§ 404.286](/cfr/20/404.286.md)),
- (f) Waiving a recomputation ([§ 404.287](/cfr/20/404.287.md)), and
- (g) Recomputing when you are entitled to a pension based on noncovered employment ([§ 404.288](/cfr/20/404.288.md)).

# §404.281. Why your primary insurance amount may be recomputed.

- (a) **Earnings not included in earlier computation or recomputation.** The most common reason for recomputing your primary insurance amount is to include earnings of yours that were not used in the first computation or in an earlier recomputation, as described in [paragraphs (c) through (e)](#c..e) of this section. These earnings will result in a revised average monthly wage or revised average indexed monthly earnings.
- (b) **New computation method enacted.** If a new method of computing or recomputing primary insurance amounts is enacted into law and you are eligible to have your primary insurance amount recomputed under the new method, we will recompute it under the new method if doing so would increase your primary insurance amount.
- (c) **Earnings in the year you reach age 62 or become disabled.** In the initial computation of your primary insurance amount, we do not use your earnings in the year you become entitled to old-age insurance benefits or become disabled. However, we can use those earnings (called lag earnings) in a recomputation of your primary insurance amount. We recompute and begin paying you the higher benefits in the year after the year you become entitled to old-age benefits or become disabled.
- (d) **Earnings not reported to us in time to use them in the computation of your primary insurance amount.** Because of the way reports of earnings are required to be submitted to us for years after 1977, the earnings you have in the year before you become entitled to old-age insurance benefits, or become disabled or in the year you die might not be reported to us in time to use them in computing your primary insurance amount. We recompute your primary insurance amount based on the new earnings information and begin paying you (or your survivors) the higher benefits based on the additional earnings, beginning with the month you became entitled or died.
- (e) **Earnings after entitlement that are used in a recomputation.** Earnings that you have after you become entitled to benefits will be used in a recomputation of your primary insurance amount.
- (f) **Entitlement to a monthly pension.** We will recompute your primary insurance amount if in a month after you became entitled to old-age or disability insurance benefits, you become entitled to a pension based on noncovered employment, as explained in [§ 404.213](/cfr/20/404.213.md). Further, we will recompute your primary insurance amount after your death to disregard a monthly pension based on noncovered employment which affected your primary insurance amount.

# §404.282. Effective date of recomputations.


Most recomputations are effective beginning with January of the calendar year after the year in which the additional earnings used in the recomputation were paid. However, a recomputation to include earnings in the year of death (whether or not paid before death) is effective for the month of death. Additionally if you first became eligible for old-age or disability insurance benefits after 1985 and you later also become entitled to a monthly pension based on noncovered employment, we will recompute your primary insurance amount under the rules in [§ 404.213](/cfr/20/404.213.md); this recomputed Social Security benefit amount is effective for the first month you are entitled to the pension. Finally, if your primary insurance amount was affected by your entitlement to a pension, we will recompute the amount to disregard the pension, effective with the month of your death.


# §404.283. Recomputation under method other than that used to find your primary insurance amount.


In some cases, we may recompute your primary insurance amount under a computation method different from the method used in the computation (or earlier recomputation) of your primary insurance amount, if you are eligible for a computation or recomputation under the different method.


# §404.284. Recomputations for people who reach age 62, or become disabled, or die before age 62 after 1978.

- (a) **General.** Years of your earnings after 1978 not used in the computation of your primary insurance amount (or in earlier recomputations) under the average-indexed-monthly-earnings method may be substituted for earlier years of your indexed earnings in a recomputation, but only under the average-indexed-monthly-earnings method. See [§ 404.288](/cfr/20/404.288.md) for the rules on recomputing when you are entitled to a monthly pension based on noncovered employment.
- (b) **Substituting actual dollar amounts in earnings for earlier years of indexed earnings.** When we recompute your primary insurance amount under the average-indexed-monthly earnings method, we use actual dollar amounts, i.e., no indexing, for earnings not included in the initial computation or earlier recomputation. These later earnings are substituted for earlier years of indexed or actual earnings that are lower.
- (c) **Benefit formula used in recomputation.** The formula that was used in the first computation of your primary insurance amount is also used in recomputations of your primary insurance amount.
- (d) **Your recomputed primary insurance amount.** We recompute your primary insurance amount by applying the benefit formula to your average indexed monthly earnings as revised to include additional earnings. See [§ 404.281](/cfr/20/404.281.md). We then increase the recomputed PIA by the amounts of any automatic cost-of-living or ad hoc increases in primary insurance amounts that have become effective since you reached age 62, or became disabled or died before age 62.
- (e) **Minimum increase in primary insurance amounts.** Your primary insurance amount may not be recomputed unless doing so would increase it by at least $1.
- (f) **Guaranteed alternatives.** We may recompute your primary insurance amount by any of the following methods for which you qualify, if doing so would result in a higher amount than the one computed under the average-indexed-monthly-earnings method. Earnings in or after the year you reach age 62 cannot be used.
  - (1) If you reached age 62 after 1978 and before 1984, we may recompute to include earnings for years before the year you reached age 62 by using the guaranteed alternative ([§ 404.231](/cfr/20/404.231.md)). We will increase the result by any cost-of-living or ad hoc increases in the primary insurance amounts that have become effective in and after the year you reached age 62.
  - (2) We will also recompute under the old-start guarantee ([§ 404.242](/cfr/20/404.242.md)) and the prior-disability guarantee ([§ 404.252](/cfr/20/404.252.md)) if you meet the requirements of either or both these methods.

# §404.285. Recomputations performed automatically.


Each year, we examine the earnings record of every retired, disabled, and deceased worker to see if the worker's primary insurance amount may be recomputed under any of the methods we have described. When a recomputation is called for, we perform it automatically and begin paying the higher benefits based on your recomputed primary insurance amount for the earliest possible month that the recomputation can be effective. You do not have to request this service, although you may request a recomputation at an earlier date than one would otherwise be performed (see [§ 404.286](/cfr/20/404.286.md)). Doing so, however, does not allow your increased primary insurance amount to be effective any sooner than it would be under an automatic recomputation. You may also waive a recomputation if one would disadvantage you or your family (see [§ 404.287](/cfr/20/404.287.md)).


# §404.286. How to request an immediate recomputation.


You may request that your primary insurance amount be recomputed sooner than it would be recomputed automatically. To do so, you must make the request in writing to us and provide acceptable evidence of your earnings not included in the first computation or earlier recomputation of your primary insurance amount. If doing so will increase your primary insurance amount, we will recompute it. However, we cannot begin paying higher benefits on the recomputed primary insurance amount any sooner than we could under an automatic recomputation, i.e., for January of the year following the year in which the earnings were paid or derived.


# §404.287. Waiver of recomputation.


If you or your family would be disadvantaged in some way by a recomputation of your primary insurance amount, or you and every member of your family do not want your primary insurance amount to be recomputed for any other reason, you may waive (that is, give up your right to) a recomputation, but you must do so in writing. That you waive one recomputation, however, does not mean that you also waive future recomputations for which you might be eligible.