The average Social Security benefit for a retired worker in February 2025 was $1,980 per month. That’s enough to help cover a few bills, but it’s far from what you may need for a comfortable retirement.
Many people dream of locking in the maximum Social Security benefit when they retire — and it’s easy to understand why. As the cost of living rises and traditional pensions disappear, that guaranteed monthly check becomes one of the few reliable sources of income retirees can count on.
Unfortunately, the path to that maximum benefit is anything but easy. If you’re aiming to max out your monthly check, you need to know exactly what it takes — and what could disqualify you.
Here’s everything you need to know.
How to get to the top Social Security benefit
Getting to the top benefit — $5,108 in 2025 — isn’t easy.
You need to hit two major requirements:
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Earn above a specific income threshold for 35 years.
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Delay claiming benefits until age 70.
Miss either one, and you’re automatically out of the running for the top benefit. If you don’t delay claiming, you won’t reach the maximum. And if you delay but didn’t earn enough during those 35 years, your benefits will still fall short. It’s an all-or-nothing scenario.
Here’s the salary you need to qualify for the maximum Social Security check
Social Security doesn’t count all your income when calculating your benefits. Each year, it only taxes and includes income up to a certain threshold, known as the wage base limit.
In 2025, the wage base limit is $176,100.
Anything you earn above that limit isn’t subject to Social Security payroll taxes and therefore doesn’t increase your future benefit. That means whether you earn $176,101 or $1 million, only the first $176,100 counts toward your Social Security benefit calculation.
So if you want that $5,108 monthly check someday, you need to earn at least the wage base limit every year for 35 years. No unemployment gaps. No off years. No under-the-limit earnings.
There are a couple of important things to keep in mind, though. First, the wage base limit of $176,101 is the limit in 2025 — it goes up almost every year.
So if you’ve been working since the 1980s or 1990s, the wage base limit for those years would’ve been less than $176,100. But to qualify for the max benefit, you had to earn at or above the limit for each of those years, whatever the threshold was at the time. Back in 1980, you needed to earn at least $25,900, for example, and in 1990, you needed to earn $51,300.
That also means moving forward, you’ll need to earn more each year. Keeping a $176,101 salary only works for this year — in 2026 and 2027, you’ll need to earn even more, since the threshold typically bumps up a little each year.
Second, Social Security bases your benefit on your average indexed earnings over your 35 highest-earning years. If you worked fewer than 35 years, the formula fills in the gaps with zeroes, which can reduce your benefit.
Why delaying your benefits is so important
Many people start collecting Social Security as soon as possible at age 62, either because they’re done working or they need the cash.
But claiming early comes with a permanent penalty. It can shrink your $5,108 max monthly benefit to $2,831.
Even if you’ve already crushed the income side of the equation — earning over the wage base limit for 35 years — claiming your benefits as soon as you’re eligible will slash your monthly check by as much as 30 percent for the rest of your life.
There’s a middle ground here, though. You can wait until what’s known as your full retirement age, which is 67 for people born in 1960 or later. At that point, your maximum benefit, assuming you met the income requirement, would be $4,018.
But if you want the maximum possible benefit, you must wait until age 70.
That’s because your benefit continues to grow if you delay claiming after your full retirement age. For every month you wait, your benefit increases by about two-thirds of 1 percent — or about 8 percent per year — until age 70. After that, there’s no additional benefit to waiting.
Most people won’t qualify for the maximum benefit — but here’s what you can do
The truth is most people won’t get close to the $5,108 monthly benefit. After all, the median wage for full-time U.S. workers in April 2025 was about $62,088, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics — roughly a third of the 2025 wage base limit. Plus, life happens — people change careers, take time off, deal with unemployment or simply don’t hit the wage base limit.
That said, there are still ways to boost your Social Security check — even if the maximum benefit is out of reach.
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Work at least 35 years: Social Security calculates your benefit based on your 35 highest-earning years. If you work fewer than that, zero-income years drag down your average.
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Earn more in your peak years: The more you earn (up to the wage base limit), the higher your benefit. Consider seeking out promotions, switching to higher-paying jobs or taking on side income that counts toward Social Security.
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Replace low-earning years: Even if you’ve already hit 35 years of work, staying employed a little longer can help. Higher-earning years later in your career can replace lower-earning ones earlier in life, boosting your benefit.
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Delay claiming benefits: For every year you wait past your full retirement age (up to age 70), your monthly benefit grows by about 8 percent.
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Avoid claiming at 62 unless necessary: Claiming early means locking in a permanent reduction — up to 30 percent less than your full benefit.
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Coordinate with your spouse: Married couples can use claiming strategies that maximize total household income, like delaying the higher earner’s benefit.
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Fix errors on your earnings record: Review your Social Security statement regularly by logging on to your My Social Security account and make sure your reported income is accurate.
These moves won’t necessarily get you to the max benefit, but they can meaningfully increase what you receive — and that can add up to thousands more in lifetime retirement income.
However, don’t rely on Social Security alone. Treat it as one piece of your retirement income, not the whole picture.
Focus on building other sources of income, such as investments in retirement plans. Purchasing an annuity, which some people refer to as a “self-funded pension,” is another option.
It can also be beneficial to work with a financial advisor, who can help you map out a comprehensive retirement strategy — and figure out where Social Security fits into it.
Bottom line
To qualify for the maximum Social Security benefit of $5,108 a month in 2025, you need to have earned at or above the wage base limit for 35 years. Delaying until age 70 is what locks it in.
Most people won’t meet both criteria — and that’s OK. Focus on the steps you can control to improve your financial outlook and stay committed for the long haul.
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