I have received benefits for over ten years I also work full time now and during that entire ten years but my benefits have only seen cola increases should I be getting increased benefits

Hi,

Social Security retirement benefits are based on an average of a person's highest 35 years of Social Security covered wage-indexed earnings, so additional years of earnings only increase a person's rate if the earnings are higher than one or more of the 35 years currently being used to calculate the person's benefit rate. Therefore, I can't tell you whether or not your benefit rate should have increased without knowing your full earnings history.

Social Security is supposed to automatically recalculate a person's benefit rate following any year in which they had earnings that were high enough to increase their benefit rate. So, you shouldn't need to do anything to receive any benefit increases that you might be due. However, you can submit a written request for a manual recomputation of your benefit rate, and if you do so you should include proof of your most recent year of earnings (e.g. W-2 for wages, tax schedule SE for self-employment).

Best, Jerry