How Much Will the Biggest Social Security Check Be for Retirees in 2025?

When you think about Social Security and what it means to 70 million plus Americans, there is no question of its importance and meaning. Designed to help provide as much as 40% of your pre-retirement income, there are many questions about how much you can earn. 

The good news is that the number isn’t all that difficult to calculate, as the Social Security Administration makes it easy. Things get interesting depending on what age you decide to retire, as there is a definite difference in the maximum amount you can earn at 62 versus age 70. 

How Social Security Is Calculated

First and foremost, to earn the maximum for Social Security, you must have worked and earned money for at least 35 years. This is the calculation the Social Security Administration uses to calculate your benefits amount or your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), which is the amount you would receive if you begin taking retirement benefits at Full Retirement Age (67). 

You must have earned the maximum taxable earnings sum over the past 35 years, a number that is updated annually. For example, in 2022, it was $147,000, in 2024, it was $168,000, and in 2025, the government increased this number to $176,100. 

One additional qualification is that you must have at least 10 years of working under your belt and as many as 35 years to get the maximum amount. The Social Security Administration will index your earnings, adjust for inflation, and calculate your benefit amount. If you want the highest benefit payout, you’ll need to earn at least the maximum in at least 35 different years, though not sequentially. 

The Maximum Amount

It’s important to know that the maximum benefit you can earn from Social Security varies by the age at which you decide to start claiming benefits. This can happen anytime between 62 and 70, though the current Social Security formula is based on Full Retirement Age at 67. 

If you take your benefits at 67, you will receive 100% of your benefit amount. However, if you wait until 70, you can get as much as 24% above your FRA amount. On the other hand, if you decide to claim at 62, you could be looking at as little as 70% of your full retirement age benefit payout total. 

Age 62

At age 62, the maximum you can earn is $2,831 per month, or around $33,972 annually. Compare this to the average amount earned at 62 in 2025, which was only $1,298.26 per month, so you can see a substantial increase in benefits if you earn at or above the maximum earning amount. 

Age 67

According to the Social Security Administration, if you start to withdraw benefits at Full Retirement Age, or when you earn 100% of your benefit amount, you’d be looking at $4,018 per month. This is equivalent to $48,216 annually in Social Security benefits. 

Considering the average amount in February 2025 was $1,981, there is again a substantial difference between the average and the maximum, the latter of which is more than double. At roughly $23,772 per year, this is a $24,444 difference between earning the average versus the maximum amount. 

Age 70

To earn the maximum amount you can claim from Social Security benefits, you are looking at $5,108 per month, or around $61,300 for the whole year. Compared to the average benefit at 67 of $1,981 or the $23,772, you are now talking about a whopping $37,528 difference between the annual average earning amount versus the highest amount you can earn based on your taxable earnings. 

Simply stated, the most money you can earn in 2025 from Social Security is $5,108 monthly. Of course, this requires waiting until you are 70 to start taking benefits, but if you can do so, this is what you can look forward to every month. 

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