10 Ways To Increase Your Social Security Before You Even Retire

Planning for retirement can feel like trying to hit a moving target, especially with rising living costs. However, there are smart moves you can make right now to help increase your Social Security check, even if you're still a decade or more away from collecting benefits.

More than 65 million Americans rely on Social Security for income, but the size of that monthly benefit isn't set in stone. Finding ways to increase your Social Security before you retire could help you set yourself up for a more stress-free retirement.

Your Social Security benefit is based on your highest 35 years of earnings. If you work fewer years, zeros get averaged in, which can significantly lower your monthly benefit.

Working a bit longer to add more years of income could replace lower-earning years and raise your average. Because many people earn more later in their career, even working part-time could potentially result in a big bump.

Social Security uses your income history to calculate your benefit, but only up to a certain limit ($176,100 in 2025). If you're in your peak earning years, finding ways to increase your income to this limit can maximize your benefit.

However, only the maximum is used to calculate your benefit, which means earning more than that won't help increase your Social Security payout later.

Periods of unemployment or stepping away from the workforce can reduce your average earnings, which may lower your Social Security benefit.

If you're considering a career break, aim to return to work before it significantly impacts your 35-year earnings window. Staying consistently employed can help maintain a strong earning record and improve your long-term benefit calculation.

Your Social Security benefit is based on your reported earnings, and even small errors in those reports could lead to a smaller payout down the road.

Review your earnings record each year through your mySocialSecurity account. If something is wrong (like a missing year or incorrect income), act quickly to fix it. The earlier you catch the error, the easier it is to correct it.

If you're earning more now than you did earlier in your career, working an extra year or two could pay off. That's because newer, higher-earning years might replace lower ones in your 35-year average, potentially raising your Social Security benefit.

This is especially true if there is a significant difference between what you're earning now and what you were earning 35 years ago. For example, replacing a $30,000 year with a $60,000 year could increase your monthly benefit by about $30–$50, or more, depending on how close you are to retirement and how many low-earning years are in your record.

If you're self-employed, it's your responsibility to report your income accurately to the IRS. Failing to do so can mean that those earnings don't appear in your Social Security record, which can lower your future benefit.

Be diligent about filing taxes and paying self-employment taxes to keep your benefits higher.

Your highest-earning years can have a major impact on your Social Security benefit. If you're earning more now than ever before, retiring early could cut short the chance to raise your lifetime average.

Instead, stay in the workforce during these high-earning years to replace the lower-earning years on your record, therefore increasing your future benefit. Even a year or two can make a big difference.

The standard IRS contribution limit for 401(k)s is $23,500 for 2025. This limit applies to employees under 50 years of age.

But once you turn 50, you're allowed to make catch-up contributions to retirement accounts like 401(k)s. These contributions reduce your taxable income, which can help lower your tax bill while still allowing you to qualify for Social Security credits.

In 2025, the catch-up contribution limit is $7,500. That means your total possible 401(k) contribution can be $31,000. It's a smart way to boost your retirement savings and build your Social Security record at the same time.

If your annual earnings are just shy of a higher benefit threshold, a few extra hours or side gigs could push you into a stronger position.

Sometimes, increasing your income by even a few thousand dollars in your high-earning years is enough to help raise your 35-year average. That added work now could mean a permanently higher benefit later.

If you're married, the way you and your spouse claim Social Security once retired could affect your total household income. While spousal benefits themselves cannot be claimed until you're at least 62, you can make important decisions ahead of time to coordinate how you'll time them to increase your long-term combined benefits.

For instance, consider having the lower earner claim earlier and the higher earner delay, as spousal benefits are based on the earner's full retirement benefit. Determining how spousal and survivor benefits may impact your retirement could help you make informed decisions about when to claim in the future.

You don't have to wait until retirement to influence your Social Security benefits. In fact, by that point, it's often too late. There are several steps you can take now to get ahead financially and potentially increase your benefit later.

With the average monthly Social Security benefit for retired workers sitting at just over $1,900 in 2025, every extra dollar you can earn or protect now could help ease the pressure of rising retirement costs, especially as health care and housing expenses continue to rise.