One option you may have is to get a single Social Security Lump Sum Payment that equals the equivalent of six months’ worth of retirement payments from Social Security.
Only those who have attained full retirement age regardless of filing for benefits are eligible for the lump-sum option. Additionally, for those who choose to accept it, their monthly benefit will be permanently reduced.
You can create a plan for collecting your benefits from Social Security with the assistance of a financial counselor. You may choose to get up to six months’ worth of benefit payments in one lump sum.
It is possible when time comes to apply for retirement benefits from Social Security from the Social Security Administration. Not all beneficiaries are eligible for these retroactive benefit payments.
And it’s not always financially prudent to pursue the lump sum payout. However, there are situations where it can be a smart strategy to optimize your Social Security income. Most persons can begin to claim Social Security’s old age retirement payments at age 62.
How Lump Sum Social Security Payments Work
One way to increase your monthly payout is to delay reaching full retirement age by a few years. The highest monthly benefit is yours if you wait till you are seventy years old. Benefits rise by 8% annually for those between the ages of 62 and 70.
You could be eligible to request up to six months’ worth of benefits to be paid in one lump amount once you’ve achieved full retirement age. You can ask for a cheque for the benefits you would have gotten if you had started claiming your monthly benefits as soon as you attained full retirement age in July.
For example, if you reach full retirement age in July but don’t start until the following January. You cannot retrospectively claim benefits if you are not yet past the full retirement age. You must also wait a minimum of six months after reaching full retirement age in order to get the entire six months’ value in a lump amount.
There could be a substantial lump amount. The average monthly Social Security payout in 2023 is $1,827. Theoretically, a person who opted to receive the full 6 months of retroactive payments could anticipate receiving a cheque for $10,962.
Lump Sum Benefits: Pros
1. The money will be sent to you immediately instead of being paid in small monthly installments over a number of years.
2. The lump money could be used to settle urgent financial obligations or pay off high-interest debt.
3. Should you not live sufficiently long to offset the shortfall with increased monthly benefits, your Social Security benefits would ultimately exceed what you would have received if you had not taken the lump sum.
4. It’s possible that you may invest the fund and earn substantial profits.
Lump Sum Benefits: Cons
1. Your benefit will be significantly reduced each month.
2. You could end up paying more in income tax for the year if the social security lump sum payment puts you in a higher tax bracket.
3. Your lump sum investment might not yield a larger return than the 8% yearly benefit boost you receive for delaying your claim.
Conclusion
If you wait to claim your Social Security payments until after reaching full retirement age, you can be eligible for up to six months’ worth of benefits. But this will mean that your monthly benefit is locked within the benefit for which you were qualified six months prior to filing a claim. These retroactive benefits are only available as a lump amount to those who have attained full retirement age. And they might only be justified if you are facing an immediate financial crisis or suffer from a medical issue that dramatically reduces your quality of life.