Social Security is a key lifeline for millions of retired Americans. As of January 2026, the average monthly salary is $2,071, according to the Social Security Administration, indicating that a meaningful number of seniors receive five-figure annual payouts from this crucial program every year (1).
However, for some retirees, the monthly payouts can be far larger. In fact, in 2026, the maximum monthly payment is set at $5,251. Those who receive this monthly amount can expect a total payment of roughly $63,000 this year, which is comparable to the median earnings of full-time workers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2,3).
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In other words, retirees who have managed to fully optimize their participation in this program can enjoy reliable monthly passive income that exceeds the active income of roughly half of America’s labor force.
However, getting into this elite club isn’t easy. Here’s a closer look at the specific circumstances that would enable someone to get the top payout.
Qualifying for the top Social Security payout
Since the Social Security system is funded by payroll taxes, how much you earn and contribute in taxes directly impacts the size of your benefit in retirement. The SSA calculates your benefits based on your highest 35 years of earnings, adjusted for inflation (4).
In each of those years, your contributions are limited to the maximum taxable earnings limit. In 2026, for instance, the taxable limit is $184,500 for individual tax payers. Earning at or above this cap would maximize your contributions to the system and, thus, maximize your eventual benefit check.
However, earnings and contributions are only part of the story. The other element to consider is timing. Filing a claim at the so-called Full Retirement Age (FRA) allows you to receive 100% of your benefits. In 2026, those who claim at FRA can receive a maximum payout of $4,152 per month (5). But if you can delay your claim beyond FRA, you can boost monthly benefits until the age of 70.
Simply put, individuals who contributed the maximum over 35 years and waited until the age of 70 or beyond to file their claim can receive the top payout of $5,251. But stringing together three and half decades of high-six-figure earnings and waiting until you’re 70 years old is a tall order for most.
In fact, only 10% of beneficiaries wait until the age of 70 to file their claim, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center (6). It’s safe to assume that only a fraction of these late-filers have maxed out earnings for 35 years.
For many American workers, receiving the top Social Security payout is more of a fantasy than a financial plan. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to boost your benefits while you’re working.
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How to boost your payments
If you haven’t retired yet, perhaps the most potent way to boost your benefits is to simply boost your earnings. Negotiate a higher wage, switch jobs for a better salary or find a side gig that helps supplement your monthly income (and contributions).
Even modest increases can matter. Replacing a $90,000 earning year with a $150,000 year can meaningfully raise your average indexed monthly earnings, the figure Social Security uses to calculate benefits.
Besides boosting your income, the next-best way to boost your benefits is to simply delay your claim. Timing matters as much as income. Claiming benefits before full retirement age permanently reduces your monthly check. Waiting beyond it increases benefits by roughly 8% per year until age 70.
For someone with a full retirement age of 67, waiting until 70 can increase monthly benefits by about 24%. That higher payment lasts for life and adjusts upward with inflation.
You could also focus on lifetime benefits instead of just the monthly benefit check. In other words, focus on the total amount of benefits you could receive over the course of your retirement instead of trying to optimize the monthly payout.
To understand this, let’s take an example. Alice and Jeremy are both expected to live to the age of 73, however Alice will claim Social Security at the earliest age possible (62) and Jeremy will delay until the age of 70. If Alice receives just $2,000 a month and Jeremy receives $5,000 a month, she still comes out on top because her total lifetime payments were $264,000 (excluding COLA adjustments) while his total lifetime payments were $180,000.
With all of these other strategies to consider implementing to boost your Social Security payments, the smarter move isn’t chasing the top payout, but focusing on realistic ways to strengthen your overall retirement picture.
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Article sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.
SSA (1, 4, 5); U.S. News & World Report (2); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (3); Bipartisan Policy Center (6)
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.