Social Security: 3 Lesser-Known Moves That Could Hurt Your Benefits

There are several ways to maximize your Social Security benefits. From working a few more years to boosting your income to waiting until age 70 to file, the right strategy could help you earn hundreds of dollars more per month.

But it's equally important to know what to avoid if you're looking to make the most of your payments. While these three moves aren't necessarily wrong and can even be smart decisions in some cases, they could also reduce your monthly checks.

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1. Working during retirement

If you've started claiming Social Security and haven't yet reached your full retirement age , your benefits could be reduced, depending on your income.

Your wages will be subject to the retirement earnings test, which is essentially an income limit that will determine how much, if any, of your benefits will be withheld. There are two different limits, depending on whether you will or will not reach your full retirement age this year:

Source: Social Security Administration. Table by author.

In some cases, your checks could be reduced by hundreds of dollars per month. For example, say you're 65 years old with a full retirement age of 67 and you're earning $30,000 per year from your job. Since you won't reach your full retirement age this year, you'll be subject to the $22,320 annual limit. Your earnings are $7,680 over that limit, so your benefits would be reduced by $3,840 per year, or $320 per month.

Fortunately, these reductions are only temporary, and you'll receive an adjusted benefit starting at your full retirement age. But if your benefits are going to be a major source of income, these temporary cuts could sting.

2. Claiming before your full retirement age

Filing for benefits before your full retirement age will also reduce your checks each month, and these reductions will be permanent.

If you claim early, your benefits will be reduced by up to 30%. Except for annual cost-of-living adjustments , this benefit amount will be locked in for life after you file -- so you won't receive a boost in benefits at your full retirement age.

There are situations where claiming early makes sense , but be aware of the effect it will have on your benefits. The average retiree receives just $1,298 per month at age 62, according to the Social Security Administration. Comparatively, the average benefit at age 67 is $1,884 per month, and at age 70, it's $2,038 per month.

3. Getting married or divorced

If you're married or divorced, you could qualify for spousal or divorce benefits. While these types of benefits won't reduce any retirement payments you may qualify for based on your own work history, switching between spousal and divorce benefits could limit how much you're eligible to receive.

With both types of benefits, the maximum you can collect is 50% of the amount your spouse or ex-spouse is entitled to at their full retirement age. You must currently be married to receive spousal benefits, while you can't currently be married to qualify for divorce benefits. Also, to collect divorce benefits, your previous marriage must have lasted for at least 10 years.

In some cases, getting married or divorced could impact your monthly payment. For example, if you're currently married but get divorced after, say, nine years of marriage, you'll lose spousal benefits but also won't qualify for divorce benefits.

Similarly, say that you're currently divorced and your ex-spouse is receiving $3,000 per month from Social Security. That would result in you collecting $1,500 per month in divorce benefits. If you remarry and your new spouse is collecting $2,000 per month in benefits, however, you'll only be able to collect up to $1,000 per month in spousal benefits.

There's no right or wrong Social Security strategy, as the best moves for you will depend on your goals. But when you're aware of how these choices might affect your benefit amount, you can ensure you're making the right decisions for your retirement.

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