I didn't do anything but work all of my life and pay taxes. The SS Administration determined what my payment would be based upon my income over my work years.
The following is based upon hearsay conversations and may not be exactly correct. The SS Admin looks at either your top 5 income years or maybe it is 10. They compare that as a percent of the maximum earnings subject to SS.
I maxed out a number of years in the late 1960's and early 1970 when that number was much smaller. I didn't max out in the last two decades of my work.
I may be drawing the maximum amount for someone who retired at age 62, but I am not certain. A call to your local SS office might result in the answer, although when I was signing up, the clerks didn't seem to know much about anything.
Secondly, a few months shy of 62 years old, I was the oldest person of about a dozen folks in the room. I was the only one signing up for retirement benefits. The others were signing up their kids for Aid to Dependent Children and phony medical disabilities.
I have submitted formal requests several times since then to my Congressman asking, "What percent of SS outlays go to retirees at least 62 years old and what percent go to younger people for various reasons"? I have never received a response.
...and I'll bet you my next SS retirement check that you never will.