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Military Service And Social Security

Military Service And Social Security 2013

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 

did not 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 are in military service, you pay 

Social Security taxes just as civilian employees 

do. In 2013, the tax rate is 6.2 percent on 

wages, up to a maximum of $113,700. The 

Medicare tax rate is 1.45 percent on all wages, 

and high-income earners also 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 have 

worked and paid Social Security taxes for 

a certain length of time. In 2013, you will 

receive four credits if you earn at least $4,640. 

The amount needed to get credit for your work 

goes up each year. The number of credits you 

need to qualify for Social Security benefits 

depends on your age and the type of benefit 

for which you are eligible. No one needs more 

than 10 years of work. 

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 for 

benefit purposes.

• 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 do not 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 are 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 are 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 did not 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:

• 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 are still on active duty; or 

• You are applying for survivors benefits and 

the veteran died while on active duty.

You cannot receive credit for these special 

earnings if you are 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, ask us for 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 will 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 will not 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 change each year. When you 

apply for benefits, we will 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 in 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, contact us for Retirement 

Benefits (Publication No. 05-10035). 

Contacting Social Security

For more information and to find copies 

of our publications, visit our website at 

www.socialsecurity.gov or call toll-free, 

1-800-772-1213 (for the deaf or hard of hearing, 

call our TTY number, 1-800-325-0778). We 

treat all calls confidentially. We can answer 

specific questions from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., 

Monday through Friday. Generally, you’ll have 

a shorter wait time if you call during the week 

after Tuesday. We can provide information by 

automated phone service 24 hours a day.

We also want to make sure you receive 

accurate and courteous service. That is 

why we have a second Social Security 

representative monitor some telephone calls.

Social Security Administration

SSA Publication No. 05-10017

ICN 451475

Unit of Issue - HD (one hundred)

Printed on recycled paper February 2013 (Recycle prior editions)