Top 10 Common Social Security Questions & Answers 2024

Social Security Questions

Q1.When Am I Eligible?

Ans-

Depending on when you were born, you will be eligible for full retirement benefits early as age 65 or as late as age 67.

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If you were born before 1938, your full, or “normal,” retirement age is 65.

If you were born between 1938 and 1942, the age ranges from 65 and 2 months to 65 and 10 months.

If you were born between 1943 and 1954, it’s 66.

If you were born between 1955 and 1960, it ranges from 66 and 2 months to 66 and 10 months.

If you were born in 1960 or later, it’s 67.

Q2.How Is Eligibility Determined?

Ans-

Your eligibility for Social Security is based on the credits you earn during your working years. As of 2019, for every $1,360 you make, you earn one credit, up to a maximum of four per year. If you were born in 1929 or later you need 40 credits—essentially 10 years of full-time work—to receive Social Security benefits at retirement. “Once you have these minimum credits, your benefit is based on your highest 35 years of averaged earnings,” says Michael Windle, a financial advisor at C. Curtis Financial Group in Plymouth, Mich. “If you only worked 20, you would have 15 years of zero income.” For workers who spent a significant number of unpaid years at home, caring for children or elderly family members, this formula creates a significant disadvantage.

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There are special provisions that can change the formula if you had certain public service jobs. “For citizens who have government-sponsored pensions, like teachers, firefighters, police officers, or other public employees, there is a high probability that your Social Security benefits are reduced or even eliminated,” says Mark Hebner, founder, and president of Index Fund Advisors, Inc., in Irvine, Calif.

Q3. How Much Do I Pay In?

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As of 2019, workers pay 6.2% of their wages into Social Security, on up to $132,900 of their income. Employers contribute another 6.2%. People who are self-employed have to pay both portions or 12.4%.

Q4.How Much Will I Get?

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Your Social Security benefits are based on your lifetime earnings. The formula is a little complicated, but, it averages the income from your 35 highest-earning years. If you have already accumulated 40 Social Security credits you can use the Retirement Estimator at ssa.gov to get a rough estimate.

Q5. Can I Get Social Security If I Work?

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Yes, you can receive Social Security benefits while you are still working. If you’ve reached full retirement age, you can work and earn as much as you’d like and receive full benefits. If you’re under full retirement age, but receiving Social Security, your benefits will be reduced temporarily.

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The reduction is $1 for every $2 of earned income  over $17,640 (in 2019). During the year in which you reach full retirement age, your benefits will be reduced by $1 for every $3 in income over $46,920 (in 2019). That continues until the month you become fully eligible.

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The money is not lost, however. Social Security will credit it to your record when you reach full retirement age, resulting in a higher benefit.

Questions About Social Security

Q6. How Does the Spousal Benefit Work?

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The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 tightened some of the rules on spousal benefits, eliminating several strategies that couples once used to maximize how much they received.

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However, spouses can still claim benefits regardless of whether they ever held paid jobs, based on their partner’s record. To qualify, the spouse with a work record must already be receiving retirement or disability benefits, and the nonworking spouse must be at least age 62.

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As with other Social Security benefits, spousal benefits are permanently reduced if the nonworking spouse starts to collect before reaching their own full retirement age. If the nonworking spouse waits until full retirement age, they will receive a spousal benefit of up to 50% of their partner’s full retirement benefit.

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Spouses who are widowed become eligible for 100% of their partner’s full benefit unless they also had a job and the benefit they’ve earned through their own income is higher.

Q7.Do I Owe Taxes on Social Security?

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You might, depending on your income. In 2019, couples who file a joint tax return and have a combined income between $32,000 and $44,000 will have to pay tax on up to 50% of their benefits. If their combined income is more than $44,000, they’ll be taxed on up to 85% of their benefits.

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For singles, those income thresholds are between $25,000 and $34,000 for 50%, and more than $34,000 for 85%.

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“Combined income” is your adjusted gross income plus any nontaxable interest and one-half of your Social Security benefits.

Q8. How Do I Apply for Benefits?

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You can apply at a local Social Security office, by phone (800-772-1213), or online at ssa.gov. You’ll need to provide certain information and possibly some documents, such as a birth certificate. Social Security Form SSA-1 | Information You Need To Apply For Retirement Benefits Or Medicare has a complete list. Note that the Social Security Administration says to apply “no more than four months before the date you want your benefits to start.”

Q9. How Does Social Security Work?

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Social Security is a “pay-as-you-go” system. Money paid in by current workers is used to pay the benefits for current retirees.

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Any money that’s left over goes into the Social Security Trust Fund, to be used in future years when current contributions aren’t sufficient to cover all of the program’s obligations. There are actually two trust funds: the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) Trust Fund, which pays retirement benefits, and the Disability Insurance (DI) Trust Fund. By law, the money in the trust funds is invested in U.S. government securities.

Q10.Is Social Security in Trouble?

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It’s safe to say that the Social Security system faces some challenges. For example, the ratio of current workers to retirees is declining, meaning there are fewer workers paying into the system for every retiree who is drawing money out of it. In addition, people are living longer than when the program was envisioned in the 1930s, so they’re collecting benefits for more years.

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According to Social Security Administration  trustees, starting in 2020 the retirement program’s costs will begin to exceed its income. At that point, it will have to start dipping into its nearly $3 trillion trust fund to make up the difference.

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Under current projections, the program should be able to pay full benefits until 2035, when the trust fund will be depleted. After that, the program’s income alone is expected to be enough to pay about three-quarters of scheduled benefits until 2093.

Conclusion:

These questions and answers aim to provide clarity on Social Security and its benefits. We hope they serve as a valuable resource for you. If you have any further questions or suggestions, feel free to leave a comment below or reach out to us. Thank you for reading!