Why Wealthy Retirees Are Draining Their 401(k) Early to Lock In a Bigger Social Security Check at 70

A 63-year-old with $1.4 million in a traditional 401(k) who delays Social Security to 70 can collect $3,720 per month instead of $3,000 at full retirement age. The math looks compelling on the surface, but funding that delay through 401(k) withdrawals creates a tax problem that can quietly erode much of the gain.

The Benefit Gap Compounds Over Time

For a high earner whose full retirement age benefit is $3,000 per month at 67, waiting until 70 produces $3,720 per month. That works out to $44,640 per year versus $36,000 at full retirement age, a gap of $8,640 annually. In nominal terms, the difference accumulates to $86,400 over a decade before any cost-of-living adjustments are counted. Social Security COLAs track the CPI-W index, with the 2026 adjustment confirmed at 2.8%. Each annual COLA applied to a larger base benefit produces more dollars in absolute terms, so the financial advantage of delaying widens further with every passing year.

The Senior Citizens League now projects the 2027 COLA at 3.5%, revised down from an earlier 3.8% estimate as inflation data moderated through the summer. The official 2027 COLA will be announced by the Social Security Administration on October 14. If the 3.5% projection holds, it would be the highest adjustment in four years, and a higher base benefit would deliver meaningfully more in added income. Separately, the 2026 Social Security Trustees Report projects the retirement-only OASI trust fund will reach insolvency in the fourth quarter of 2032. At that point, absent congressional action, the program could pay only about 78% of scheduled benefits, representing an automatic 22% benefit cut across the board. The theoretically combined OASDI trust funds, which include disability insurance, are projected to run dry by 2034. Both timelines add urgency to decisions about when to claim and how to structure retirement income.

A retiree who delays from 62 to 70 typically breaks even versus early claiming at around age 80 to 81. According to Social Security Administration data, the average 65-year-old man can now expect to live to about 84, and the average woman to about 87. For anyone in reasonable health, the odds of outliving that break-even point are quite good. Financial planning experts have cautioned that the break-even frame can oversimplify the decision. For married couples in particular, the higher earner’s delay permanently lifts the survivor benefit, a factor that pure break-even math tends to ignore.

Using the 401(k) as a Bridge Reduces RMDs

Drawing the 401(k) down from 62 to 70 to cover living expenses funds the bridge period without requiring Social Security, and it shrinks the account balance subject to required minimum distributions starting at age 73.

Consider a $1.4 million 401(k) at 62, drawn at $60,000 per year for eight years while the remaining balance earns 5% annually. By age 70, that account carries a smaller balance than one left untouched. The smaller balance produces smaller RMDs, which means less ordinary income forced into the tax calculation each year after 73. The withdrawals replace income the retiree would have needed anyway, reducing the taxable account balance without triggering a separate conversion event.

The Tax Cascade That Derails the Strategy

The bridge-withdrawal approach works cleanly only if annual 401(k) draws stay below two critical thresholds.

The first is the Social Security combined income threshold. Once provisional income (adjusted gross income plus half of Social Security) exceeds $34,000 for single filers or $44,000 for joint filers, up to 85% of Social Security benefits become taxable. During the bridge years before Social Security begins, this is not a concern. At 70, however, when both RMDs and the larger Social Security benefit arrive simultaneously, combined income can push well into taxable territory.

The second threshold is IRMAA. Because Medicare uses a two-year MAGI lookback, a large 401(k) withdrawal at 65 affects Medicare premiums at 67. The 2026 IRMAA surcharge for a single filer begins at $109,000 in MAGI and adds roughly $1,150 per person per year at Tier 1 (Part B and Part D combined), rising to nearly $7,000 per person per year at the top tier. The standard Part B premium stands at $202.90 per month in 2026, and IRMAA layers on top of that. Keeping annual 401(k) draws below the first IRMAA threshold preserves the standard premium. Crossing it by even $1 triggers the full Tier 1 surcharge for the entire year rather than a gradual increase, a cliff that catches many retirees off guard.

The Spousal Coordination Angle

A lower-earning spouse can claim Social Security early at 62 to provide household income while the higher earner delays until 70, maximizing the couple’s combined lifetime benefit. That structure also reduces the 401(k) draw required during the bridge period, since one Social Security check already covers part of household expenses. The household retains guaranteed income regardless of portfolio performance, which matters most if markets struggle during the delay window.

With the 10-year Treasury yield near 4.96% in September 2026, the highest level since late 2023, intermediate fixed income can anchor the bridge portfolio while equities continue to grow. For income-oriented exposure, Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (NYSEARCA:SCHD) currently yields approximately 3%, while JPMorgan Equity Premium Income ETF (NYSEARCA:JEPI) yields approximately 7.8% through a covered-call strategy. The two funds serve very different income goals. JEPI’s distribution has been trending lower over time as option premiums fluctuate with market volatility, and one critical distinction is that its payouts are largely taxed as ordinary income rather than at the lower qualified-dividend rate. That tax treatment makes JEPI better suited to a tax-deferred account during the bridge period, where the ordinary income classification carries no immediate cost.

Three Steps Worth Taking Now

1. Pull your Social Security statement at ssa.gov and calculate the exact monthly benefit at 62, 67, and 70. The difference between your full retirement age benefit and your age-70 benefit is the annuity you are purchasing with each year of delay. Compare that implicit return against what your 401(k) is likely to earn.
2. Model your projected MAGI during bridge years using your expected 401(k) draw. If that figure approaches $109,000 for a single filer or $218,000 for a married couple filing jointly, the IRMAA surcharge two years later is a real cost that needs to be factored into the math. A fee-only advisor can run this calculation with full income projections.
3. Check whether a spousal coordination strategy applies. If one spouse has a substantially lower earnings record, early claiming for that spouse while the higher-earning spouse delays can reduce portfolio dependency during the bridge period and permanently increase the survivor benefit.

Editor’s note: This update revises the Senior Citizens League’s 2027 COLA projection to 3.5%, reflecting the group’s most recent forecast; updates the 10-year Treasury yield to approximately 4.96% based on September 2026 data; adjusts the SCHD distribution yield to approximately 3% and the JEPI yield to approximately 7.8% to reflect current figures; clarifies that the 2026 Social Security Trustees Report’s Q4 2032 insolvency date applies to the OASI retirement trust fund specifically, with the combined OASDI funds projected to run dry by 2034, and that insolvency would trigger an automatic 22% benefit cut absent congressional action.

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