Social Security Basics: 12 Things You Must Know About Claiming and Maximizing Your Social Security Benefits
Author the Editors of Kiplinger's Retirement Report
Publisher Kiplinger
Date Published 09.28.2021

Claiming Social Security benefits at the right time means more money in your pocket. Here’s a guide to everything from knowing your full retirement age to taking Social Security spousal benefits.

For many Americans, Social Security benefits are the bedrock of retirement income so maximizing this stream of income is critical.

The rules for claiming Social Security benefits can be complex, but this guide will help you successfully navigate the details. Educating yourself can ensure that you claim the maximum amount to which you are entitled.

Here are 12 essential details you need to know.

Know Your Social Security ‘Full Retirement Age’

First things first:Determine your Social Security full retirement age. For people born between 1943 and 1954, full retirement age is 66. If your birthday falls between 1955 and 1959, it gradually climbs to 67. If you are born in 1960 or later, your full retirement age is 67.

You can claim your Social Security benefits a few years before or after your full retirement age, and your monthly benefit amount will vary as a result. More on that in a moment.

How Your Social Security Benefits Are Earned

To be eligible for Social Security benefits in retirement, you must earn at least 40 “credits” throughout your career. You can earn as many as four credits each year, so it takes 10 years of work to qualify for Social Security.

In 2021, you must earn $1,470 to get one Social Security work credit and $5,880 to get the maximum four credits for the year.

How Your Social Security Benefits Are Calculated

Your Social Security benefits are based on the 35 calendar years in which your income was the highest. If you have fewer than 35 years of earnings, each year with no earnings will be entered as zero. You can increase your Social Security benefit at any time (even via part-time work during retirement) by replacing a zero or low-income year with a higher-income year.

There is a maximum Social Security benefit amount you can receive, though it depends on the age you retire. For someone at full retirement age in 2021, the maximum monthly benefit is $3,113. For someone filing at age 70, the maximum monthly amount is $3,895.

To estimate your benefits, use the Social Security’s online Retirement Estimator.

There’s an Annual Social Security Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA)

One of the best features of Social Security benefits is that the government adjusts the benefits each year based on inflation. This is called a cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, and helps your payments keep up with increasing living expenses. The Social Security COLA is quite valuable; it’s the equivalent of buying inflation protection on a private annuity, which can get expensive.

Because the COLA is calculated based on changes in a federal consumer price index, the size of the COLA depends largely on broad inflation levels determined by the government. In 2021, Social Security beneficiaries saw a 1.3% COLA in their monthly Social Security benefits. 

The Kiplinger Letter predicted in September that the COLA for 2022 could be 6%, which would be the largest adjustment since 1982. The final COLA for 2022 will be announced on Oct. 13. 

Here’s what COLAs have been in other recent years:

Your Monthly Social Security Benefits Increase the Longer You Wait to Claim

You can collect Social Security benefits as soon as you turn 62, but taking benefits before your full retirement age means a permanent reduction in your payments — of as much as 25% to 30%, depending on your full retirement age.