(over)
Military Service and Social Security
2024
Earnings for active duty military service or active
duty training have been covered under Social
Security since 1957.
If you served in the military before 1957, you
didn’t pay Social Security taxes, but we gave you
special credit for some of your service.
You can get both Social Security benets and
military retirement benets. Generally, there is no
reduction of Social Security benets because of
your military retirement benets. You’ll get your
Social Security benet based on your earnings
and the age you choose to start receiving benets.
Social Security and Medicare taxes
While you’re in military service, you pay Social
Security taxes, just as civilian employees do. You
currently pay a 6.2% Social Security tax on up
to $168,600 of your earnings. The Medicare tax
rate is 1.45% on all wages. High-income earners
pay an additional 0.9% on earnings above certain
amounts.
How your work makes you eligible for
Social Security
To become eligible for benets, you must earn
credits by working and paying Social Security
taxes. The number of credits you need to become
eligible depends on your age and the type of
benet for which you’re applying. In 2024, you
receive 1 credit for each $1,730 of earnings, up to
the maximum of 4 credits per year. The amount of
earnings needed to get credit for your work goes
up each year. No one needs more than 10 years
of work, or 40 credits
Extra earnings
Your Social Security benet depends on your
earnings, averaged over your working lifetime.
Generally, the higher your earnings, the higher
your benet. Under certain circumstances, special
earnings can be credited to your military pay
record for Social Security purposes. The extra
earnings are for periods of active duty or active
duty for training. These extra earnings may help
you become eligible for Social Security or increase
the amount of your Social Security benet.
If you served in the military after 1956, you paid
Social Security taxes on those earnings. Since
1988, inactive duty service in the armed forces
reserves (such as weekend drills) has also been
covered by us.
Under certain circumstances, special extra earnings
for periods of active duty from 1957 through
2001 can also be credited to your Social Security
earnings record. If you were on active duty:
• From 1957 through 1967, we will add the
extra credits to your record when you apply for
Social Security benets.
• From 1968 through 2001, you don’t need to
do anything to receive these extra credits. The
credits were automatically added to your record.
• After 2001, there are no special extra earnings
credits for military service.
The information that follows explains how
you can get credit for special extra earnings.
This applies only to active duty military service
earnings from 1957 through 2001.
If you were on active duty from 1957 through
1977, you’re credited with $300 in additional
earnings for each calendar quarter in which you
received active duty basic pay.
If you were on active duty from 1978 through
2001, for every $300 in active duty basic pay,
you’re credited with an additional $100 in earnings
up to a maximum of $1,200 a year. If you enlisted
after September 7, 1980, and didn’t complete at
least 24 months of active duty or your full tour, you
may not be able to receive the additional earnings.
Check with us for details.
If you served in the military from 1940 through
1956, you didn’t pay Social Security taxes, but we
gave you special credit for some of your service.
SSA.gov
Military Service and Social Security
NOTE: In all cases, the additional earnings are
credited to the earnings that we average throughout
your working lifetime, not directly to your monthly
benet amount.
Your benets
In addition to retirement benets, we pay survivors
benets to your family when you die. You also
can get benets for you and your family if you
develop a disability. For more information about
these benets, read Understanding the Benets
(Publication No. 05-10024).
If you developed a disability while on active duty
military service on or after October 1, 2001, visit
www.ssa.gov/woundedwarriors to nd out how
you can receive expedited processing of your
disability claim.
When you apply for Social Security benets,
you’ll be asked for proof of your military service
(DD Form 214) or information about your Reserve
or National Guard service.
When you are eligible for Medicare
If you have health care insurance from the
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) or under the
TRICARE or CHAMPVA program, your health
benets may change or end when you become
eligible for Medicare. You should contact the VA,
the Department of Defense, or a military health
benets advisor for more information.
You can work and get
retirement benets
You can retire as early as age 62. But if you do,
your Social Security benets will be permanently
reduced. If you decide to apply for benets before
your full retirement age, you can work and still get
some Social Security benets. There are limits on
how much you can earn without losing some or all
your retirement benets. These limits can change
each year. When you apply for benets, we’ll tell
you what the limits are at that time and whether
work will affect your monthly benets.
When you reach your full retirement age, we
will not withhold your Social Security benets,
no matter how much you earn. If some of your
retirement benets were withheld due to your
earnings, we will recalculate your benet amount
to give you credit for the months we reduced or
withheld benets due to your excess earnings.
The full retirement age is 66 for people born from
1943 through 1954, and it will gradually increase
to age 67 for those born in 1960 and later. To
help you decide the best time to retire, read
Your Retirement Checklist (Publication No. 05-
10377).
Contacting Us
The most convenient way to do business with us
is to visit www.ssa.gov to get information and use
our online services. There are several things you
can do online: apply for benets; start or complete
your request for an original or replacement
Social Security card; get useful information; nd
publications; and get answers to frequently asked
questions.
When you open a personal my Social Security
account, you have more capabilities. You can
review your Social Security Statement, verify your
earnings, and get estimates of future benets. You
can also print a benet verication letter, change
your direct deposit information (Social Security
beneciaries only), and get a replacement SSA-
1099/1042S. Access to your personal my Social
Security account may be limited for users outside
the United States.
If you don’t have access to the internet, we offer
many automated services by telephone, 24 hours
a day, 7 days a week, so you may not need to
speak with a representative.
If you need to speak with someone, call us toll-
free at 1-800-772-1213 or at our TTY number,
1-800-325-0778, if you’re deaf or hard of hearing.
A member of our staff can answer your call from
8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. We
provide free interpreter services upon request. For
quicker access to a representative, try calling early
in the day (between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. local time)
or later in the day. We are less busy later in the
week (Wednesday to Friday) and later in the
month.
Social Security Administration
Publication No. 05-10017
January 2024 (Recycle prior editions)
Military Service and Social Security
Produced and published at U.S. taxpayer expense
