The 5 essential rules for getting the best monthly Social Security payment

5 rules to have the best Social Security

Reaching the golden years with a nice Social Security retirement check is quite a relief for United States citizens. While it is true that having this source of income as the only source of income is not recommended, it is also true that this is a common occurrence.

For Social Security beneficiaries over the age of 65, 50% of their income comes from their retirement check. That would be in the case of women, since in men the percentage reaches 37% in the same characteristics. This official 2023 SSA data reflects that Americans rely heavily on this monthly check.

For that reason, getting the biggest possible check should be one of our big goals. If we get a big check from Social Security we will always have a better life. And with a better life we will be happier and have more time to enjoy everything in general.

5 essential rules for getting the best Social Security

There are five fundamental rules that will make for the best Social Security each month. Maximizing the check is key in these cases. But we should not only take into account the amount we get each month, but many other things.

To be able to live in the best possible way during retirement, we must keep in mind that:

1. We should apply for retirement as late as possible. Retirement age is key to having a good Social Security check. The closer we are to 70 when it is time to retire, the better check we will have.
2. We must work for at least 35 years. If we do not work that number of years we will not be able to get a good benefit.
3. We must have a good salary during our working years. It is not possible to reach a good retirement figure if we do not have a good salary. The Social Security retirement payment depends directly on the taxes we have paid during our time as a worker.
4. We must eliminate debts before retirement. Entering retirement with debts is a bad idea. So it’s best to eliminate as much debt as possible before you start collecting a Social Security check.
5. Saving is the key. If we save during our time as workers we will have a good amount of money by the time we start collecting in retirement. This will not increase our check, but it will make us live better.

There are other concepts that we can take into account to get more money each month, such as a retirement plan or applying for Supplemental Security Income. But these 5 rules will make our lives better just by collecting our monthly Social Security retirement check.