You don’t have to need Social Security benefits to collect them.
Every eligible American can collect benefits at retirement, and that includes millionaires. In 2010, 47,535 millionaires received Social Security benefits totaling $1.438 billion. The maximum benefit is $2,533 a month, or $30,396 a year.
The median income of all Social Security recipients 65 or older is $26,000; 27 percent of recipients have income of less than $15,000.
People who earn higher salaries in their working years benefit more from Social Security.
The higher the payroll tax contribution, the greater the benefits at retirement.