Payments from the Social Security Administration are available to all workers in the United States. However, two essential requirements must be met before any of the age retirement checks can be cashed. Any citizen who does not meet these two requirements will not be able to apply for Social Security benefits.
Disability benefits, on the other hand, are different. This other type of Social Security check has different and totally personal conditions. For that reason, we are going to talk only about retirement benefits. The Administration has announced from the beginning that these two requirements are mandatory.
That is to say, without these two requirements, no United States citizen can access a Social Security check for old age retirement. It is different if we are looking for a higher or lower retirement check. The important thing in these cases is to access the retirement benefit. If we want to maximize the monthly check, we must meet other requirements. Do you meet the requirements to access the retirement check?
The two requirements to apply for Social Security retirement benefits
These two requirements are mandatory. This means that no one who does not meet them can get a monthly retirement check. So if you are thinking about retiring in the future, you must meet the following requirements:
- Be 62 years old.
- Have worked a minimum of 10 years.
As for the minimum age, retiring at 62 means applying for Early Retirement Age. This may not be enough for many citizens. The retirement age has a huge influence on the monthly check we will receive during retirement. And that is why many citizens prefer to wait a few more years before retiring.
On the other hand, the minimum years worked are 10, but they do not have to be consecutive. We can work two years on one occasion and then work 8 years on another occasion. The important thing is to contribute during those years of work in order to get Social Security. If we don’t work and pay taxes, we can’t get a monthly check.
Even so, the maximum benefit of $4,555 per month in 2023 is unattainable if our retirement has these characteristics. To get the biggest possible check we must attend to three elements:
- Work for 35 years.
- Having a large salary during your working years.
- Apply for Social Security retirement at age 70.
Although it is true that if we ask for the retirement check at 67 years of age we will obtain a benefit of 100% of the money contributed, we will not be able to obtain the maximum. The only way to reach the maximum Social Security check is to retire at age 70 after having worked for 35 years with a large salary.