In this subpart we describe how we compute your primary insurance amount, which is the first step in finding your monthly social security benefit amount. Your primary insurance amount is the basic figure we use in finding the monthly benefit actually payable to you and to members of your family. For example, if you retire at age 65 or become disabled, your monthly benefit is equal to your primary insurance amount. In other situations, your benefit does not equal your primary insurance amount. For example, if you become entitled to old-age benefits before you reach age 65, your benefit is less than your primary insurance amount, as described in §§ 404.410 through 404.413. Benefits payable to members of your family are a specified percentage of your primary insurance amount. (See subpart D.) We explain how we automatically increase your primary insurance amount to keep it up to date with rises in the cost of living. We also explain how and when we recompute your primary insurance amount and how and when we recalculate your primary insurance amount. We have organized this subpart as follows:

(a) In §§ 404.210 through 404.212, we describe the average-indexed-monthly-earnings method we use for computing primary insurance amounts of workers who after 1978 reach age 62, or become disabled or die before age 62;

(b) In §§ 404.220 through 404.222, we describe the average-monthly-wage method we use for computing primary insurance amounts of workers who reach age 62, become disabled, or die before 1979;

(c) In §§ 404.230 through 404.233, we describe the guaranteed alternative method of computing primary insurance amounts that applies to people who reach age 62 after 1978 but before 1984;

(d) In §§ 404.240 through 404.242, we describe a method of computing primary insurance amounts (called the old-start method) for people who had all or substantially all their social security earnings before 1951;

(e) In §§ 404.250 through 404.252, we describe special rules we apply in computing primary insurance amounts of people who had a period of disability at some time in their lives;

(f) In §§ 404.260 through 404.261, we describe how we compute the special minimum primary insurance amount for long-term, low-paid workers;

(g) In §§ 404.270 through 404.277, we describe how we automatically adjust primary insurance amounts to take account of rises in the cost of living;

(h) In §§ 404.280 through 404.287, we describe how and when we recompute primary insurance amounts to take into account additional earnings;

(i) In § 404.290, we describe how and when we recalculate primary insurance amounts; and

(j) Appendices I-VI contain material such as figures and formulas that we use in finding a primary insurance amount under various circumstances.