How Much Is the Average Social Security Check?

What Is the Average Social Security Check? | Northwestern Mutual
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How Much Is the Average Social Security Check?
Glenn Kirst, CFP®, WMCP®, RICP®
Jan 12, 2026
Photo credit:
Gravity Images
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Key takeaways
According to data from the Social Security Administration , as of June 2025, the average monthly retirement benefit payment was $2,005.05 , which comes to about $22,327.68 per year.
Your Social Security benefit payment amount depends on many factors, like how much you made while you were working and when you begin taking Social Security.
Each year, your payment should go up as the Social Security Administration (SSA) makes cost-of-living adjustments to Social Security payments to account for inflation and rises in the cost of living.
You may be aware that Social Security is a benefit available to most people in retirement, but understanding how much you’ll get might feel like a slippery task. There are lots of factors that will influence your monthly benefit payment amount, and many of these factors can change before you reach retirement.
Having a general sense of what the average monthly Social Security payment is today can help provide a frame of reference as you consider this benefit and how it will compliment your financial future . Here, we’ll give you a brief overview of how Social Security works and today’s average payment amount.
What is Social Security?
Social Security is a benefit that provides a regular source of income from the government. It’s funded by payroll taxes collected from workers and employers, which are then stored in Social Security Trust Funds. These funds help provide retirement benefits, offering essential financial support during your post-work years. Social Security also extends its reach with disability and need-based benefits, supporting those unable to work due to health conditions or economic challenges. It can also offer survivor benefits, providing crucial assistance to family members of deceased workers to help ensure their financial stability.
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Different types of Social Security benefits
The payment amount can vary depending on what type of benefit it is. Here is how the Social Security Administration determines benefit payments for the different benefit types:
Social Security retirement benefits
The retirement component of Social Security is the aspect most people are familiar with, as it provides vital financial support during your post-working years. There is a good reason for this; 69 million Americans receive a Social Security benefit each year, and 78.5 percent of these are retirement benefits. The retirement benefit comes in the form of a monthly paycheck during your retirement years.
Benefit payments are calculated depending on what year you were born, when you begin taking retirement benefits and how much you made while you were working. Most people are eligible to begin taking Social Security as early as age 62; however, taking Social Security before the full retirement age (generally 67) permanently reduces your monthly benefit. Likewise, delaying taking Social Security increases your monthly benefit by 8 percent per year until you reach age 70. This is why when you choose to begin to take Social Security is an important factor in determining how much your monthly Social Security benefit payment will be. There are other factors that may also impact your benefit amount. These include:
Full Retirement Age (FRA): Your FRA determines the baseline for your benefit amount. Claiming before or after this age adjusts your monthly income.
Delayed Retirement Credits: Waiting beyond your FRA to claim can earn you credits, which may boost your benefit amount significantly.
Annual Inflation Adjustments: Cost-of-living adjustments may impact your benefits to keep up with inflation.
Social Security disability and need-based benefits
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits are available to “insured” individuals, meaning they have contributed to Social Security through former employment (before they were unable to work). The amount of the benefit payment (and payments to eligible family members) will be based on total income during the time of work.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is another benefit program available to individuals who have a disability and have demonstrated additional financial limits or people age 65 or older (without disabilities) who meet the financial requirements. SSI benefits depend on how much the beneficiary (or their family members if the beneficiary is a dependent) is making and how that compares to the SSI federal benefit rate. (It is possible to collect both SSDI benefits and SSI benefits concurrently.)
Social Security survivor benefits
Survivor benefits are available to certain family members of a deceased worker, typically including surviving spouses, children under 18 and, sometimes, dependent parents. Like retirement benefits, survivor benefits vary depending on how much the person who died earned before passing. The higher the income, the more was likely paid into Social Security and the higher the benefit payment is likely to be.
Survivor benefits will also vary depending on the beneficiary’s relationship to the deceased. Generally, a surviving spouse may be eligible to receive 75 or 100 percent of the deceased worker’s benefit amount, and a surviving child under 18 can collect 75 percent of the retirement benefit amount.
Average Social Security retirement payments
In June 2025, according to the Social Security Administration , the average monthly Social Security retirement benefit for a retired worker was $2,005.05 . But remember, your specific benefit payment amount will be specific to you and your situation. Whether you begin taking Social Security before, at or after the full retirement age can change this payment amount as well. Here’s a link to the full retirement age chart if you need help determining your full retirement age.
There is also a maximum amount you’re eligible to receive. In 2025, the maximum monthly retirement benefit available is $4,018 if you retire at age 70. If you retire at age 62 in 2025, the maximum benefit is $2,831.
Once retired workers begin to collect Social Security, their spouses and their dependent children may also be eligible to receive a benefit. Here are the average monthly payments for the family of retired workers:
Spouse of retired worker: $953.33
Children of reti…

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