Consistently Earn a High Salary
In recent years, you need to earn a six-figure salary to get a top Social Security payment. The maximum wage taxable by Social Security is $147,000 in 2022. However, the exact amount changes each year and has increased over time. It was $137,700 in 2020 and $106,800 in 2010.
If you start collecting your benefits at age 65 you could receive approximately $33,773 per year or $2,814 per month. This is 44.7% of your final year's income of $75,629. This is only an estimate. Actual benefits depend on work history and the complete compensation rules used by Social Security.
The point is that if you earned $120,000 per year for the past 35 years, thanks to the annual maximum taxable wage limits, the maximum Social Security benefit you could get at full retirement age is $2,687.
The typical six-figure earner should collect around $2,000 or more per month from Social Security, depending on a variety of factors. The maximum possible monthly benefit is nearly twice that amount, though only a handful of retirees will be eligible to receive that amount.
You can begin collecting your Social Security benefits as early as age 62, but you'll get smaller monthly payments for the rest of your life if you do. Even so, claiming benefits early can be a sensible choice for people in certain circumstances.
Here's what the math looks like: 90% of the first $885 = 0.9 x $885 = $796.50. 32% of earnings between $885 and $5,336 = 0.32 x $4,451 = $1,424.32.
At 65 to 67, depending on the year of your birth, you are at full retirement age and can get full Social Security retirement benefits tax-free.
For example, the AARP calculator estimates that a person born on Jan. 1, 1960, who has averaged a $50,000 annual income would get a monthly benefit of $1,338 if they file for Social Security at 62, $1,911 at full retirement age (in this case, 67), or $2,370 at 70.
Workers who earn $60,000 per year pay payroll taxes on all of their income because the wage base limit on Social Security taxes is almost twice that amount. Therefore, you'll pay 6.2% of your salary, or $3,720.
A surviving spouse can collect 100 percent of the late spouse's benefit if the survivor has reached full retirement age, but the amount will be lower if the deceased spouse claimed benefits before he or she reached full retirement age.
Social Security benefits are based on your lifetime earnings. Your actual earnings are adjusted or “indexed” to account for changes in average wages since the year the earnings were received. Then Social Security calculates your average indexed monthly earnings during the 35 years in which you earned the most.
The first is that a Social Security benefit is an earned benefit. ... To even be eligible for retirement benefits, you generally need 10 years (40 quarters) of gainful employment. In 2017, you need to earn at least $1,300 in a quarter for it to count as a credit.
Even if you've never had a job, you may still be eligible for Social Security benefits when you retire or become disabled. Social Security benefits are based on the amount of income you earned during your working life.
Each spouse can claim their own retirement benefit based solely on their individual earnings history. You can both collect your full amounts at the same time. ... Say you and your mate both claimed Social Security at full retirement age.
When seniors must file
For tax year 2021, unmarried seniors will typically need to file a return if: you are at least 65 years of age, and. your gross income is $14,250 or more.
When you reach your full retirement age, you can work and earn as much as you want and still get your full Social Security benefit payment. If you're younger than full retirement age and if your earnings exceed certain dollar amounts, some of your benefit payments during the year will be withheld.
Out of all 50 states in the U.S., 38 states and the District of Columbia do not levy a tax on Social Security benefits. Of this number, nine states—Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming—do not collect state income tax, including on Social Security income.
In 2022, you will turn 62, the minimum age to claim retirement benefits. But if you do so, rather than waiting until your full retirement age of 67, your monthly benefit will be reduced by 30 percent — permanently. File at 65 and you lose 13.33 percent.
Some of you have to pay federal income taxes on your Social Security benefits. between $25,000 and $34,000, you may have to pay income tax on up to 50 percent of your benefits. ... more than $34,000, up to 85 percent of your benefits may be taxable.
You can continue working and start receiving your retirement benefits. ... You can get Social Security retirement benefits and work at the same time before your full retirement age. However your benefits will be reduced if you earn more than the yearly earnings limits.
Reason #1: Retire Early if You Want to Stay Healthier Longer
But not all work is good for you; sometimes it's detrimental to your health. Retiring at 62 from a backbreaking job or one with a disproportionately high level of stress can help you retain, or regain, your good health and keep it longer.
So can you retire at 55 and collect Social Security? The answer, unfortunately, is no. The earliest age to begin drawing Social Security retirement benefits is 62. ... Once you turn 62, you could claim Social Security retirement benefits but your earnings from consulting work could affect how much you collect.