Numerous individuals make financial resolutions at this time of year. This might entail reducing debt or investing for a major financial objective such as retirement. However, one alternative to consider is increasing future Social Security payments.
You may believe you cannot do much if you are too young to claim benefits, but the greatest time to boost your benefits is during your working years.
Here are three steps you may do in 2024 that might increase your lifetime Social Security benefits.
Keep Working
Working and paying Social Security payroll taxes are essential to increase your retirement benefit. Inflation-adjusted average monthly wages are used to calculate Social Security benefits.
Retiring before 35 years of employment might reduce your benefit since the government will consider zero-income years in your computation. Even one such year can reduce your monthly payments by a few dollars.
However, there is no disadvantage to working longer than 35 years. In the latter phases of their careers, many earn more than they earned at the beginning. After 35 years, their higher-earning years begin to take the place of some of their lower-earning ones in the computation of their benefit. And this results in higher Social Security payouts when they ultimately enroll.
Make every effort to increase your revenue immediately.
Increasing your salary now will likely result in higher Social Security taxes in 2024, which will result in higher retirement benefit payments. There are several ways to accomplish this. January and February are popular recruiting months, so you may be able to get a position with a higher salary at a different firm. You might also negotiate a salary increase with your existing employer. You might also consider starting your own side company.
Those already earning more than the top tax bracket are the only ones for whom this suggestion will not work. You will only pay Social Security payroll taxes on earnings up to $147,000 in 2024, and in 2024, this will increase to $160,200. Those who already earn more will not be able to increase their Social Security benefits by earning more.
Select your enrollment date with care
After turning 62, you can start receiving Social Security benefits. However, you must wait until your full retirement age (FRA) to receive the maximum benefit based on your work history, which is between 66 and 67, depending on your birth year.
Claiming before this age is considered premature. You will receive more checks, but each one will be smaller. Those who enroll at age 62 receive 70% of their maximum benefit per check if their FRA is 67 and 75% if it is 66.
Delaying benefits gradually increases your checks until you achieve the maximum benefit at age 70. This corresponds to 124% of your entire benefit per check if your FRA is 67 and 132% if your FRA is 66. However, postponing Social Security also requires you to fund your living expenses until you enroll, which is not always practicable.
Ideally, you would select your beginning age depending on when you anticipate receiving the most lifetime benefit. Those who anticipate living into their 80s or beyond often gain more by deferring benefits, whereas those with lower life expectancies earn more by enrolling early.
You may determine your expected lifetime benefit by multiplying your monthly check amount by 12 and then by the years you anticipate receiving benefits. For example, a $1,800 benefit claimed for 15 years would result in a $ 324,000 lifetime benefit.
For information about your benefits at a particular age, create a “My Social Security” account. Based on your employment history, it has a calculator that may estimate how much you will make between 62 and 70 years old. Follow the processes outlined in the preceding section to decide which age you feel will get you the most money overall.
Your Social Security plans may alter over time, but you may always revise your claiming age in the future. Do not delay the actions mentioned above until you are closer to retirement. The sooner you begin, the greater your chances of obtaining a comfortable retirement.