(over)

2021

Military Service and Social Security

Earnings for active duty military service or active duty 

training have been covered under Social Security 

since 1957.

Social Security has covered inactive duty service in 

the armed forces reserves (such as weekend drills) 

since 1988.

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 benefits and military 

retirement. Generally, there is no reduction of Social 

Security benefits because of your military retirement 

benefits. You’ll get your Social Security benefit based 

on your earnings and age you choose to start receiving 

benefits.

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 percent Social Security tax on up to $142,800 of 

your earnings. The Medicare tax rate is 1.45 percent on 

all wages, and high-income earners pay an additional 

0.9 percent on earnings above certain amounts.

How your work qualifies you for 

Social Security

To qualify for benefits, you must earn credits by working 

and paying Social Security taxes. The number of 

credits you need to qualify depends on your age and 

the type of benefit for which you’re eligible. In 2021, 

you receive one credit for each $1,470 of earnings, up 

to the maximum of four credits per year. The minimum 

amount of earnings needed to get credit for your work 

goes up each year. The maximum number of credits 

you can earn in one year is four. No one needs more 

than 10 years of work, or 40 credits.

Extra earnings

Your Social Security benefit depends on your earnings, 

averaged over your working lifetime. Generally, the 

higher your earnings, the higher your Social Security 

benefit. 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 qualify for Social Security or 

increase the amount of your Social Security benefit.

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 

Social Security.

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.

• From 1957 through 1967, we will add the extra 

credits to your record when you apply for Social 

Security benefits.

• 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 and applies only to 

active duty military service earnings from 1957 through 

2001.

From 1957 through 1977, you’re credited with $300 in 

additional earnings for each calendar quarter in which 

you received active duty basic pay.

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 Social Security 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.

NOTE: In all cases, the additional earnings are credited 

to the earnings that we average over your working 

lifetime, not directly to your monthly benefit amount.

SSA.gov Military Service and Social Security
Your benefits

In addition to retirement benefits, Social Security pays 

survivors benefits to your family when you die. You 

also can get Social Security benefits for you and your 

family if you become disabled. For more information 

about these benefits, read Understanding the Benefits

(Publication No. 05-10024).

If you became disabled while on active military 

service on or after October 1, 2001, visit 

www.ssa.gov/woundedwarriors to find out how you 

can receive expedited processing of your disability 

claim.

When you apply for Social Security benefits, 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 benefits may change or 

end when you become eligible for Medicare. You should 

contact the VA, the Department of Defense or a military 

health benefits advisor for more information.

You can work and get retirement benefits

You can retire as early as age 62. But if you do, your 

Social Security benefits will be permanently reduced. 

If you decide to apply for benefits before your full 

retirement age, you can work and still get some Social 

Security benefits. There are limits on how much you 

can earn without losing some or all of your retirement 

benefits. These limits can change each year. When 

you apply for benefits, we’ll tell you what the limits are 

at that time and whether work will affect your monthly 

benefits.

When you reach your full retirement age, we will not 

withhold your Social Security benefits, no matter how 

much you earn. If some of your retirement benefits 

were withheld due to your earnings, we will recalculate 

your benefit amount to give you credit for the months 

we reduced or withheld benefits 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 Social Security

The most convenient way to do business with us from 

anywhere, on any device, is to visit www.ssa.gov. 

There are several things you can do online: apply for 

benefits; get useful information; find 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 benefits. You can also print a 

benefit verification letter, change your direct deposit 

information, request a replacement Medicare card, 

get a replacement SSA-1099/1042S, and request 

a replacement Social Security card (if you have no 

changes and your state participates).

If you don’t have access to the internet, we offer many 

automated services by telephone, 24 hours a day, 7 

days a week. 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 7 a.m. 

to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. We ask for your 

patience during busy periods since you may experience 

a high rate of busy signals and longer hold times to 

speak to us. We look forward to serving you.

Social Security Administration

Publication No. 05-10017

January 2021 (Recycle prior editions)

Military Service and Social Security

Produced and published at U.S. taxpayer expense