How You Can Grow Your Social Security Benefits Beyond Retirement Age
Reading Time: 2 MinutesLast Updated: November 3, 2023
For more and more Americans, reaching retirement age no longer means the end of an active working life. Many people are choosing to work past the age of 65, according to the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.
If you’re willing and able, maintaining gainful employment later in life could go a long way toward ensuring a secure future for you and your family. Besides providing you with additional income to pay your bills, extending your employment or working for yourself could boost your lifetime Social Security benefits.
Here’s how:
Whether you’re still working or not, waiting to claim your Social Security retirement benefits could grow them significantly. Through delayed retirement credits, your monthly benefit amount increases for each year you wait between your full retirement age and 70. Full retirement age is between 65 and 67, depending on when you were born. To learn more about delayed retirement credits, please visit our Retirement Benefits page.
You get credits on your earnings record for each year of additional work income. Once you start receiving retirement benefits, we’ll automatically review your earnings record each year to determine if you’re entitled to an adjustment. When we calculate your retirement benefit amount, we use your best 35 years of earnings. We’ll increase your benefit amount if your new year of earnings is higher than one of the years we used to calculate your initial benefit amount. To see how we calculate your benefits, see our publication, Your Retirement Benefit: How It’s Figured.
An increased benefit amount for yourself could mean more support for your family, too, through Social Security spousal benefits, child benefits, and survivor benefits.
We also encourage you to set up your own online my Social Security account so you can verify your lifetime earnings record, check the status of an application for benefits, and manage them after you’re receiving them. You can create your personal my Social Security account today.
Social Security is committed to helping you prepare for a secure today and tomorrow for you, your family, and future family. You can access all of our retirement resources on our Retirement Benefits page.
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Tags: my Social Security, my Social Security account, retirement, retirement benefits, Social Security benefits, SSA, survivors benefits
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Jim Borland, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Communications
Jim Borland, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Communications
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carolyn g.
I’m just curious but I have two questions. I was married to my first husband for 11plus years. I did remarry but we also divorced. Will I be entitled to his disability and or retirement re: the social security payments?
How do I find out the benefit amounts? Approximately anyway.
Question 2. What countries in europe can an American live and still receive social security benefits? Are Italy, Ireland, Scotland, UK and Germany included? Thanks for your help.
Ann C.
Hi, Carolyn. Thanks for your questions. To be eligible for divorced spouse benefits, you had to be married to your former spouse for at least 10 years, you must be unmarried, and you cannot be eligible for a higher benefit on your own record. For more information on how to qualify for divorced spouse benefits, visit here. Our publication, Social Security — Your Payments While You Are Outside the United States explains how being outside the United States may affect your Social Security payments. If you are a U.S. citizen, you may continue to receive payments outside the United States as long as you are eligible for payment and you are in a country where we can send payments. If you aren’t a U.S. citizen, you must meet one of the conditions for payment described in this publication. We recommend that individuals living outside the United States contact their local Federal Benefits Unit for any assistance related to Social Security benefits. Also, our Office of International Operations (OIO) home page provides more information to assist our customers living abroad. We hope this information helps.
Paul G.
Hi Luis. I stopped working at age 54 and may not ever work again. With that said, does my benefit stay the same up until age 62, or does it increase. Will my benefit increase after age 62, if I decide to collect my benefit starting at age 62?
Thanks!
Ann C.
Hi, Paul. Thanks for your question. We calculate your average indexed monthly earnings during the 35 years in which you earned the most. Higher lifetime earnings result in higher benefits. If there were some years when you didn’t work, or had lower earnings, your benefit amount may be lower as a result. We have an online calculator where you can test various scenarios and retirement ages to estimate your benefits.
You can also create a personal my Social Security account to review estimates of your retirement, disability, and survivors benefits, your earnings record, and the estimated Social Security and Medicare taxes you’ve paid. We hope this helps!
Sharon W.
I continued to work beyond full retirement age, drawing SS at full retirement age. My SS was adjusted for every year except my laast year of employment, 2016, when I was 71 years old. It was definitely among my higher earning years. I have spent 4 hours at my local SSoffice ad was told my SS would be recalculated. This has not been done. I am at a loss as to what to do next.
Ann C.
