Social Security
From Life Done Right SeniorWiki
Social Security is a form of retirement benefit administered by the United States Social Security Administration (SSA). You qualify for Social Security benefits by earning Social Security credits when you work in a job and pay Social Security taxes. The credits are based on the amount of your earnings. Your work history is used to determine your eligibility for retirement or disability benefits or your family’s eligibility for survivors benefits when you die.
For example, in 2007, you receive one credit for each $1,000 of earnings, up to the maximum of four credits per year.
Each year the amount of earnings needed for credits goes up slightly as average earnings levels increase. The credits you earn remain on your Social Security record even if you change jobs or have no earnings for a while.
The number of credits you need to be eligible for benefits depends on your age and the type of benefit. Anyone born in 1929 or later needs 10 years of work (40 credits) to be eligible for retirement benefits. People born before 1929 need fewer years of work.
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[edit] Contact Information
Social Security has a toll-free number that operates from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday: 1-800-772-1213. If you have a touch-tone phone, recorded information and services are available 24 hours a day, including weekends and holidays. People who are deaf or hard of hearing may call our toll-free TTY number, 1-800-325-0778, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Monday through Friday. Please have your Social Security number handy when you call us.
Social Security Administration
Office of Public Inquiries
Windsor Park Building
6401 Security Blvd.
Baltimore, MD 21235
[edit] External Links
[edit] Social Security Books
- How to Get SSI & Social Security Disability: An Insider's Step by Step Guide by Mike Davis
- Nolo's Guide to Social Security Disability: Getting & Keeping Your Benefits by David A. Morton
- Saving Social Security: A Balanced Approach by Peter A. Diamond
- Social Security: History and Politics from the New Deal to the Privatization Debate by Daniel Beland
- Social Security, Medicare & Government Pensions: Get the Most of Your Retirement and Medical Benefits by Joseph L. Matthews ]
- The Battle for Social Security: From FDR's Vision To Bush's Gamble by Nancy J. Altman
- The Real Deal: The History and Future of Social Security by Sylvester J. Schieber
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