If you’ve started your retirement planning, good for you! It’s smart to do, even if retirement is a few decades away because part of the process is figuring out how much income you’ll likely need in retirement and how you’ll get it. One key retirement income component for most people is Social Security.
How much can you expect to receive from Social Security? The answer is different for each person, and much depends on how much you earned during your working life and when you claim benefits. Claiming early will result in smaller checks but many more of them, while delaying (until age 70) will make your checks bigger.
Image source: Getty Images.
For some immediate context, check out the table below, showing average monthly benefits for people of different ages as of the end of last year:
Age | Average Benefit, All | Average Benefit, Men | Average Benefit, Women |
|---|---|---|---|
62 | $1,298 | $1,440 | $1,167 |
65 | $1,563 | $1,733 | $1,410 |
66 | $1,740 | $1,936 | $1,553 |
67 | $1,884 | $2,094 | $1,676 |
70 | $2,038 | $2,257 | $1,816 |
75 | $2,102 | $2,228 | $1,800 |
80 | $1,940 | $2,139 | $1,750 |
85 | $1,864 | $2,034 | $1,712 |
Data source: Social Security Administration. Chart by author.
Average benefits for women are lower because women, in general, are paid less than men, and many are out of the workforce for some years, caring for children and/or parents.
It’s smart to visit the Social Security Administration (SSA) website and set up a my Social Security account in order to see estimates of your future benefits, based on your earnings history. If you don’t like what you see — because no one is collecting a fortune from Social Security — there are ways to increase your benefits.
For example, you might delay starting to collect benefits until age 70, if you can. (For most people, the best strategy is to wait until age 70.) You might also try increasing your earnings while you’re working — perhaps by asking for raises every few years or seeking better-paying jobs.
