(over)

2020

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 full Social Security benefit 

based on your earnings.

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 $137,700 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 2020, you’ll 

receive four credits if you earn at least $5,640. 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, including attendance at a service academy, 

you didn’t pay Social Security taxes. However, your 

Social Security record may be credited with $160 a 

month in earnings for military service from September 

16, 1940, through December 31, 1956, under the 

following circumstances:

SocialSecurity.gov Military Service and Social Security
• You were honorably discharged after 90 or more days 

of service, or you were released because of a disability 

or injury received in the line of duty; or

• You’re still on active duty; or

• You’re applying for survivors benefits and the veteran 

died while on active duty.

You can’t receive credit for these special earnings if 

you’re already receiving a federal benefit based on the 

same years of service. There is one exception: If you 

were on active duty after 1956, you can still get the 

special earnings for 1951 through 1956, even if you’re 

receiving a military retirement based on service during 

that period.

These extra earnings credits are added to your 

earnings record when you apply for Social 

Security benefits.

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.

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.socialsecurity.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 reduced and won’t be 

increased when you reach full retirement age. 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, you can earn 

as much as you are able and still get all of your Social 

Security benefits.

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 Retirement Benefits

(Publication No. 05-10035).

Contacting Social Security

The most convenient way to contact us from anywhere, 

on any device, is to visit www.socialsecurity.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 my Social Security account, you have 

more capabilities. You can review your Social Security 

Statement, verify your earnings, and print a benefit 

verification letter. You can also change your direct 

deposit information, request a replacement Medicare 

card, request a replacement Social Security card (if you 

have no changes and your state participates), and get 

a replacement SSA-1099/1042S.

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, if you need to speak 

to a person. 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 2020 (Recycle prior editions)

Military Service and Social Security

Produced and published at U.S. taxpayer expense