10 Unexpected Ways to Claim Higher Social Security Checks

No matter what you do, Social Security probably won't cover all of your retirement expenses. But if you understand how the program works, you can take steps to boost your benefit and reap the rewards for years to come. Here's a look at 10 key moves you should make if you want the largest Social Security checks you can get.

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Your Social Security benefit is based on your average monthly income during your 35 highest-earning years, with adjustments for inflation. If you haven't worked at least 35 years, the government adds zero-income years to your calculation, and that can shrink your checks significantly.

Working even longer than 35 years is best, if you're able to. Most people earn more later on in their careers, which means these later, higher-earning years will replace their earlier, lower-earning years in their benefit calculation. This results in larger checks.

Anything you can do to increase your income today will also help boost your Social Security checks in retirement. But there's one exception. If you earn more than $147,000 in 2022, the extra income won't help your benefits because you're not paying Social Security taxes on it.

But for most of us, this isn't an issue. So working overtime, negotiating a raise, or switching employers are all great strategies for squeezing more money out of Social Security.

The Social Security Administration keeps track of how much you've paid Social Security taxes on each year in your earnings record. You can view yours by creating a my Social Security account. Most of the time, the information is accurate because it comes directly from the IRS, but errors do happen.

If you notice a mistake, you should notify the Social Security Administration immediately and provide documentation showing your real income for the year. If you don't, the government could shrink your Social Security checks unfairly.

ALSO READ: This Simple Task Could Spare You a Reduced Social Security Benefit

How much you get from Social Security depends in part on when you claim and what your full retirement age (FRA) is. That's somewhere between 66 and 67 for today's workers. Claiming earlier than this reduces your benefits, while delaying benefits boosts your checks until you reach your maximum benefit at 70.

It usually makes sense to delay benefits as long as possible unless you have reason to believe you won't live long. But you also have to consider your financial situation. If you can't afford to wait until 70 to claim, you could compromise and wait until your FRA instead.

If you claim benefits while under your FRA, your benefit becomes subject to the Social Security earnings test. In 2022, you lose $1 for every $2 you earn over $19,560 if you'll be under your FRA for the whole year. If you'll reach your FRA in 2022, you'll lose $1 for every $3 you earn over $51,960 if you hit this amount before your birthday.

The government recalculates your benefit at your FRA to account for what it previously withheld. Your future checks will be larger, but they still won't be as large as they would've been if you'd just waited until your FRA to sign up.

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The government will garnish your Social Security checks for certain unpaid debts, like child support, alimony, federal taxes, or federal student loans. If you don't want this to happen, make sure you pay these debts before you sign up for Social Security.

Couples can maximize their household benefit by choosing the right starting age for each person. If both have earned similar amounts over their lifetime, each should delay benefits, unless they have reason to believe they won't live long.

When one person has earned significantly more than the other, the higher earner should delay. The lower earner can start early, if necessary, to help the couple financially. Then, when the higher earner signs up, the Social Security Administration will switch the lower earner to a spousal benefit if it's worth more than what they're already getting on their own.

ALSO READ: 3 Social Security Strategies for Married Couples Retiring Early

You could face taxes on your Social Security benefits if your provisional income -- adjusted gross income (AGI), plus any nontaxable interest and half your Social Security benefits -- exceeds $25,000 for a single individual or $32,000 for a married couple. It isn't always possible to avoid this, but you may be able to do so by being strategic with your retirement withdrawals.

Keep in mind that some states tax Social Security benefits as well. Not all residents of these states owe benefit taxes, but you may want to consider moving to another state in retirement if you don't want to worry about this.

If you've signed up for Social Security within the past year and you now regret doing so, you may be able to withdraw your application. To do so, you must pay back all the benefits you've received thus far, plus any benefits family members have received on your work record.

If you do this, the government will treat you as if you'd never signed up for benefits and your checks will continue to grow every month you delay. But you can only do this once, so make sure you're really ready to sign up before you reapply.

If you cannot withdraw your Social Security application, you may be able to suspend benefits once you reach your FRA. This means the government will stop sending you checks again until you either request that they start or you reach 70. During this time, your checks will continue to grow a little each month.

You won't end up with as much as you would have if you'd waited until 70 to sign up for Social Security in the first place, but even a few months of suspension can make a noticeable difference to your benefit checks.

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If you take even a few of the steps above, you can make a huge difference to your Social Security checks. You may notice this right away if you're already claiming, but even if you're too young, it pays to start thinking about this now. By understanding the various factors that affect your checks, you can make smart decisions when you reach claiming age to help yourself score the largest benefit possible.

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