Definitions for "Primary Insurance Amount"
Keywords:  worker, eal, pia, retired, social
A worker's basic Social Security benefit based on his/her adjusted career earnings. (See Adjusted Career Earnings.)
The "primary insurance amount" (PIA) is the benefit a person would receive if he/she elects to begin receiving benefits at his/her normal retirement age. This means that the benefit is neither reduced for early retirement nor increased for delayed retirement. For more information, see the Primary Insurance Amount topic.
The amount used under the Social Security system to determine the amount of benefits, based on the individual's earnings history and number of years in the Social Security system.