Social Security started on August 14, 1935, the day President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law. Payroll taxes to fund the program began on January 1, 1937, and the first regular monthly retirement checks were mailed in January 1940. So depending on what you mean by “start,” the answer is 1935, 1937, or 1940, and all three dates come up for good reason.
The 1935 Law That Created the Program
The Great Depression had wiped out the savings of millions of older Americans, and bank failures left retirees with no cushion. Congress responded with Public Law 74-271, the Social Security Act, signed on August 14, 1935. It created a federal old-age benefits system for workers in commerce and industry, funded by payroll contributions rather than general tax revenue.1Social Security Administration. Compilation of the Social Security Laws
The original program was narrower than most people picture it today. Coverage reached about half the jobs in the economy. Agricultural workers and domestic workers were among the largest groups excluded, with administrative difficulty cited as the reason, though the exclusions disproportionately affected Black and Latino workers who held those jobs in large numbers.2Social Security Administration. The Decision to Exclude Agricultural and Domestic Workers from the 1935 Social Security Act It would take another 15 years before Congress began closing that gap.
The Federal Insurance Contributions Act set the initial payroll tax at 1 percent each for employees and employers, effective January 1, 1937, on the first $3,000 of annual wages.3Social Security Administration. FICA and SECA Tax Rates A worker earning the full $3,000 paid $30 a year into the system, and the employer matched that amount.
The First Payments in 1937 and 1940
Tax collection started in 1937, but regular monthly checks did not. From January 1937 through December 1939, the only benefits available were one-time lump-sum payments to workers who retired or died before building up enough work history to qualify for ongoing benefits. Ernest Ackerman received the very first Social Security payment in January 1937: a lump sum of 17 cents, reflecting a single day of covered employment.4Social Security Administration. Social Security History FAQs
Monthly retirement benefits began in January 1940. Ida May Fuller of Ludlow, Vermont, received the first regular monthly check, number 00-000-001, dated January 31, 1940, for $22.54.5Social Security Administration. Ida May Fuller Fuller had paid $24.75 in payroll taxes over three years before retiring. She lived to age 100 and collected $22,888.92 in benefits over her lifetime.
Monthly payments were originally scheduled to begin in January 1942. Congress moved that date up to January 1940 in the 1939 Amendments, which also added benefits for a retired worker’s spouse and minor children and survivors benefits for the family of a worker who died.6Social Security Administration. 1939 Amendments
How Social Security Grew After 1935
The 1935 Act was a starting point, not a finished product. Several later expansions shaped the program people know today.
1950: Broader Coverage
The 1950 Amendments brought in 4.6 million self-employed workers outside certain professions like doctors, lawyers, and dentists.7Social Security Administration. Social Security Act Amendments of 1950 The law also extended coverage to regularly employed domestic servants and farm workers, added voluntary coverage for nonprofit employees, and included Americans working abroad for American employers.
1956: Disability Insurance
The 1956 Amendments added monthly disability insurance benefits for the first time, creating what is now called SSDI. The original program covered disabled workers between ages 50 and 65 along with disabled adult children of retired or deceased workers whose disability began before age 18.8Social Security Administration. A History of the Social Security Disability Programs Later amendments dropped the age-50 floor.
1965: Medicare
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Social Security Amendments of 1965 on July 30, 1965, creating Medicare. The program extended health insurance to Americans 65 and older and was built directly onto the Social Security infrastructure, using the same payroll tax system and trust fund structure.
1972: Supplemental Security Income
The 1972 Amendments created Supplemental Security Income, which took effect in January 1974. SSI replaced a patchwork of state-run assistance programs for elderly, blind, and disabled individuals with little or no income, and it is funded from general tax revenue rather than payroll taxes.9Social Security Administration. Social Security Amendments of 1972
1975: Automatic Cost-of-Living Adjustments
Before 1975, benefit increases required an act of Congress each time. Starting that year, benefits began adjusting automatically based on changes in the Consumer Price Index.10Social Security Administration. Cost-Of-Living Adjustments The 2026 adjustment is 2.8 percent.11Social Security Administration. Social Security Announces 2.8 Percent Benefit Increase for 2026
Where the Program Stands Now
What began as a retirement program for about half the workforce now pays benefits to nearly 71 million Americans, including retirees, disabled workers, and surviving family members.11Social Security Administration. Social Security Announces 2.8 Percent Benefit Increase for 2026 The full retirement age for anyone born in 1960 or later is 67. Claiming at 62 is still an option, but it reduces your monthly check by about 30 percent compared to waiting until full retirement age.12Social Security Administration. Retirement Benefits
The program’s long-term finances are contested. According to the 2025 Trustees Report, the combined Social Security trust funds are projected to be depleted by 2034. After that point, incoming payroll taxes would still cover about 81 percent of scheduled benefits, and the remaining shortfall would require benefit reductions, tax increases, or some combination.13Social Security Administration. Trustees Report Summary Depletion does not mean the program ends; it means the reserve is gone and benefits would be paid from current worker contributions alone.