15 Ways to Get More Social Security

Don’t let the feds tax your benefits

You could lose a portion of your Social Security benefits to federal income tax, under a complex formula.

For example, if you and your spouse file taxes jointly, up to 85% of your benefits may be taxable. But that’s only if your adjusted gross income plus your nontaxable interest plus half of your combined Social Security equals $44,000 or more.

We told you it was complicated! Avoid the tax trap by working less in retirement, or by doing more advance planning. You might want to roll savings into a Roth IRA, because withdrawals from a Roth usually won’t count toward taxable income.