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Key Takeaways
- Social Security calculates benefits using your 35 highest-earning years, and years with no income drag the average down.
- Replacing low-wage years with higher-earning years can lift your 35-year average and significantly increase your Social Security benefits.
- Checking your wage record at SSA.gov shows how many $0 years you have—and can help you decide the smartest year to retire.
Most people who earn paychecks and pay into Social Security know they’ll qualify for monthly benefits in retirement. Those benefits checks may not cover all of your expenses, but they can provide a reliable cushion for the rest of your life.
What many people don’t realize is how Social Security actually does the math. Your future benefits are not based on your lifetime earnings or just your most recent paychecks. Instead, the Social Security Administration uses your 35 highest-earning years to calculate an average annual wage—and that number determines your monthly payment.
If you’ve worked steadily for decades, this formula can work in your favor. Someone with 40 years of earnings, for example, will simply have their lowest five years dropped from the calculation.
But if you took time off to raise children, spent years unemployed, or had stretches out of the workforce for some other reason, those missing years don’t disappear—they show up as zeros in your record. And those $0 years can take a bigger bite out of your future benefits checks than you might expect.
Why This Matters to You
$0 wage years can significantly shrink your Social Security benefits—but knowing how many you have gives you the power to change your future income.
How Replacing Low-Wage Years With Higher Earnings Could Boost Your Retirement Income
Figuring out if your 35 best wage years include any $0 or low-wage entries is smart to do sooner rather than later. That’s because knowing this before you retire can help you identify the best year to stop working.
Say you’re 60 and still working. If your record shows seven years with no earnings, you might decide that retiring at 67 makes sense. Those seven extra years of wages would replace the zeros—and that can raise your average in a big way.
Suppose you have 28 years of wages averaging $40,000, and seven years with $0. Your 35-year average, including the zeros, would come out to $32,000.
But let’s say you’re able to keep working, and your current income is $60,000. If you add seven more years at that level, those earnings would replace the zeros and push your 35-year average up to $44,000.
This isn’t just a matter of wonky math—it translates directly into the size of your monthly Social Security income. The table below shows how different 35-year average wages translate into monthly benefits for someone retiring at 67 today.
| 35-Year Average Wage | Today’s Monthly Check Amount at Age 67 | Extra Annual Income vs. Previous Tier |
| $30,000 | $1,511 | — |
| $40,000 | $1,778 | $3,200 |
| $50,000 | $2,044 | $3,200 |
| $60,000 | $2,311 | $3,200 |
| $70,000 | $2,578 | $3,200 |
| $80,000 | $2,844 | $3,200 |
| $90,000 | $3,127 | $3,396 |
| $100,000 | $3,519 | $4,700 |
As you can see, boosting your 35-year average wage can turn into thousands of dollars more in income every year of retirement. That’s why spotting—and replacing—low-wage or $0 years can make such a big difference.
How To Check Your Wage Record To See If Working Longer Pays Off
The easiest way to check your official wage history is by creating or logging into your “my Social Security” account at SSA.gov. There, you can view your annual earnings record. Keep in mind this record is usually updated once a year, typically after you file your tax return for the prior year.
By reviewing your wage record today, you’ll see how many $0 or low-wage years are included in your 35-year average—and how many you might still be able to replace with higher-earning years. That insight can help you decide how much longer to work. And for those with gaps in their record, it could considerably increase the income you’ll receive in retirement.
The Bottom Line
Those blank years in your Social Security earnings record could be dragging down your future monthly check. Since benefits are calculated using your 35 highest-earning years, every $0 counts against you, potentially costing thousands in annual retirement income. The smart move? Check your wage history at SSA.gov now to see exactly how many zeros you’re carrying, if they correctly reflect your work history, and whether you want to adjust your future retirement plans.
