What is the average Social Security check at the age of 66?
The monthly amount that American workers can claim in Social Security retirement benefits comes largely down to their age wen they apply.
In 2025, retired workers in the United States can claim maximum monthly Social Security benefits of just over $5,000, according to figures published by the country’s Social Security Administration (SSA).
However, you will have to settle for a lower monthly figure if you apply for retirement benefits at 66.
How is your Social Security retirement check calculated?
The amount that Americans can claim in Social Security retirement benefits depends on a number of factors, which are detailed in full on the SSA’s website.
Essentially, though, the size of check paid out each month comes down to the individual’s earnings history throughout their working life, and the age at which they choose to begin claiming their retirement benefits.
What is the top retirement check in the U.S. in 2025?
As of January 2025, just under 52 million people in the U.S. claimed Social Security retirement benefits, the SSA says. Retired workers accounted for just over 70% of the 73 million Social Security recipients in the country.
Per the SSA, the maximum Social Security retirement benefit available to Americans has risen to $5,108 a month in 2025. This increase on 2024’s benefits is a result of the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), which saw the SSA up Social Security benefits by 2.5%.
On average, a retired American worker is currently paid around 40% of the top available amount: $1,978 per month.
At what age can you claim the maximum retirement check?
In the U.S., workers can begin claiming Social Security retirement checks from the age of 62. To be eligible for the highest monthly amount, however, Americans need to wait several more years before applying for benefits.
If you apply for retirement benefits at the earliest possible point, the maximum monthly check you will receive in 2025 is $2,831, the SSA says.
To be in a position to potentially claim the full $5,108 per month, you need wait until you turn 70 before applying.
What happens if you retire at 66 this year?
If you begin claiming retirement benefits at 66 in 2025, the most you can possibly get is $4,018 a month. That’s the top amount paid out if you wait until what the SSA refers to as “full retirement age” before applying for your benefits.
This year, the SSA’s full retirement age is either 66 years and eight months if you were born in 1958, or 66 years and 10 months if you were born in 1959.
In other words, as the over-50s organization AARP explains, you will hit full retirement age at some point in 2025 if you were born between May 2, 1958, and February 28, 1959. According to AARP’s calculations, if you are a 66-year-old born on or before May 1, 1958, you should have reached your full retirement age in 2024.
If you apply for retirement benefits at your full retirement age in 2025, according to calculations by the finance specialists Kiplinger, the average Social Security retirement benefit you can claim appears to be somewhere around the $2,100 mark.
Per the SSA, a 66-year-old American worker who applies for retirement in 2025 without waiting to reach their full retirement age will receive up to 5.4% less per month than if they had held on until they hit full age.
How the SSA calculates Americans' Social Security retirement age
As part of a program overhaul approved by Congress in the 1980s, the SSA has been steadily upping the full retirement age.
For American workers born in 1954 or earlier, the SSA considers full retirement age as 66 exactly. This age then rises in two-month increments each year after 1954, up to a full retirement age of 67 for claimants born in 1960 or later. This retirement age will come into force in 2026.
You can find out what your full retirement age is on the SSA’s website.
It’s also worth noting that if you continue to work after your full retirement age, you can claim retirement benefits and carry on earning as much as you like from your job.
But before your full retirement age, your benefits may be reduced if you continue to work and, in the process, earn too much. The SSA website provides a tool for calculating your annual earnings limit in such a scenario.
How your work-life earnings affect your retirement checks
As mentioned above, the amount retired workers receive in Social Security benefits depends not only on their age when they apply, but also on their earnings history.
During your professional career, you pay Social Security taxes. The more you have earned, the more you will have paid into the pot in taxes - and the more you can take out when you claim your retirement benefits.
To calculate your benefits, the SSA takes the 35 highest-income years in your working life and calculates the average. Along with your retirement age, this figure is then plugged into a formula that determines your monthly check.
The SSA’s website includes a calculator which can estimate the amount you an expect to receive in retirement benefits, based on your year of birth, your age when you claim benefits and how much you’ve earned.
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