Having a monthly Social Security payment can provide significant financial relief for thousands of households in the United States.
However, this retirement benefit may not always be sufficient. As a result, understanding the rules for maximising the check is critical.
If we remember that in order to increase our retirement benefits, we must plan our monthly checks ahead of time, it is clear that if we have already retired, we will be unable to increase the payment.
Of course, there are ways, such as COLA, to increase our benefit each year. The Fairness Act has also provided some additional funds to some citizens through a Social Security payment.
Likewise, there are other checks that are complementary to Social Security that we can apply for, so all is not lost if we have already applied for retirement payment and it is not too high.
In any case, the important thing in all these cases is to control the budget we have and maximize the benefit whenever it is in our hands.
How to increase Social Security in 2025?
Social Security benefits are based on three main components. On the one hand, consider retirement age. On the other hand, the years worked and, finally, the salary earned during those years of employment.
While we cannot always change our salaries, we can maximise the other two elements to the greatest extent possible.
Therefore, to maximise the Social Security check in 2025, we must:
- Have worked a minimum of 35 years.
- Have had a high salary during those 35 years. The higher the salary as a worker, the higher the check in retirement.
- Delay the retirement age as close to 70 as possible.
The minimum retirement age is 62, but retiring at that age can be counterproductive because we risk losing some of our benefits. So it is preferable to wait until 70, or if you are unable to wait, apply for Social Security as close to that age as possible.
If we’ve already accepted our Social Security check, we can always apply for SSI to supplement it. This additional cheque boosts beneficiaries who receive a small cheque by up to $967 per month.
If you have a maximum Social Security payment of $5,180 per month in 2025, you will be ineligible for this SSI payment; however, if your payment is less, you may be able to apply for Supplemental Security Income and receive it monthly.