What is the maximum monthly Social Security benefit?
The amount of your monthly Social Security benefits depends on several factors, chiefly a person’s lifetime earnings and the age at which they retire.
The basics are this: the more you earn and the longer you wait before you start drawing on your benefits impacts how much your Social Security benefits will be. The total amount of your benefits is based on your lifetime earnings history, specifically the 35 highest years adjusted for inflation.
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You can start receiving your Social Security benefits as early as age 62 but if you retire before your full retirement age – a date determined by your birth year and adjusted annuallyage – you will receive less. If you wait until full retirement year, you receive more until it tops out at age 70.
Currently, the “oldest” full retirement age – 67 – covers people born 1960 and later. People in this category who retire at age 62, five years before full retirement, would see a $1,000 retirement benefits slashed to $700, a cut of 30%. A $500 spousal benefit would be cut to $325.
You can go here to see the breakdown on full-retirement age and benefits.
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What’s the maximum amount of Social Security benefits you can receive?
According to the Social Security Administration, someone who starts drawing at full retirement age in 2025 would receive a maximum of $4,018. If you retire at age 62 in 2025, the maximum benefit is $2,831. If you retire at age 70 in 2025, the maximum benefit is $5,108.
As of March 2025, the average Social Security benefit is $1,945 a month.