Want Social Security's Maximum Benefit? It's Probably Off Limits for This Reason.

That benefit may be out of reach unless you were an extremely high earner throughout your career.

There are ways to make up for a benefit that's considerably smaller.

The average monthly retirement benefit paid by Social Security today is about $2,084. If that doesn't sound like a lot of money, well, it isn't. On an annual basis, it's about $25,000.

But some Social Security recipients get a much larger monthly check. In fact, the maximum possible Social Security benefit you can get in 2026 is $5,181. On an annual basis, that's a little more than $62,000.

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But while there are steps you can take to boost your Social Security benefits, snagging the program's maximum monthly paycheck may not be doable. Here's why, and what you can do instead.

Your monthly Social Security benefit in retirement is based on a couple of factors -- your wage history and your claiming age. You can file for Social Security at any point once you turn 62.

Your monthly benefits are yours to collect without a reduction once you reach full retirement age , which is 67 for anyone born in 1960 or later. If you delay your claim past full retirement age, your benefits get an 8% boost for each year you wait, until you turn 70. At that point, you might as well sign up, since waiting on Social Security won't help you financially.