When I was 62 I applied for social security and told them I wanted to continue to work also. So now at the age of 70. I asked social security I would like to retire and get full benefits.They told me no that when I applied for social security at age 62 it was locked in.So the rest of my life till I die I will receive a monthly check for around $476.00 .Is this right?

Hi. Yes, except for cost of living (COLA) increases, you're probably stuck with your current benefit rate unless you can qualify for higher benefits on someone else's account (e.g. spousal or survivor benefits). When you become eligible for Social Security retirement benefits you can choose to start drawing your benefits any time between age 62 and age 70. The earlier you start drawing within that span of time, the lower your benefit rate is. It sounds like you opted to start your benefits as early as possible at your minimum potential monthly rate. .

If you start drawing Social Security retirement benefits any time between age 62 and your full retirement age (FRA), the reduction for age applied to your benefit rate is permanent unless some of your benefits are withheld due to Social Security's earnings test. You said that you continued working, but I don't know if your earnings were high enough for any of your benefits to have been withheld due to the earnings test. In any case, though, if any of your benefits were withheld then any benefit adjustment for which you'd be eligible should have occurred automatically sometime after you reached FRA.

The only other way that your Social Security retirement benefit rate could be increased is if your recent or future earnings are high enough to increase your benefit rate. 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 benefit rate if they're higher than one or more of the 35 years currently being used to calculate the person's benefit rate. If you're eligible for an benefit increase due to your earnings, Social Security should increase your rate automatically.

Best, Jerry