The average monthly retirement benefit paid by Social Security today is about $2,084. If that doesn't sound like a lot of money, well, it isn't. On an annual basis, it's about $25,000.
But some Social Security recipients get a much larger monthly check. In fact, the maximum possible Social Security benefit you can get in 2026 is $5,181. On an annual basis, that's a little more than $62,000.
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But while there are steps you can take to boost your Social Security benefits, snagging the program's maximum monthly paycheck may not be doable. Here's why, and what you can do instead.
Why you may not get the maximum out of Social Security
Your monthly Social Security benefit in retirement is based on a couple of factors -- your wage history and your claiming age. You can file for Social Security at any point once you turn 62.
Your monthly benefits are yours to collect without a reduction once you reach full retirement age, which is 67 for anyone born in 1960 or later. If you delay your claim past full retirement age, your benefits get an 8% boost for each year you wait, until you turn 70. At that point, you might as well sign up, since waiting on Social Security won't help you financially.
To get Social Security's maximum benefit, you must specifically do three things:
- Work 35 years
- File for benefits at 70
- Earn the equivalent of Social Security's wage cap or higher for 35 years
The first two items on that checklist may be doable, provided you don't have to take too long a career break and you're able to either keep working until age 70 or support yourself through retirement savings or other investments. It's the last item that may trip you up.
Social Security's wage cap represents the maximum amount of earnings that are taxed to fund the program in a given year. This year, the wage cap is $184,500. In previous years it's been lower, but it's typically been a high number relative to the average annual wage.
The reason you may not get Social Security's maximum monthly benefit is that you have to maintain a very high salary for 3.5 decades to qualify. Most people aren't able to do that.
Even if you work your way up during your career so that you're earning the equivalent of Social Security's wage cap or more by your late 40s, you may not have 35 years to keep earning at that level. In that situation, your Social Security checks may be quite generous, but you may still not qualify for the max.
What to do instead
It's important to recognize that most retirees don't get Social Security's highest possible benefit. If you're realizing it may not be possible for you to snag, don't sweat it. Instead, lean on your savings and investments for a larger monthly retirement paycheck.
The more money you sock away in an IRA or 401(k) during your career, the more leeway you should have to take larger withdrawals in retirement. And the right investments could pay you generously on a regular basis.
Some high-yield ETFs (exchange-traded funds), for example, pay investors monthly. You can also invest in high-quality bonds if you want a stable way to generate monthly income on top of Social Security.
Getting Social Security's maximum monthly benefit may sound nice. But if it's not in the cards, don't stress. There are plenty of other ways you can boost your retirement income, so a better use of your mental energy is to focus on a strategy that allows you to claim Social Security as strategically as possible for you.
