Why Doesn't My Social Security Record Show All Of My Military Earnings?
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“In this podcast, Rusty explains to an older military veteran why his Social Security earnings record doesn’t reflect all of his military earnings. Rusty’s answer also elaborates on why that didn’t likely have any negative impact one this veteran’s actual Social Security benefit payment.”
Dear Rusty: When I look at my earnings on my Social Security account, I see that in 1955 and 1956 have no earnings. I was in the U.S. Navy as a first officer and have my DD-214 paperwork which shows my military service from Oct. 1954-Oct. 1958. My Social Security earnings record shows that I had earnings in 1954, 1957, and 1958 but doesn’t show that I was paid in 1955 or 1956. Shouldn’t I have received Social Security credit for all my service years? Signed: An Older Veteran
Rusty’s answer in brief
Military pay has had Social Security tax withheld only since 1957, so earnings records show no military pay before then. For service before 1957, Social Security adds “special extra credits” as presumed earnings when the veteran applies, usually after seeing the DD-214: $160 for each active-duty month from October 1954 through December 1956, plus additional credits for 1957 and 1958.
Those credits are not a separate bonus. They only change the benefit if the service years rank among the veteran’s highest 35 earning years; a veteran with 35 higher-paid civilian years afterward sees no difference.
This recording presents the viewpoints of the AMAC Foundation’s Social Security Advisory Staff, trained and accredited under the National Social Security Advisors program of the National Social Security Association, LLC (NSSA). NSSA and the AMAC Foundation are not affiliated with or endorsed by the United States Government, the Social Security Administration, or any other state government. To request additional information, contact our Advisory Staff at 888-750-2622, or email us at SSAdvisor@AmacFoundation.org.