Social Security benefits provide financial support during retirement by replacing a portion of your pre-retirement income. However, the amount they cover of your earnings is not as high as you may expect, and this coverage has decreased over the years.
Here’s a breakdown of how Social Security will replace your pre-retirement income when you start claiming.
Initially, the Social Security benefits program established a specific “full retirement age” (FRA) of 65 years old. This era allowed individuals to retire, apply for Social Security, and receive their standard benefit. The typical benefit for individuals who claimed it at 65 was designed to cover approximately 40% of their income before retirement
Yet, in 1983, Social Security underwent changes, leading to a gradual shift in the full retirement age to a later time. For individuals born between 1943 and 1954, the full retirement age was increased to 66. It gradually rises every two months until reaching 67, which is the full retirement age for individuals born in 1960 or later.
With the alteration in FRA, the replacement rate has also been adjusted. Actually, based on data from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, an individual who worked throughout their adult life, earned an average income, and retired at 65 would have a replacement rate of approximately 37%.
Even though the decrease from the initial replacement rate of 40% may appear insignificant, it can still significantly affect the retirement and financial security of the millions who depend on Social Security as their main source of income.
Factors Affecting Social Security Replacement Rates at Full Retirement Age
For the average wage earner, the replacement rate is around 37%, but several factors can influence the amount of Social Security benefits that will replace your personal income. Certainly, a crucial aspect to consider is your personal career earnings.
For instance, if you decided to retire at the full retirement age of 66 and 8 months in 2024, here’s the replacement rate you can anticipate based on three different scenarios:
For an individual with minimal career earnings ($15,867 per year in 2022 dollars), the replacement rate would be approximately 78.9%.
An individual earning a medium-average income of $63,469 could potentially replace around 42.6% of their pre-retirement earnings.
An individual earning the maximum average income of $156,274 would typically replace approximately 28% of their pre-retirement earnings.
Individuals with higher incomes tend to replace a smaller percentage of their income due to the progressive nature of the Social Security benefits formula. Individuals with lower incomes receive a greater portion of their average wages when determining their benefits.
In reality, the shift to full retirement age will result in receiving less lifetime Social Security income. This is due to the need to either delay retirement (missing out on several months of benefits) to receive the standard benefit or opt for a reduced amount.
It’s important to be aware that Social Security may not provide enough income to support your lifestyle without additional savings. It’s important to start saving money in your 401(k), IRA, or other accounts as soon as possible to ensure financial security in the future.
