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Medicare and Senior Benefits

Average Social Security Checks for Women by Age

Digilifetrends Published 3 min read
Social Security card surrounded by assorted U.S. dollar bills
Image source: Getty Images.

Key Points

  • The average monthly Social Security benefit for women is $1,872.43, or $409.85 below the $2,282.28 average for men.

  • A 3.6% cost-of-living adjustment in 2027 would raise the average benefit for a 70-year-old woman by about $73 a month, based on the current $2,024.08 average.

  • Women age 65 are expected to live about 21 more years, compared with about 18 more years for men.

Across every age group, women receive smaller average Social Security checks than men. The figures below show the monthly amounts as of the most recent data available and highlight how wide that gap is.

According to the Social Security Administration (SSA), women receive an average of $1,872.43 per month. That is $409.85 less than the $2,282.28 average monthly benefit for men.

Women’s and men’s benefits by age

The table below compares average monthly retirement benefits for ages 62 through 70. It shows the steady difference in payments between women and men.

Age

Women's average

Men's average

$1,285.50

$1,572.83

$1,300.20

$1,580.81

$1,342.07

$1,624.93

$1,457.40

$1,772.00

$1,629.09

$1,998.75

$1,801.82

$2,234.41

$1,836.58

$2,272.40

$1,876.96

$2,321.96

$2,024.08

$2,529.62

Why earnings history matters

The SSA calculates your benefit using the average of your highest-earning 35 years, with past wages adjusted for inflation before being run through the primary insurance amount, or PIA, formula. The long-standing difference between men’s and women’s benefits largely reflects lower lifetime earnings and fewer years in the paid workforce for many women.

Social Security is intended to replace only about 40% of pre-retirement income, which is usually not enough to cover all retirement expenses.

Full retirement age, or FRA, ranges from 66 to 67 depending on birth year, and it is 67 for anyone born in 1960 or later. Claiming at 62 reduces the monthly payment, while delaying until 70 earns delayed retirement credits worth 8% a year.

Even though women generally receive smaller checks, those payments often need to last longer. A woman age 65 is expected to live about 21 more years, while a man that age is expected to live about 18 more years, according to the SSA. That means the average woman’s retirement income may need to stretch for roughly three additional years.

A 3.6% cost-of-living adjustment will help benefits keep up with inflation. For a 70-year-old woman receiving the average $2,024.08 benefit, that increase would add about $73 per month. The difference is largest at the oldest ages shown in the table, and many women also rely on spousal or survivor benefits.

Spousal and survivor benefits may be higher

The figures above focus on retired workers, but many women receive spousal or survivor benefits based on a partner’s earnings record. In some cases, those benefits can pay more than a benefit earned on their own record.

Spousal benefits are available while a spouse is living and can be worth up to one-half of what the spouse qualifies for at full retirement age. You can only receive them once your spouse has claimed retirement benefits.

Survivor benefits are paid after a spouse dies and can be worth up to 100% of what the spouse was eligible for or already receiving at death. You receive whichever benefit is larger, as long as it exceeds your own retirement benefit.

For details on eligibility and potential benefit amounts, contact the Social Security Administration.

For more on how Social Security affects retirement, see this guide.

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