Before applying for the Social Security Administration’s Age Retirement Benefit, any resident of the United States has to check several things. This is because there are several fundamental requirements to apply for this type of retirement. Therefore, we cannot expect any citizen to apply for one of these benefits without meeting these requirements. But not only is it mandatory to meet the requirements, but it is also a good idea to control the amount of money we will receive in checks.
With good planning, starting to collect a Social Security pension is much better. If we do not plan ahead for our retirement, we may end up with a check that is insufficient or too low. Also, keep in mind that the Social Security check should not be the only source of income. Any 401(K) or IRA pension plan is also a good idea to supplement your monthly checks.
How do I check my Social Security earning record?
Performing this task is very simple thanks to the new Social Security website. The Administration has simplified all the processes to follow. So you simply have to access the earning records section and enter all the data requested. This way you will be able to know what your earning records are and start calculating what your SSA check will be in the future.
In addition, the Social Security website offers two options for earning records:
- Through the website itself.
- By submitting the earning records form.
Either of these two ways is valid to finally know the result. So it doesn’t matter which one you use, although doing it through the Social Security website will speed up the process a lot.
How to increase the pension check?
Calculating the earning records is fundamental to begin to know the Social Security check that we will have in the future. But to increase that check there are three fundamental things we can do:
- Delay the retirement check.
- Work for 35 years
- Have a high salary as a worker
By maximizing these three aspects we will have a larger Social Security check. On the other hand, we must also remember that to start collecting the check it is necessary to be 62 years old and to have worked for at least 10 years.
If we do not fulfill these last two requirements, it is impossible to get a Social Security check in the age retirement category. The SSA disability category is different, since it has different requirements.