The amount a person collects in social security is mainly dependent on how much they made per month when they were working.
It’s important to keep a few things in mind when you claim in order to get the full amount of benefits you’re entitled to.
65 million Americans reportedly collected social security every month in 2021, meaning over one trillion dollars was paid out.
Here are a few ways to increase your monthly social security benefits when it’s time to collect
Pay attention to your age. Know when your retirement age is because it could be 66 or 67 for full retirement.
You can start collecting at age 62, but the longer you wait the more money you’ll get at full retirement age.
At full retirement around 67, the average is $1,500 per month. If collecting at 62, it would drop 30% to $1,050 per month. If you waited until 70, the longest you can wait before it caps off, it would increase from $1,500 to $1,860 by 24%.
By collecting at 70 instead of 62, you’ll get $810 more per month.
Widows and widowers need to remember there are survivors benefits.
In certain situation survivors benefits can be collected by parents, children, ex-spouses, and other family members that financially depended on someone’s benefits who died.
The average survivors benefit is $1,249 per month.
If married or divorced, you may also be entitled even if you haven’t worked.
In order to get divorce benefits, you must not be remarried and the marriage had to have lasted for ten years at least.
Finally, you may suspend your social security benefits if you’ve been collecting for over a year once you reach your full retirement age.
The benefits will grow every month it’s suspended and can be restarted at any point up to the age of 70. If you wait until 70 it will automatically restart.
If you are in bad health, it may not be worth it to wait, so you need to weigh your options.
Related: What happens if you want to return to work after you already claimed social security?
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