Here's the Max Social Security Benefit at Age 67 -- and How to Get It

Most readers will reach their full retirement age at 67. And waiting that long to claim Social Security comes with some perks, including maxing out spousal benefits and avoiding the retirement earnings test if you're still working. Last year, the average 67-year-old received about $1,930 per month from Social Security, which would climb to about $1,984 after the annual cost-of-living adjustment earlier this year.

But some 67-year-olds are receiving a lot more. In fact, the max Social Security benefit at age 67 in 2026 is $4,207 per month. Here's how to get it.

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How to receive more than twice the average Social Security benefit at age 67

The 67-year-old maxing out Social Security in 2026 started down that path decades ago. That's because Social Security retirement benefits are based primarily on your earnings history.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) uses your total earnings from your 35 highest-earning years adjusted for inflation to calculate your benefit. Very high earners, though, might not see all of their wages count toward the calculation. That's because the SSA caps the level of wages subject to Social Security taxes every year. If you don't pay taxes on the wages, they don't count toward your benefit calculation.

Since there's a cap on taxable wages subject to Social Security taxes, there's also a cap on the maximum possible benefit a person can receive in retirement. The cap gets adjusted for inflation every year. This year's wage cap is $184,500.

A retiree who earned at or above the taxable wage cap every year for 35 years will be in line for a very high Social Security retirement benefit once they apply. The 67-year-old who wants to max out their benefits in 2026 had to do a couple of extra things, though.

First, they had to wait until reaching age 67 in 2026 to apply for benefits. While you become eligible for Social Security starting at age 62, your monthly benefit increases every month you wait to apply. You can even delay past your full retirement age and continue getting a monthly increase until you reach age 70.

The second factor is that they must have earned at or above the maximum taxable wages through last year. Due to the way the SSA adjusts prior wages for inflation, wages earned in your 60s often end up being worth more when calculating benefits than wages earned in prior years. So, the 67-year-old maxing out Social Security in 2026 didn't stop working until last year at the earliest.

The above factors can be valuable for workers considering retirement this year or in the near future. A few extra years of working in your 60s could result in a much higher benefit once you start Social Security, thanks to the potential of increasing your average wage and delaying the start of benefits.

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