The average retired worker gets about $2,000 per month from Social Security, but there are people who get more than that. A lot more.

In fact, the maximum possible Social Security benefit in 2025 is $5,108 per month, which equals $61,296 per year in inflation-protected retirement income. However, a very small percentage of retired workers get this much money, or even close to it.

To get the maximum Social Security benefit, you'll need to earn a certain amount of money while working in Social Security-covered employment. But as you'll see in a bit, even maximizing your income isn't enough all by itself.

Image source: Getty Images.

What salary do you need to maximize Social Security?

Each year, the Social Security Administration sets a number known as the "contribution and benefit base." This is the maximum amount of income that is subject to Social Security payroll tax, and it is also the maximum that can be considered when calculating your benefit.

For 2025, the contribution and benefit base is $176,100, so the short answer is that this is the salary you'll need to maximize Social Security.

However, one important fact for all American workers to know is that Social Security is based on your 35 highest-earning years. So not only do you need to earn more than the maximum wages in 2025, but you'll need to max out your income in 34 other years as well.

The contribution and benefit base rises with inflation over time, so the required salary was significantly lower in the past. But just for context, here's a quick look at the Social Security contribution and benefit base from certain years in the not-too-distant past.

Data source: Social Security Administration.

A high income alone isn't enough

Even if you max out your Social Security taxable income for 35 years, that isn't enough to get you the maximum benefit all by itself. In order to truly max out Social Security, you'll need to wait as long as possible to start collecting benefits.

Workers who qualify can choose to start their benefits at any point between ages 62 and 70, but the longer you wait, the more you'll get. If your full retirement age is 67, which it is for all workers born in 1960 or later, claiming at age 62 can permanently lower your benefit by 30%. On the other hand, waiting until 70 would make it 24% higher than it would be at full retirement age.

The bottom line

As you might imagine, it isn't practical for most people to max out Social Security. A small fraction of workers earn more than the taxable maximum in any single year, and very few manage to do it in 35 different years. And even though waiting until age 70 to claim Social Security will get you significantly more money, waiting as long as possible isn't a very popular claiming age. Most Americans claim Social Security early, and a very low percentage wait until 70.

The point is that relatively few people are even able to maximize their Social Security, and if you can't, that's ok. But knowing what information goes into your benefits puts you in an excellent position to make the best choices for you and your family's financial future as you prepare to navigate the Social Security process.