This article details how you can achieve the new $5,108 maximum benefit amount in 2025
The maximum monthly Social Security benefit for 2025 is $5,108, but not many retirees will qualify. This maximum only applies to individuals who have the greatest possible taxable income over 35 years and wait until they are 70 to begin receiving benefits. To get close to this high, some of the key strategies and what you should know are:
What affects the maximum Social Security benefit?
Social Security benefits are calculated on your average indexed monthly earnings (AIME) in your 35 highest years of income. There is a limit put on the income that is taxed for Social Security each year, called the wage base limit.
In 2025, the wage base limit is $176,100.
Income over that amount won’t boost your Social Security benefits.
To receive the most benefit, you will have had to have worked 35 years at or above this figure, with no gaps in between or years below this figure.
Since the wage base limit rises nearly every year, an individual who would want the most benefit will have had to have earned at or above the figure each year of their working life, after accounting for inflation. In 1980, the figure was $25,900, and in 1990, the figure was $51,300.
Why is the maximum benefit $5,108?
The $5,108 is the highest amount of money that can be paid monthly to an individual who waits until the age of 70 in 2025 for Social Security. Waiting until age 70 will give you the delayed retirement credits, up to a further 8% per year to your monthly benefit after your full retirement age (FRA) of 67 if you were born after 1960.
- Claiming early at age 62 decreases your benefit to a maximum of around $2,831/month.
- Claiming at full retirement age of 67 pays a maximum of around $4,018/month.
- Delaying to age 70 maximizes your benefit to $5,108/month.
How to get near the maximum benefit
1. Work at or above the wage base limit for 35 years
This is most important. You must earn at least $176,100 (2025 level) per year for 35 years. That is:
- Avoid work interruptions or low-income years.
- Find stable, high-income work or self-employment income subject to Social Security taxation.
Keep in mind that only income through the wage base counts, so earning more than $176,100 one year doesn’t qualify you for an increased benefits level.
2. Postpone claiming benefits until Age 70
Waiting beyond your FRA to take Social Security increases your benefit by 8% each year, up to age 70. This will boost your benefit up to 24% above taking it at age 67. Yes, waiting does not put extra money in your pocket for a few years, but the payoff is a significantly larger monthly check later on.
3. Grow your work history
Because Social Security calculates benefits on your 35 highest years of earnings, staying on the job longer to substitute lower-earning years will enhance your benefit. If you have fewer than 35 years of earnings, zeros are used in computing the average, and this reduces your benefit. Working to cover these gaps at or close to the wage base limit maximizes your AIME.
4. Consider spousal and survivor benefits
Spouses may raise their combined benefits by phasing the time when each of them takes. An example is a lower-earning spouse taking early and the higher-earning spouse waiting to age 70, keeping the survivor benefit augmented later. This involves some coordination but will raise family Social Security benefits.
What about the average Social Security benefit?
Although the highest benefit is $5,108, the average monthly Social Security benefit paid to retired workers in 2025 is about $1,976. Married couples taking benefits averaged $3,089/month. These numbers account for the fact that most Americans are not working at maximum taxable levels on a consistent basis.
Extra factors
- Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLA): Social Security benefits rise with inflation each year. The 2025 COLA is 2.5%, which served to increase the highest benefit more than in past years.
- Tax benefits: Seniors over the age of 65 can look forward to new tax deductions that will reduce Social Security income tax burdens starting from 2025.
- Planning tools: Use Social Security calculators and consult financial planners to optimize your claiming strategy based on your individual situation.
Although few retirees will qualify for the maximum $5,108 a month Social Security benefit in 2025, you can work your way toward it. The secrets are earning at or near the wage base ceiling for 35 years, suspending benefits until age 70, and compiling as much work on your record as you can.
