How Much Is Barack Obama’s Social Security Check?

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Former president Barack Obama recently turned 64 years old, and, like many of his contemporaries, may be thinking about taking Social Security benefits. But how much will the former president receive in his check each month?

Here’s what you need to know about how much Barack Obama’s Social Security check could be.

Do Former Presidents Get Social Security Benefits?

The first question is whether the former president is entitled to Social Security benefits at all. The answer to this is yes, as long as he worked for at least 10 years (40 quarters) at jobs at which he paid into Social Security. Since he was president for eight years and a U.S. senator for four years before that, he qualifies.

How Much Will President Obama Receive?

As with any other worker, the amount the former president will receive in Social Security benefits depends on two factors: His earnings and his age when he begins collecting benefits. Let’s look at these two factors in more detail.

President Obama’s Earnings

When calculating a Social Security benefit, the formula uses the worker’s highest-earning 35 years, and indexes that to the average national wage to account for wage inflation. As president, Obama earned $400,000 per year, from 2009 to 2016. Prior to that, he was a U.S. senator, a position that earned him $165,200 in 2007. Since leaving the presidency, Obama has collected a pension of $207,800 per year and has earned $400,000 or more for a single speaking engagement, according to the National Taxpayers Union Foundation.

The amount of income that is subject to Social Security tax, and therefore the amount that is considered when benefits are calculated, is capped. The cap is currently $176,100, per the Social Security Administration (SSA). Any earnings about $176,100 are not subject to Social Security tax.

It’s safe to assume that the amount used to calculate President Obama’s Social Security benefit is equal to that cap.

Barack Obama’s Retirement Age

Barack Obama was born in 1961, so his full retirement age (FRA) is 67, according to SSA rules. If he begins collecting Social Security benefits prior to age 67, he will receive a reduced benefit. If he delays receiving benefits until age 70, his benefit at FRA will grow by 8% per year for each of the three years he waits.

President Obama’s Potential Social Security Benefit

Given what we know about Obama’s salary as a senator and as president, and the income he is likely making now, it’s safe to say that he will receive the maximum Social Security benefit once he decides to begin collecting.

The maximum benefit you collect depends on the age you retire, and it’s unclear when that will be for Obama. We do know what that amount is today, however, so we can estimate what he might receive.

For someone who retires at full retirement age in 2025, the maximum benefit would be $4,018 per month. Someone who is eligible for the maximum benefit, but who retires at age 62 in 2025, would receive $2,831 per month. For someone who retires at age 70 in 2025, the maximum benefit would be $5,108 per month, according to the SSA.

Each of these amounts will increase each year by a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), which varies from year to year. The cost-of-living adjustment in 2024 was 2.5%, but it has been as high as 14.3% and as low as 0% since 1975.

Are you surprised at the amount of Barack Obama’s Social Security benefit? Did you think it would be higher? Because the benefit maxes out in the same way that earnings subject to Social Security tax max out, the highest possible Social Security benefit may be less than you think.

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