Social Security sends checks to more than 70 million Americans every month. But most retirees know that their annual cost-of-living increases are modest at best, and many worry the system itself is running on fumes. So they claim early and hope for the best.
But there’s one simple Social Security move that can boost your monthly benefit for life.
Social Security benefits are based on your highest 35 years of earnings, adjusted for inflation. But if you worked fewer than 35 years, or had low-earning years early in your career, those years still get counted as zeros or small numbers. Except that calculation drags down your average earnings and your monthly check.
To get a higher check, it is best to go back to work, even later in life. That can help replace one of those low-earning years with a higher one. Social Security will automatically recalculate your benefit when new earnings are added. And if the math works in your favor, your monthly check goes up permanently. Many retirees miss this because they think benefits are “locked in” once claimed.
So, to squeeze out extra dollars out of the system legally, be alert.
Married seniors who both receive the average $24,000 Social Security income — a total of $48,000 in annual income — would also see deductions that *exceed* their taxable Social Security income.
No Tax on Social Security. pic.twitter.com/J5OUmuSQZO
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 30, 2025
At the same time, a 2025 Nationwide Financial survey found 74% of Americans worry Social Security will run out in their lifetime. Another survey from the Cato Institute showed 70% think that benefits will be cut in the future. That’s why people try to claim benefits early, which permanently reduces monthly payments.
But economists like Stephen Nuñez of the Roosevelt Institute told CNBC that Social Security won’t be bankrupt or collapse. Even if the program’s trust funds are depleted (which are now projected for the early 2030s), benefits would still be paid from incoming payroll taxes.
So now the real question is how much Social Security you’ll receive. All you have to do is file your taxes regularly, and we are talking mainly about those who :
- Took time off to raise children
- Worked part-time for long stretches
- Retired early
- Had low wages early in their careers
Social Security trust funds are now projected to run out of money sooner than previously expected due to Covid, the Treasury Department says https://t.co/gIXetWYgpb
— CNBC (@CNBC) August 31, 2021
Just remember, you don’t have to grind through a 40-hour work week.
Part-time or flexible gigs can still count for a bigger paycheck. So, start earning again, even if briefly!
