Updated October 1, 2026. Quick answer: For a worker retiring in January 2026 after earning the maximum taxable amount every year since age 22, the Social Security Administration’s table shows a monthly benefit of $2,969 at age 62, $3,467 at 65, $3,752 at 66, $4,207 at 67 and $5,181 at 70. This page uses that one SSA definition of the maximum.
SSA’s 2026 maximum, by claiming age
| Retirement at age | Monthly benefit, retiring January 2026 |
|---|---|
| 62 | $2,969 |
| 65 | $3,467 |
| 66 | $3,752 |
| 67 | $4,207 |
| 70 | $5,181 |
SSA’s page, titled “Benefit Examples For Workers With Maximum-Taxable Earnings”, explains: “The initial benefit amounts shown in the table below assume retirement in January of the stated year, with maximum-taxable earnings since age 22.” It adds that “Retirement at age 70 produces the highest ratio of retirement benefit to AIME.” AIME is average indexed monthly earnings.
The same worker retiring a year earlier
| Retirement at age | Initial benefit, January 2025 | Initial benefit, January 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 62 | $2,831 | $2,969 |
| 65 | $3,374 | $3,467 |
| 66 | $3,795 | $3,752 |
| 67 | $4,043 | $4,207 |
| 70 | $5,108 | $5,181 |
These are the table’s own initial amounts for the 2025 and 2026 rows. At age 66 the 2026 figure is below the 2025 figure. SSA’s footnote says “Age 66 is the normal retirement age” only for people born in 1943 to 1954, and that for retirement in 2021 and later the monthly benefit at 66 is reduced for early retirement.
The earnings behind the maximum
The Federal Register notice of SSA’s 2026 determinations says the “Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) contribution and benefit base will be $184,500 for remuneration paid in 2026”. That is the most earnings counted for Social Security in 2026, and a worker at the maximum has earned the matching base in each past year. The notice also confirms “there will be a 2.8 percent cost-of-living increase in Social Security benefits effective December 2025”.
Which ages are full retirement age
SSA’s footnote says “Age 67 is the normal retirement age for people born in 1960 and later.” The table assumes retirement at exact age 67 in January of the stated year. Other published maximums use other definitions, such as full retirement age for the year; compare the definition before comparing the numbers.
Common mistakes
- Treating the table’s amount as what a typical worker receives. It is for maximum-taxable earnings every year since age 22.
- Comparing a maximum quoted at full retirement age with this table’s age 62, 65 or 70 figures.
- Assuming the maximum rises every year at a fixed rate. SSA reports each January’s row separately.
Related: the 2027 maximum benefit page, the 2027 COLA page, SSDI and early retirement at 62, and the 2026 retirement numbers hub.
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Sources
- Social Security Administration, Benefit examples for workers with maximum-taxable earnings: https://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/examplemax.html
- Social Security Administration, Cost-of-Living Increase and Other Determinations for 2026 (Federal Register notice): https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/11/03/2025-19763/cost-of-living-increase-and-other-determinations-for-2026
- The same Social Security Administration notice, as printed in the Federal Register (GovInfo PDF): https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2025-11-03/pdf/2025-19763.pdf
Sources: the primary documents linked above, read on October 1, 2026. General information, not tax advice. Your own facts decide the outcome, and a preparer, the plan administrator or the agency itself is the right place to confirm anything consequential.