Question: What is the maximum monthly Social Security retirement benefit payable in 2026?
The maximum benefit for 2026 is $4,152 a month. When you’re ready to apply for retirement benefits, use our online retirement application.
Question: At what age should I start receiving my Social Security retirement benefits?
Choosing when to start receiving your Social Security retirement benefits is an important decision that affects your monthly benefit amount for the rest of your life. If you wait until your full retirement age (67 for people who are born in 1960 or later), you will get your full benefit.
You can start receiving your Social Security retirement benefit as early as age 62. But we will reduce your benefits by as much as 30% below what you would get if you waited to begin receiving benefits until your full retirement age. If you delay claiming your benefit, your monthly amount will be increased for each month of delay. See the publication “When to Start Receiving Retirement Benefits” for details.
Related: Social Security + Marriage + Banking
Question: How do I correct my earnings record?
You cannot correct your earnings after three years, three months and 15 days from the end of the taxable year in which your wages were paid. However, you can correct your record after that length of time to:
- Confirm records with tax returns filed with the IRS;
- Correct errors due to employee omissions from processed employer reports or missing reports;
- Correct errors “on the face of the record,” that is, errors we can find by examining our records of processed reports; and
- Include wages reported by an employer as paid to an individual but not shown in our records. Contact us at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778). It will be helpful to have information such as Forms W-2, pay stubs, etc.
