If you ask the average person on the street what year was social security started, they’ll probably bark out "1935" and keep walking. They aren’t wrong, technically. But honestly? That answer is kinda like saying a car was "started" the moment the blueprint was drawn.
It’s way more complicated than a single date on a calendar.
The story of Social Security isn’t just about a law; it’s about a country that was completely falling apart. We're talking about the Great Depression. People were literally starving. The elderly were often the hardest hit because, back then, if you couldn't work, you basically didn't eat unless your kids could afford to feed you.
The Actual Moment: August 14, 1935
President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) sat down at 3:30 p.m. on August 14, 1935, and inked his name on the Social Security Act. That’s the "official" answer to what year was social security started.
But here’s the kicker: nobody got a check that day. Not even close.
When the bill passed, it wasn't a finished product. FDR even said it was a "cornerstone" of a structure that wasn't finished. The government didn't even have an office yet. They had no staff, no furniture, and—get this—no budget. They had to borrow money from the Federal Emergency Relief Administration just to buy some desks.
Why 1935 Was Just the Beginning
If you think Social Security started and everyone lived happily ever after, you've been misled. The years immediately following 1935 were a chaotic mess of record-keeping and political fighting.
- 1936: This was the year they actually had to find people. The Social Security Board (SSB) opened its first field office in Austin, Texas.
- 1937: This is when the government finally started taking money out of people's paychecks. If you were working in 1937, you saw the first-ever Social Security tax (FICA) disappear from your pay.
- 1940: This is a big one. This is when the first monthly checks actually started arriving in mailboxes.
So, did it start in 1935? Or 1937? Or 1940?
It depends on who you ask. If you're talking about the law, it's 1935. If you're talking about when the "tax" started, it's 1937. If you're talking about when people actually got their retirement money, it's 1940.
The Story of Ida May Fuller
You can't talk about the early days without mentioning Ida May Fuller. She was a legal secretary from Vermont who became a bit of a legend. She retired in November 1939 and started her benefits in January 1940. Her first check? $22.54.
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The wild part is that she had only paid about $24.75 into the system before she retired. She lived to be 100 years old and ended up collecting over $22,000 in benefits. Talk about a return on investment.
Major Changes You Probably Didn't Realize Happened Later
The Social Security we have today looks almost nothing like the 1935 version. Originally, it didn't cover farmworkers or domestic servants—which, at the time, excluded a huge portion of the Black workforce. It also didn't include benefits for your spouse or your kids if you died.
The 1939 Amendments
Just four years after it started, Congress realized the original plan was too narrow. They added "survivors benefits" and "dependents benefits." This shifted the program from being an individual retirement account into a family-based social insurance system.
Disability and COLAs
- 1956: Disability insurance was added. Before this, if you got hurt and couldn't work, Social Security didn't do much for you.
- 1972: President Nixon signed the law that made Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLAs) automatic. Before then, seniors had to wait for Congress to feel generous enough to vote for an increase.
- 1983: This was the "Big Fix." Facing a massive funding gap, Ronald Reagan signed amendments that gradually raised the retirement age to 67 and started taxing a portion of benefits for higher-income earners.
Why Does It Still Matter?
People argue about Social Security constantly. You’ve probably heard the rumors that "the money is gone" or "the government raided the trust fund."
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Most of that is just noise.
The Trust Fund exists, but it doesn't hold stacks of cash in a vault like Scrooge McDuck. By law, the money is invested in U.S. Treasury bonds. It's basically the government owing itself money, backed by the "full faith and credit" of the United States.
The real issue isn't that the money was "stolen"—it's demographics. In 1945, there were about 42 workers for every one person collecting a check. Today? It’s closer to 2.7 workers per beneficiary. The math is just getting harder.
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Actionable Steps for Your Future
Knowing what year was social security started is great for trivia, but it doesn't help you pay your bills in 2026. Here is what you should actually do with this information:
- Check Your Statement: Don't wait until you're 65. Go to the SSA website and create a "my Social Security" account. Check your earnings history for errors. If the government thinks you earned $0 in 2018 when you actually worked 60 hours a week, your future check will be smaller.
- Calculate the "Wait" Benefit: For every year you delay taking Social Security past your full retirement age (up to age 70), your benefit increases by about 8%. That is a guaranteed return you won't find in the stock market.
- Diversify: Social Security was never meant to be your only source of income. It was designed to replace about 40% of an average worker's career earnings. You need that "three-legged stool" (Social Security, a pension or 401k, and personal savings) to stay upright.
The system has survived world wars, recessions, and dozens of different administrations. It’s a massive, slow-moving machine that started with a single signature in 1935, but it's constantly being rebuilt while it's still running.