To determine your AIME, your historical annual earnings are adjusted for inflation using Social Security's average wage index (AWI), an index that tracks national changes in wages with a two-year lag. Specifically, your historical income will be indexed based on the AWI reading for the year two years prior to the age you turn 62 -- the earliest age at which you can claim Social Security. For instance, the historical earnings for a person turning age 62 in 2018 are indexed based on the 2016 AWI figure of $48,642.15.