The Average Social Security Check Is $2,086 in 2026. Here’s How Yours Stacks Up

The average Social Security benefit for retired workers in 2026 is $2,086 per month, or roughly $25,000 per year.

Delaying your claim past full retirement age (67) boosts monthly benefits by 8% per year, up to age 70.

Working part-time in retirement can replace $0 income years in your 35-year earnings history, raising your monthly benefit.

There are millions of older Americans today who collect benefits from Social Security. And for some people, those benefits represent all of their retirement income.

If you're already retired, you may be wondering how your Social Security checks compare to the average. And if you're not yet retired, you may be wondering if there's anything you can do to boost your Social Security benefits. Here's the scoop.

What the average Social Security check looks like today

Today's average Social Security benefit for retired workers is $2,086. On an annual basis, that's about $25,000.

If you're a retiree who collects a larger benefit than that, it may be that you were a higher earner during your career or that you waited to file for benefits.

Social Security becomes available starting at age 62. But your benefits are reduced if you file prior to full retirement age (FRA), which is 67 for people born in 1960 or later.

You can also grow your Social Security benefits by delaying your claim past FRA. Each year you wait gives your monthly checks an 8% increase, up until age 70.

How to score a larger Social Security benefit

If you're already retired and see that your monthly Social Security check is well below the average benefit, there may actually be steps you can take to get more money each month.

First, if you didn't have a 35-year work history prior to claiming benefits, working part-time in retirement could lead to larger checks. That's because Social Security takes your 35 highest-paid years of earnings into account when calculating your benefits.

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If you have missing years of income within that 35-year timeframe, a $0 gets factored in for each year that's devoid of earnings. So if you can replace some $0 income years with part-time wages even once you've started collecting Social Security, you can potentially boost your checks.