Want $3,000 a Month From Social Security? Here's How to Get It

Social Security helps tens of millions make ends meet in retirement. But the typical benefit doesn't come close to covering the needs of most retirees. With the average monthly retirement payment coming in at just $1,620, Social Security is a reasonable supplement but not something you can expect to live on by itself.

However, there are ways you can plan your career to generate more Social Security income. By picking the right combination of variables and with some hard work, you might be able to boost your expected monthly Social Security payment to $3,000 or more. That could get you a lot closer to being able to rely on the program for a sizable part of your retirement spending needs. Here's how to go about it.

There's a special number that determines your Social Security benefit . It's called the primary insurance amount, and it's largely a function of your earnings during your career. Social Security takes your 35 top-earning years and calculates an inflation-adjusted average of your monthly earnings. It then plugs that number into a formula based on your birth year.

Source Fool.com