Social Security: You Don't Need 35 Years — A Strategy for Working Hard for 10 Years and Collecting at 70

You only need to earn 40 credits to qualify. The question is, "How smartly can you earn them?"

When Social Security comes up, everyone says, "You have to work for 35 years," but that's only half true.

The SSA takes the highest earning 35 years of your life and averages them.

But what if you've only worked for 10 years? The remaining 25 years would count as $0.

Of course, that would lower your average. But there's something important here.

The benefit formula for Social Security is designed to be progressive, meaning the ROI on the initial contributions is overwhelmingly high.

Understanding this changes the game.

The Bend Point is Key

As of 2025, there are two bend points.

The first returns 90% up to an AIME of $1,226, and the second range from $1,226 to $7,391 returns 32%, while anything above that only returns 15%.

In simple terms, you get back almost all of what you initially earned, but the more you earn, the lower the percentage you get back.

This is important because even if you only work for 10 years, you can comfortably exceed the first bend point and reach the middle of the second range.

Let's Look at the Numbers

The Social Security taxable maximum for 2025 is $176,100.

If you earned above this amount for 10 years, your 35-year average (AIME) would be about $4,193.

The remaining 25 years would be $0. Plugging this into the formula gives a PIA (monthly benefit at Full Retirement Age) of about $2,053.

If you wait until age 70, a delayed retirement credit of 24% would apply, bringing it to about $2,546 per month. Annually, that's about $30,500.

For reference, someone who maxed out for 35 years would receive $5,108 at age 70.

This means you could receive nearly half of that amount by working just 10 years.

Working an additional 25 years would yield diminishing marginal returns on the extra amount received.

This is the nature of the progressive formula.

The Strategy is This

Maintain an annual salary of over $176,100 for 10 years to secure 40 credits.

Even if you earn more, it won't affect the credit calculation due to the SS tax cap. $176,100 is sufficient.

For senior professionals, this is not a difficult figure to achieve. The next steps are straightforward.

If you claim at 62, you'll see a 30% reduction; at 67 (FRA), you'll receive 100%, and at 70, you'll get 124%.

If you're confident in your health, definitely wait until 70. Where else can you find an investment that increases benefits by 8% each year?

Honestly, planning retirement solely on Social Security is unwise.

However, the strategy of working hard for 10 years to secure credits, while investing and running a business until claiming at 70, is a realistic option for those seeking maximum value.

In short, you don't need to fill the full 35 years. Ten years can yield a significantly meaningful amount.

Just make sure that those 10 years are reported accurately, exceeding your maximum income.