Millions of Americans survive on social security benefits across the country, but there are a few ways to increase your benefits and get the most out of them.
69 million people collected social security in 2019.
Many Americans will one day be collecting the benefits, and it’s good to understand what goes into them before you get to that point.
The Social Security Administration uses a specific formula to figure out the amount that will be given to an individual when the retire and it’s based on the years you earned the most money over your lifetime.
How do you increase what you collect in social security by hundreds of dollars?
One way is to try to get promotions and raises during your working career.
The more you pay into social security the more you’ll get out of it in the future. If you keep good work ethic and show you are a dependable worker, you can earn a reputation that gives you better chances and opportunities at higher wages and promotions.
Another way to increase overall wages in a year is to get another side job.
Working part time or on the weekends could boost the hours you work and income for the year. This will go toward boosting your social security benefits in just a year.
You could also delay collecting benefits until the last possible year because the longer you wait the more you can get.
Some people can start claiming reduced benefits at 62, while full retirement in 66-67.
By pushing off the age you start to claim, you’ll get more and more in the long run.
If you wait, every year you wait will give an 8% increase in benefits that you can collect for the duration of your retirement.
By age 70 you cannot grow anymore, so if you can wait until then, you’ll get the most money.
Related: Will people who collect social security be getting a fourth stimulus check?
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