The existence of the Social Security program allows millions upon millions of people to rest easy knowing that they will have some sort of financial support during their retirement. The way that the program works is simple: you make monthly contributions towards the Social Security payroll tax throughout your working career, and later upon retirement, you essentially claim back those contributions in the form of monthly benefit checks from the Social Security Administration (SSA).
The amount you receive in benefits is primarily determined in relation to your lifetime earnings, however, other factors such as age at which you claim and additional income could also cause your final amount to be reduced. The SSA also limits how much of your income is considered for your payroll tax contribution, which in turn creates a limit to how much the agency will pay out in benefits.
In 2025, the absolute maximum benefit amount paid by the agency amounts to $5,108. This figure will increase in 2026 once the 2.8% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) is implemented to all benefits starting in January. So how do you make yourself eligible for the maximum benefit amount? Here is what you need to know.
How are Social Security benefits calculated?
In order to become eligible for Social Security benefits once you retire, you will need to have earned a minimum of forty work credits. Work credits are earned by paying into the dedicated Social Security payroll tax each month. In one year, you can earn a maximum of four work credits. In 2025, the value of one work credit is $1,810, however, this will be increased to $1,890 as of 2026.
As such, you will need to have worked for a minimum of ten years, earning the maximum four work credits each year, in order to qualify for Social Security benefits, and you can begin claiming from age 62. This is, however, the absolute bare minimum of requirements, and as such, the amount you receive in benefits may not necessarily be as high as you would hope.
If you plan to claim Social Security benefits later in life, it is recommended to have worked for a minimum of 35 years. This is because when the SSA calculates your benefits, 35 of your highest earning years are put into the calculation. This means that if, for instance, you had only worked for 30 years, when your benefits are being calculated, there will be 5 years where you income is recorded as $0. This will then bring down your benefit total.
The age at which you claim also plays an almost equally important role in your final benefit amount. Benefits can be claimed from age 62, however, this is considered as claiming early and you will lock yourself into a reduced benefit. This is because the full retirement age (FRA) is currently 66-67. FRA is the age at which you become eligible for 100% of your benefits. If you claim early, your benefits will be reduced by up to 30%.
Alternatively, if you delay your retirement, you will receive an 8% boost for each you that you delay you claim until you are 70.
How to claim the maximum benefit amount?
In 2025, the maximum benefit paid at FRA amounts to $4,018, while the absolute maximum paid by the SSA totals to $5,108. This $5,108 benefit is slated to increase to $5,251 in 2026 once the COLA increase is implemented.
In order to become eligible for this generous amount, the applicant will need to meet all of the following requirements:
- Work for a minimum of 35 years
- Earn an income that is equivalent to or higher than the wage cap for each respective year. In 2025, the wage cap is $176,100, however, this will increase to $184,500 in 2026.
- Delay your retirement until age 70 thereby earning you delayed retirement credits which will give you a 24% benefit boost.