{"data":{"id":"us/20-cfr-404.240","jurisdiction":"us","citation":"20 CFR 404.240","heading":"Old-start method—general.","body":"If you had all or substantially all your social security earnings before 1951, your primary insurance amount computed under the “1977 simplified old-start” method may be higher than any other primary insurance amount computed for you under any other method for which you are eligible. As explained in § 404.242, if you reach age 62 after 1978, your primary insurance amount computed under the old-start method is used, for purposes of the guaranteed alternative described in § 404.230, if the old-start primary insurance amount is higher than the one found under the average-monthly-wage method. We may use a modified computation, as explained in § 404.243, if you are entitled to a pension based on your employment which was not covered by Social Security.","path":["Title 20—Employees' Benefits","CHAPTER III—SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION","PART 404—FEDERAL OLD-AGE, SURVIVORS AND DISABILITY INSURANCE (1950- )","Subpart C—Computing Primary Insurance Amounts"],"source_url":"https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2026-08-25/title-20.xml","current_through":"2026-08-25","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-08-27T02:24:45Z","sha256":"14613d8b92a7e06fe6e365a4e98f8dc24be849fb3edd5b537988a8b6ca245951","source_id":"us-cfr","stale":true,"prev":"us/20-cfr-404.233","next":"us/20-cfr-404.241"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}