What Will My Social Security Benefits Be?

Your Social Security benefits in retirement are primarily dependent on the wages you get while working. The Social Security taxes deducted from your paycheck are based on that amount. If you’re still working and at retirement age, you can get benefits while earning other income. And depending on your age, you can also decrease and delay your Social Security payouts. The other important factors for determining Social Security benefits include inflation and the formula used by the Social Security Administration in its calculations.

Investopedia’s recent article asks “How Are Social Security Benefits Affected by Your Income?” The article explains how Social Security income is calculated—the more you earned while working, the higher the income benefit you get from Social Security. The government keeps track of your income from every year, and the part of your earned income subject to FICA taxes is used to determine your benefits in retirement.

WHAT WILL MY SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS BE?

If you paid into the Social Security system for more than 35 years, the Social Security Administration only uses the 35 highest earning years and won’t include any others in its formula. If you didn’t pay into the system for at least 35 years, a value of $0 is entered for all missing years. After you apply for benefits, these earnings are indexed and used to calculate a “primary insurance amount” that shows the maximum sum you’re eligible to receive after reaching full retirement age. The age when you begin getting benefits is also significant. As of 2018, the youngest age to receive benefits is 62. However, your benefits are reduced if you opt to get them that early. But if you take benefits prior to reaching full retirement age and continue to work, you may be able to delay some benefits to get higher payouts in the future. These days, many folks are working into or beyond retirement age. If you are earning an income while getting Social Security benefits, you may have some benefits withheld if you make up to a certain threshold. Until you reach full retirement age, earning more than the IRS income threshold decreases your benefits by $1 for every $2 earned in excess of the minimum. That money isn’t lost forever. Instead, your Social Security income is upped once you reach full retirement age. Under normal circumstances, your Social Security benefits aren’t taxable. But if your income while taking benefits is more than the maximum limits established by the IRS, your benefits will be partially taxable. Nonetheless, no one has to pay income taxes on more than 85% of benefits.

Reference: Investopedia (April 4, 2019) “How Are Social Security Benefits Affected by Your Income?”