This week, the Social Security Administration (SSA) will distribute the final payments to retirement beneficiaries in the United States, with amounts rising up to $5,108 for those who meet certain mandatory conditions.
Retirement beneficiaries receive their payments on the second, third, and fourth Wednesday of each month, and April was no exception: on Wednesday, April 9, funds were sent to beneficiaries with birthdays between the 1st and 10th of any month. Then, on Wednesday the 16th, payments were sent to beneficiaries with birthdays between the 11th and 20th. And finally, those with birthdays after the 21st will receive their payment this week, on April 23rd.
Retirees with these characteristics can receive social security payments of $5,108
To reach the maximum benefit of $5,108 per month in 2025 (achieved by the 2.5% increase valid this year), it is necessary to simultaneously meet several very demanding requirements that combine your earnings history, your retirement age and your birth cohort. I’ll explain it to you easily below:
- To be eligible for any retirement benefits, you must have worked at least 10 years and earned 40 work credits throughout your working life. Each year you can earn up to four credits depending on your income; In 2025, one credit equals $1,810 in quarterly earnings.
- The payment is calculated taking the 35 years of highest income, adjusted for the inflation observed in those years. For the beneficiary’s average to always include the maximum possible, he or she must have received salaries at the taxable ceiling in each of the countable years. In 2025 that annual limit is $176,100; Anything in excess does not add credits or contribute to the calculation base.
- Delaying retirement is the biggest key: Even if your “full retirement age” is between 66 and 67 depending on your year of birth, the SSA offers deferred retirement credits of up to 8% annually (up to 132% of your PIA) if you wait until age 70 to start collecting. This postponement is essential to raise your benefit to the maximum of $5,108
- Only people who turn 70 in 2025 — that is, born in 1955 — can reach the absolute maximum of $5,108. Those who turn 70 in different years receive slightly lower amounts (for example, those born in 1954 can expect about $5,090)
In practice, very few people have all these characteristics, but it is always good to know them for long-term planning. If your goal is to reach that goal, you can check your earnings history in your “my Social Security” account and make sure you hit the cap every year possible.
