The Nationwide Retirement Institute reports that only 8% of surveyed adults can identify all the factors that determine the maximum Social Security benefit. That is problematic because Social Security is generally the largest source of income in retirement, meaning benefits have a substantial impact on living standards for millions of Americans
Read on to see the maximum Social Security benefit at different claim ages in 2026 and to learn what it takes to qualify for the biggest payout.
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How Social Security benefits are calculated for retired workers
The Social Security Administration (SSA) uses three variables to calculate Social Security benefits for retired workers: (1) work history, (2) lifetime earnings, and (3) claiming age.
The first step is determining the primary insurance amount (PIA), the benefit a worker receives if they start Social Security at full retirement age (FRA). The PIA is calculated by plugging inflation-adjusted earnings from the 35 highest-paid years of work into the benefits formula, which changes annually to account for increases in the average wage.
The second step is adjusting the PIA for early or delayed retirement. Workers who claim Social Security before FRA receive a smaller payout, typically less than 100% of their PIA. Workers who claim Social Security later than FRA get a larger payout, meaning more than 100% of their PIA.
How retired workers earn the maximum Social Security benefits
Now that I’ve covered how Social Security benefits are calculated, we can discuss how to maximize them by revisiting the three variables from the previous section.
- Work history: The benefits formula includes income from the 35 highest-paid years of work. That means workers must spend at least 35 years in the workforce to get the maximum benefit. Workers employed for fewer than 35 years will have zeroes factored into the benefits formula, making them ineligible for the biggest payout.
- Lifetime income: The benefits formula only considers earnings up to the maximum taxable limit. That means workers must have income at or above the taxable maximum for at least 35 years to qualify for the biggest Social Security benefit. The taxable maximum is $184,500 in 2026, but it typically increases each year to reflect changes in the average wage.
- Claim age: Workers who claim Social Security benefits after FRA earn delayed retirement credits that increase their payments by two-thirds of 1% per month, or 8% per year. But delayed retirement credits stop accumulating at age 70, meaning workers must claim Social Security at age 70 to earn the absolute maximum Social Security benefit.
Claim age is a particularly consequential variable. To illustrates why, the chart below shows the maximum monthly Social Security benefit for retired workers at different claim ages in 2026.
Claim Age in 2026
Maximum Social Security Benefit
62
$2,969
65
$3,467
66
$3,752
67
$4,207
70
$5,181
Data source: Social Security Administration.
Readers should zero in on the maximum Social Security benefit at 62 and 70. Those two data points stand out because 62 is the earliest possible claim age and 70 is the latest sensible claim age.
The vast majority of workers will not qualify for the maximum Social Security benefit
Very few Americans will qualify for the maximum Social Security benefit. Just 6% of workers had income above the taxable maximum in 2024, which means an even smaller percentage will have income that meets or exceeds the taxable maximum for 35 years.
Nevertheless, the concepts covered in this article can still help workers earn a bigger benefit. For instance, working for at least 35 years will ensure no zeroes are factored into the benefits formula. And delaying Social Security until age 70 can dramatically raise your benefit. Indeed, workers born in 1960 or later can increase their benefit by 77% by claiming Social Security at age 70 as opposed to age 62.
