Financially planning for retirement can be complex. But there are simple moves you can make to potentially boost your lifetime income.
Here’s a brief checklist you can use to review your current situation and determine whether you might be leaving money on the table.
1. Verify your earnings record
Start by getting a snapshot of your current Social Security information. You can create or log into your Social Security account via the Social Security Administration’s website to see your lifetime earnings and an estimate of how much you will receive in benefits.
This snapshot lets you see how much you can receive from Social Security, but it also gives you the opportunity to detect any errors with your income. Addressing any errors now could result in higher checks in the future.
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2. Assess when you should claim Social Security
If you delay claiming Social Security, you can end up with a larger benefit. In 2026, if you claim at 62, the maximum benefit is $2,969 per month, depending on your lifetime earnings. However, the maximum grows to $5,181 per month if you wait to claim it until you turn 70.
Your benefits go up each year that you wait, but the growth of your checks accelerates to 8% per year when you reach full retirement age, which is 66 or 67, depending on when you were born, until age 70.
While it makes financial sense to wait until you are 70, that isn’t feasible for everyone. Some people need money to make ends meet now, and while a full-time or part-time job is an option, not everyone can return to or stay at work.
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3. Plan for taxes and Medicare
Social Security doesn’t get taxed as much as ordinary income, but it’s still taxable, depending on how much income you report each year. Remember, any withdrawals from a traditional retirement account are treated as ordinary income, so you can end up with higher tax rates than you may expect.
Depending on how much you earn from Social Security, traditional retirement account withdrawals and other sources, up to 85% of your benefits may be taxable. That’s why it is often makes more sense to take out Social Security when you have already retired and your income is lower than when you are still working.
You also have to factor in Medicare Part B premiums, which are automatically deducted from your Social Security check, as long as you are receiving Social Security while enrolled in Medicare. You will be billed directly for Medicare premiums if you delay Social Security, so you can’t avoid these premiums either way. However, it’s smart to calculate if Social Security is enough while considering Part B premiums, which will trim your checks.
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