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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BRENDA B.
I want to know how this can be done. It would be nice after we reach full retirement age that we could still receive full benefits. Everybody can spend our money but us.
Monique f.
very encouraging. I would like to have some information please. My e-mail address is:
Thanks mf
Janice P.
My concern is the Windfall Act and it’s repeal
I put in funds to Social Security to supplement my teacher Salary in retirement .
I knew my teacher pension would be small
I have learned that I will not receive all the Social Security Funds now that I am retired.
My pension is small and I assumed at 68 I would be able to draw the Social Security funds I put in (thinking it would be like an annuity)
What can be done about this??
BRENDA M.
I AM 70 WORKING AND DRAWING MY SOCIAL SECURITY-MY HUSBAND HAS BEEN RETIRED AND DRAWS HIS SOCIAL SECURITY(WHICH ISNT MUCH)CAN HE DRAW OFF MINE NOW OR ONLY IF I PASS AWAY FIRST
BRENDA
Rosalie G.
I currently receive spouse’s benefits and want to switch to my own benefit when I turn 70. How do I find out what my own benefit is now worth? None of the calculators seem to apply.
Linda J.
I am turning 65 this year but am still employed. Do I have to take Medicare?
melanie j.
i have limited access to computer/online services and would like to receive the green and white yearly social sercurity statement that we used to get every year showing all the data including a projection of what i could be receiving in social security benefits at age 68, 69 70 etc. the website is confusing to me. Can you just send me that statement like you used to?thank you very much, melanie mosher
David M.
I have been working part time for almost 9 years. I was wondering if my ss will ever increase because I have paid into ss all of that time
Ray F.
Thank you for your question, David. In some cases, when a person continues to work while receiving retirement benefits, their monthly benefit amount could increase. Each year, we review the records for all working Social Security recipients to see if additional earnings may increase monthly benefits.
For retirement benefits, we use the individual’s highest 35 years of earnings to compute monthly benefit amount. If your earnings for the prior year are higher than any of the years that were used to compute your retirement benefit, we will recalculate your benefit amount. If an increase is due, a new monthly benefit amount is established on your record automatically. We hope this information helps!
Richard G.
Thank you PAS at SSI for your replies. The comments and replies are very helpful
Thank you.
I have similar question to a question posted on 4/9/18…
My wife started SSI benefits at 62. I started SSI at age 67 at 2-times-over her benefit. When I leave Mother-Earth for my head-gear and Wings; What percentage of my benefit is she eligible to apply for…?
Ray F.
Thank you for your question, Richard. If you are already receiving reduced benefits when you die, survivors benefits are based on that amount. The maximum survivors benefit amount is limited to what you would receive if you were still alive. A widow or widower, can get 100 percent of your benefit amount at their full retirement age or older. See “Planning For Your Survivors” for more information.
Glenn R.
My name is Glenn R Thompson.
I will be 65 on June 21 2018 I am currently receiving my early retirement benefits.
When will I receive my Medicare card in the mail so I can pick my health benefits.
Ray F.
Hi Glenn, if you are already receiving Social Security retirement benefits, you will be enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B automatically. You can receive your card anytime within three months before your 65 birthday. Your Medicare coverage starts the first day of the month you turn 65.
In April we celebrate “National Social Security Month“, see what you can do online at http://www.SocialSecurity.gov. Thanks!