Social Security benefits are a lifeline for millions of retirees, so it can be a good idea to maximize them the best you can. The average retiree collects around $1,925 per month in benefits as of November 2024, but a few simple strategies could help boost your payments by hundreds of dollars per month.
Perhaps the easiest way to increase your benefit amount is to delay claiming. Every month you wait past age 62 will earn you larger checks, and those payments will max out at age 70.
But delaying benefits isn’t the only way to increase your monthly income, and there are a few lesser-known strategies that could help you earn more than you might think.
This post originally appeared at The Motley Fool.