If you live in the United States, you can get a new monthly Social Security retirement check; however, you must meet certain requirements before you can begin receiving one of these benefits.
If you do not meet the minimum requirements, you will be unable to receive your monthly check, so keep these obligations in mind.
Without a doubt, receiving a retirement payment is a financial relief for US citizens because it provides them with a fixed monthly income to help them pay their bills. However, the Social Security Administration has specific requirements for the monthly payment as well as any additional checks.
Requirements for Social Security payment in April 2025
When determining whether we are eligible for a retirement payment, we must consider several factors. First and foremost, we must remember that applying for a retirement payment due to old age differs from applying for a disability payment.
In this case, we are referring to the old-age retirement payment, as the SSDI check has different rules.
To apply for a monthly Social Security payment for retirement in April 2025, two requirements must be met:
- Have worked a minimum of 10 years.
- Be 62 years of age.
If we are not yet 62 years old, we cannot apply for this retirement payment; however, we may apply for other types of payments, such as a disability check, a spouse check, or any other type of retirement.
Even so, the compensation for these characteristics is typically very low, so it is not recommended to meet the minimum requirements and go a little beyond.
How to maximize the Social Security check?
To receive a check that exceeds the minimum retirement payment, we must consider a number of factors. The first of these is retirement age. The second factor is the salary earned over the years of employment. The third aspect is the number of years worked.
To maximize all monthly retirement checks, we should use the following structure:
- Wait until the age of 70 before applying for retirement.
- Work for a minimum of 35 years.
- Earn the highest possible salary during your working years.
Although it is true that not all citizens can earn a higher salary before applying for Social Security, there is always something we can do, such as switching industries, requesting a raise, or something similar. It is not easy to accomplish, but it is possible in many situations.