If I Could Tell All Retirees 1 Thing About Social Security, I'd Say to Do This Before You Claim Benefits

An estimated 69 million Americans will receive a monthly Social Security check in 2025. While the average adult age 65 and older relies on these benefits for close to one-third of their income, according to data from the Social Security Administration, many Americans depend on Social Security almost exclusively in retirement.

Ideally, it's wise to have a plan in place before you file to help maximize your monthly income. Although there's no one-size-fits-all solution for increasing your payments, there is one thing I'd highly recommend every person do before claiming: Make sure you know all the types of benefits you might qualify for.

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Lesser-known types of Social Security

Most people who qualify for Social Security will receive retirement benefits. You become eligible for this type of benefit once you've worked and paid taxes for at least 10 years, and you also must be at least 62 years old to begin claiming.

But even if you already qualify for retirement benefits, there are other types of Social Security you might be eligible for, too.

• Spousal benefits: You must currently be married to someone who qualifies for either retirement or disability benefits to receive spousal Social Security. If you're eligible, you could earn up to 50% of your spouse's benefit at their full retirement age.
• Divorce benefits: These are similar to spousal benefits, except you cannot currently be married, and your previous marriage must have lasted for at least 10 years. If you've been divorced for less than two years, you'll also need to wait to file until your ex-spouse begins taking benefits. Like with spousal benefits, your max payment is 50% of your ex-spouse's full benefit amount.
• Survivors benefits: If your spouse passes away, you may be entitled to 100% of their benefit amount in survivors benefits. While these are typically reserved for widowed spouses, they're also sometimes available for other family members -- like financially dependent parents, children, or ex-spouses.

You could receive any of these types of Social Security whether or not you qualify for retirement benefits. Even if you've never worked, you can still potentially collect benefits based on a family member's work record.

One important caveat to consider

If you are entitled to retirement benefits based on your work history, you can still receive spousal, divorce, or survivors benefits -- but only in certain circumstances.

Whether or not you qualify will depend on your retirement benefit as well as the amount you could receive from other types of Social Security. If your retirement benefit is higher, that will disqualify you from collecting other benefits. If it's lower, you'll receive the equivalent of the higher amount.

For example, say you could receive $1,000 per month in retirement benefits, and your spouse will collect $3,000 per month. In this case, your maximum spousal benefit would be $1,500 per month. The Social Security Administration will pay out your $1,000 monthly payment first, then you'll receive an additional $500 per month in spousal benefits.

If you were collecting, say, $2,000 per month in retirement benefits, that would be higher than your maximum spousal benefit -- disqualifying you from that benefit entirely.

Your age will still affect your benefit amount

Like with retirement benefits, exactly how much you'll receive will depend on what age you file. You can generally begin claiming as early as age 62, but filing before your full retirement age -- which is between ages 66 and 67, depending on your birth year -- will permanently reduce your benefit amount.

Unlike retirement benefits, though, waiting until after your full retirement age to take spousal, divorce, or survivors benefits will not increase your payments further. Also, survivors benefits, specifically, may have different benefit limits depending on your relation to the deceased and how many people are claiming on that person's record.

The average spouse or ex-spouse of a retired worker collects around $947 per month from Social Security, as of March 2025, while the average nondisabled widow(er) receives roughly $1,861 per month. These payments can go a long way for many people, so before you file, it's wise to ensure you're collecting every type of benefit possible.

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