The age at which benefits are requested has a significant impact on Social Security benefits for retired workers. In October, the Social Security Administration announced a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) of 2.5% for retired employees and other beneficiaries in 2025. This change, along with annual adjustments to the primary insurance amount formula, means that the maximum Social Security benefit for retired workers will increase in the coming year.
However, a recent survey conducted by the Nationwide Retirement Institute suggests that very few citizens know how to get the most out of the Social Security. Less than half of the adults surveyed knew that application age was a factor in the calculation, and only 4% correctly identified all the relevant variables that determine the age of retirement. This lack of knowledge could be problematic for anyone approaching retirement, since many older people depend on the Social Security to some degree. In fact, the benefits monthly are usually the largest source of income for retirement. Anyone who doesn’t know how to get the most out of their Social Security, could be harmed and reduce their standard of living.
Maximum Benefit of Social Security at Ages 62, 66 and 70 in 2025
The maximum benefit of Social Security at 62, 66 and 70 years old in the year 2025, and the program of Social Security goes through several important changes every year, to maintain the benefits aligned with inflation and general salary levels. A consequence of these annual changes is that the benefit maximum of the Social Security usually increase. Below is the highest payment that retired workers can receive at different application ages in 2025.
- Age 62: $2,831
- Age 66: $3,795
- Age 70: $5,108
Here’s something important to learn: The age of application has a profound impact on the benefits. AND 2025, workers retired who request the Social Security, retired workers who begin to receive benefits at 62 years of age, in other words, retirees who apply for Social Security Those 70 years old next year could receive an additional $27,324 in income for benefits annually compared to retirees who request Social Security at 62 years old.
What it Takes For Retired Workers to Qualify for the Maximum Social Security benefit
The Social Security Administration uses three variables to determine benefits for retired workers:
- Work history
- Lifetime income
- Application age. Retirees who optimize the first two variables will receive the greatest possible benefit at a given application age. But retirees who want the absolute maximum payment must apply for Social Security at exactly age 70.
You can learn more details about your benefits at My Social Security, there we tell you how to register: Open the tab, create an account and enter your email and preferred language and then click submit.
- On the next screen, you will be asked to verify your email address. You can also request that the verification email be sent to you again or change your email address.
- Check your email and look for the Confirm your login.gov email button. Click the Confirm Email Address button to return to the website.
- Now create a password for your account. The password must be a minimum of 12 characters.
- Set up two-factor authentication. You can use an authenticator app, a text message or phone call, backup codes, a physical security key, or a government employee ID. Follow the steps to configure the authentication method you chose and click continue.
Since your account has been created, https://login.gov/, you can use it to log in to the portal My Social Security.