7 Ways to Increase Your Social Security Check

A Complete Guide to Maximizing Your Social Security Check

By Kailey Hagen – Updated Dec 18, 2025 at 12:13 PM EST

Key Points

Working 35+ years helps you avoid zero-income years in your benefit calculation.
Delay receiving Social Security past full retirement age to increase benefits by 8% annually.
Withdrawals from Roth accounts aren't taxed, maximizing the amount of your Social Security checks that you keep.
The $23,760 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook ›

Learning how to optimize your Social Security benefits can make a significant difference in your retirement planning. Social Security makes up about 30% of the income for people 65 and older. But increasing your Social Security requires careful planning.

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Taxable Income

Taxable income is the amount of income subject to taxation after deductions and exemptions.

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Person sitting on a bench near a waterway and bridge while talking on the phone and looking at documents. — Image source: Getty Images.

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Medicare

A U.S. government health insurance program primarily for people aged 65 and older, as well as some younger individuals with disabilities.

If you're already FRA but haven't turned 70 yet: You can request that Social Security suspend your benefits to earn delayed retirement credits, and then reinstate them later. Once you're 70, Social Security will automatically restart your payments if you haven't already had them reinstated.

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The bottom line

One of the biggest myths about Social Security is that increasing your payments is easy. But as you can see, maximizing your Social Security benefit requires you to work more, earn more, or delay benefits you may need well before age 70.

While Social Security is a lifeline for seniors in the U.S., retirement can be challenging when your benefit is your only source of income. That's why it's essential to invest for retirement as early as possible. However, if you're behind on saving, then working longer and delaying benefits are two effective strategies for maximizing your Social Security benefits.

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About the Author

Kailey Hagen, CFP, is a contributing Motley Fool retirement analyst covering Social Security, Medicare, and retirement planning. Before The Motley Fool, Kailey was a research analyst for Reviews.com focusing on credit and banking products. She is a Certified Financial Planner® and holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

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