Key Takeaways. Qualifying for Social Security requires 10 years of work or 40 work credits. For someone at full retirement age (FRA), the maximum benefit is $3,345.
You can start receiving your Social Security retirement benefits as early as age 62, but the benefit amount will be lower than your full retirement benefit amount.
The $3,895 maximum Social Security benefit in 2021 is more than double the average benefit and provides a generous $46,740 in annual income. While this may sound like a nice amount of money as a senior, very few people end up maxing out their Social Security checks.
The most an individual who files a claim for Social Security retirement benefits in 2022 can receive per month is: $2,364 for someone who files at 62. $3,345 for someone who files at full retirement age (66 and 2 months for people born in 1955, 66 and 4 months for people born in 1956).
At age 65: $2,993. At age 66: $3,240. At age 70: $4,194.
According to the SSA's 2021 Annual Statistical Supplement, the monthly benefit amount for retired workers claiming benefits at age 62 earning the average wage was $1,480 per month for the worker alone. The benefit amount for workers with spouses claiming benefits was $2,170 at age 62.
Currently, the full benefit age is 66 years and 2 months for people born in 1955, and it will gradually rise to 67 for those born in 1960 or later. Early retirement benefits will continue to be available at age 62, but they will be reduced more.
If you claim Social Security at age 62, rather than wait until your full retirement age (FRA), you can expect a 30% reduction in monthly benefits. For every year you delay claiming Social Security past your FRA up to age 70, you get an 8% increase in your benefit.
The maximum benefit depends on the age you retire. For example, if you retire at full retirement age in 2022, your maximum benefit would be $3,345. However, if you retire at age 62 in 2022, your maximum benefit would be $2,364. If you retire at age 70 in 2022, your maximum benefit would be $4,194.
You can get Social Security retirement or survivors benefits and work at the same time. But, if you're younger than full retirement age, and earn more than certain amounts, your benefits will be reduced.
Age 64. Another rare age for people to claim Social Security benefits is age 64. Only about 7% of women and 6% of men claim benefits at this age. Social Security payments are reduced by 13.4% for those with a full retirement age of 66 and 20% for people with a full retirement age of 67.
You Have a Shorter Life Expectancy
For example, if you start collecting benefits at age 62 when your full retirement age is 66, your monthly benefit will be about 75% of your full-age benefit. So if you expected your monthly benefit to be $1,000 per month at 66, you would only receive around $750 at 62.
The short answer is yes. Retirees who begin collecting Social Security at 62 instead of at the full retirement age (67 for those born in 1960 or later) can expect their monthly benefits to be 30% lower. So, delaying claiming until 67 will result in a larger monthly check.
How much you can expect to get from Social Security if you make $75,000 a year. The first monthly Social Security check was cashed in 1940 for a grand total of about $23. Fast forward to 2019, and the average retired worker gets almost $1,500 a month from Social Security.
Key Takeaways. Qualifying for Social Security requires 10 years of work or 40 work credits. For someone at full retirement age (FRA), the maximum benefit is $3,345.
If you start receiving benefits at age 66 you get 100 percent of your monthly benefit. If you delay receiving retirement benefits until after your full retirement age, your monthly benefit continues to increase. The chart below explains how delayed retirement affects your benefit.
That adds up to $2,096.48 as a monthly benefit if you retire at full retirement age. Put another way, Social Security will replace about 42% of your past $60,000 salary. That's a lot better than the roughly 26% figure for those making $120,000 per year.
For reference, the average Social Security retirement benefit in May 2022 was $1,668 a month.
If you make $120,000, here's your calculated monthly benefit
According to the Social Security benefit formula in the previous section, this would produce an initial monthly benefit of $2,920 at full retirement age.
However once you are at full retirement age (between 65 and 67 years old, depending on your year of birth) your Social Security payments can no longer be withheld if, when combined with your other forms of income, they exceed the maximum threshold.
But if you can supplement your retirement income with other savings or sources of income, then $6,000 a month could be a good starting point for a comfortable retirement.
A: Your Social Security payment is based on your best 35 years of work. And, whether we like it or not, if you don't have 35 years of work, the Social Security Administration (SSA) still uses 35 years and posts zeros for the missing years, says Andy Landis, author of Social Security: The Inside Story, 2016 Edition.
If you want your benefits to start in January, you can apply in September. Social Security benefits are paid in the month following the month they are due. If you are due benefits for the month of December, you will receive your first check in January for December.