Hi, Sharon. We are sorry to hear about your frustration. For your security, we do not have access to private information in this venue. We ask that members in our Blog community to continue to work with our offices with specific questions. You can call us at 1-800-772-1213, Monday through Friday, between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., for assistance. Generally, you will have a shorter wait if you call later in the day. You can also contact your local Social Security office. You can ask to speak to a supervisor on your next visit or call. We hope this helps.
Darlene M.
I am 71 and working full time and collecting SS. I currently have medicare and SS withheld from my check which totals to estimated $350 a month for the deductions.
Someone told me that I should not be paying that, Is that true? I was not aware that it would increase my SS benefit.
Ann C.
Hi, Darlene. For your security, we do not have access to private information in this venue. We ask that members in our Blog community work with our offices with specific questions. You can call us at 1-800-772-1213, Monday through Friday, between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., for assistance. Generally, you will have a shorter wait if you call later in the day. You can also contact your local Social Security office. We hope this helps.
Lynne D.
I have not received notice of increase in benefits due to working in 2018, which represents the 10th highest salary out of 35. When does this go out to beneficiaries? Thank you.
Luis A.
Hi Lynne. Thank you for your question. Each year we review the records for all Social Security recipients who work. If your latest year of earnings turns out to be one of your highest years, we calculate your benefits and pay you any increase due. This is an automatic process, and benefits are paid in December of the following year. Learn more about how work affects your benefits. We hope this information is helpful.
Sandy K.
Over my many years of working at very low incomes (working 2 to3 jobs at a time), then later in my life I had many health issues with disabilities and I started to receive my Social Security benefits which was very low. Then a year later SS DECREASED my monthly Social Security benefits by $345(approximately)!! Why did they decrease my benefit amount & HOW CAN I GET IT INCREASED?! (I started working at the age of 12 and now I get nada!!!) HELP ME!!! Sss
Luis A.
Hi Sandy. Unfortunately, but for your security, we do not have access to personal information on this forum. In your situation, it is best to contact your local Social Security office. Or, you can call our toll free number, 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) and ask to speak with one of our representatives, who are available Monday through Friday between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. We hope this helps.
Clifford E.
What is the 2019 amount I can earn before full retirement age?
Ann C.
Hi, Clifford. Thanks for your question. If you are younger than full retirement age during all of 2019, we must deduct $1 from your benefits for each $2 you earn above $17,640. Check out how work affects Social Security payments here. We hope this helps.
gerald b.
I started drawing a spousal benefit when I reached my fra….when that happened I lost access to my own benefit level and how much Id draw at each level after fra….why?
Luis A.
Hi, Gerald. Thanks for your question. Once you are entitled to benefits on your own or someone else’s Social Security earnings record, you no longer have access to your Social Security Statement. However, you can still get an estimate by using other calculators available online. We hope this helps.
Deborah V.
I started getting benefits from my ex-husbands social security after I turned 66, my ex was 75. The social security administration office told me that they files a “file and defer”. I am now about to turn 70. Will the social security administration automatically switch to my own? And, if my ex-husband died, would it automatically switch back to survivor benefits? I’m a little confused.
JANE D.
I have a defined benefit pension plan. I also have a well invested 457 Plan. I want to retire from working early but don’t need to collect my social security early. Can you tell me if my social security will increase each year that I do not apply for it even if I”m not working?
Luis A.
Hi Jane. Eligible individuals can start receiving retirement benefits as early as age 62, but if you decide to start receiving benefits after your full retirement age, it may result in larger benefits. You earn delayed retirement credits automatically when and if you delay getting your benefits up until age 70. The benefit increase no longer applies when you reach age 70, even if you continue to delay taking benefits. Also, keep in mind that if you work and are full retirement age or older, the amount you make at work will not affect your Social Security benefits, no matter how much you earn.
Please bear in mind that the decision on when to apply for benefits is a personal one. We can only provide you with the information to help you make the best choice according to your own situation. To help you plan, you can use our online calculators. Also, you can create a personal my Social Security account to verify your earnings, and get a copy of your Social Security Statement. Our system is set up to take applications for retirement benefits four months in advance, and when you’re ready, you can apply for your benefits online. If you need further assistance call our toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) and ask to speak with one of our representatives, who are available Monday through Friday between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. We hope this information helps.