[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 20, Volume 2]
[Revised as of April 1, 2004]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 20CFR404.204]

[Page 71]
 
                      TITLE 20--EMPLOYEES' BENEFITS
 
               CHAPTER III--SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
 
PART 404_FEDERAL OLD-AGE, SURVIVORS AND DISABILITY INSURANCE (1950	 )
--Table of Contents
 
              Subpart C_Computing Primary Insurance Amounts
 
Sec. 404.204  Methods of computing primary insurance amounts--general.

    (a) General. We compute most workers' primary insurance amounts 
under one of two major methods. There are, in addition, several special 
methods of computing primary insurance amounts which we apply to some 
workers. Your primary insurance amount is the highest of all those 
computed under the methods for which you are eligible.
    (b) Major methods. (1) If after 1978 you reach age 62, or become 
disabled or die before age 62, we compute your primary insurance amount 
under what we call the average-indexed-monthly-earnings method, which is 
described in Sec. Sec. 404.210 through 404.212. The earliest of the 
three dates determines the computation method we use.
    (2) If before 1979 you reached age 62, became disabled, or died, we 
compute your primary insurance amount under what we call the average-
monthly-wage method, described in Sec. Sec. 404.220 through 404.222.
    (c) Special methods. (1) Your primary insurance amount, computed 
under any of the special methods for which you are eligible as described 
in this paragraph, may be substituted for your primary insurance amount 
computed under either major method described in paragraph (b) of this 
section.
    (2) If you reach age 62 during the period 1979-1983, your primary 
insurance amount is guaranteed to be the highest of--
    (i) The primary insurance amount we compute for you under the 
average-indexed-monthly-earnings method;
    (ii) The primary insurance amount we compute for you under the 
average-monthly-wage method, as modified by the rules described in 
Sec. Sec. 404.230 through 404.233; or
    (iii) The primary insurance amount computed under what we call the 
old-start method; as described in Sec. Sec. 404.240 through 404.242.
    (3) If you had all or substantially all of your social security 
earnings before 1951, we will also compute your primary insurance amount 
under what we call the old-start method.
    (4) We compute your primary insurance amount under the rules in 
Sec. Sec. 404.250 through 404.252, if--
    (i) You were disabled and received social security disability 
insurance benefits sometime in your life;
    (ii) Your disability insurance benefits were terminated because of 
your recovery or because you engaged in substantial gainful activity; 
and
    (iii) You are, after 1978, re-entitled to disability insurance 
benefits, or entitled to old-age insurance benefits, or have died.
    (5) In some situations, we use what we call a special minimum 
computation, described in Sec. Sec. 404.260 through 404.261, to find 
your primary insurance amount. Computations under this method reflect 
long-term, low-wage attachment to covered work.

 Average-Indexed-Monthly Earnings Method of Computing Primary Insurance 
                                 Amounts