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 Social Security gave you special credit for some of your service.
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.
NOTE: Social Security will add these extra earnings to your earnings record when you file for retirement or disability benefits. You may be asked to provide proof of military service at that time. You do not need to take
any action prior to applying for your Social Security benefits. If you served in the military from 1940 through 1956, including attendance at a service academy, you did not pay Social Security taxes. However, Social Security will credit you with $160 a month in earnings for military service from September 16, 1940, through December 31, 1956, if:
• 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 applying for survivors benefits based on a veteran’s work and the veteran died while on active duty.
You cannot receive credit for these special extra earnings if you are already receiving a federal benefit, e.g., military retirement, 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.
If you served in the military in 1957 through 1977, you are credited with $300 in additional earnings for each calendar quarter in which you received active duty basic pay.
If you served in the military in 1978 through 2001, you are credited with an additional $100 in earnings, up to a maximum of $1,200 a year, for every $300 in active duty basic pay. After 2001, additional earnings are no longer credited.
If you began your service after September 7, 1980, and did not 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 more information.
NOTE: In all cases, the additional earnings are credited to the earnings that Social Security averages over your working lifetime, not directly to your monthly benefit amount.
