Social Security Q & A- I am 45 and plan to work for 20

I am 45 and plan to work for 20 years. I've been told that my Social Security benefit is based on my highest 5 years of earnings, so why are my past earnings important?

Social Security does not compute a benefit based on the highest five years. For workers born after 1928, Social Security uses the best 35 years of the worker's earnings. For more information on how benefits are computed, Social Security suggests you read their publication, How Your Retirement Benefit Is Figured.

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