Repeat after me - benefit. Ben-e-fit. Benefit. Social Security is a BENEFIT.

[HiPointDem]

74. you paid payroll taxes, including social security tax, and didn't get them back. no one gets them

back until they retire.

you paid income taxes and got a full refund because as a "child" you weren't a full-time worker and wouldn't have made enough after the exemption you get *for yourself* + the standard deduction to pay anything.

you didn't contribute anything to me because i'm not retired.

if you paid SS & medicare taxes 'for a few years' you will get SS unless you're in some special group (certain schoolteachers or government employees) who have their own pension setup. and you'll get medicare no matter what.

in reply to the response you deleted:

in 2011 full-time minimum wage of $7.25 = $15,080.

the filing threshold was $9500, meaning if you worked less than 62% of full-time, you owed nothing (because of standard deduction + personal exemption).

i doubt you were working anymore than half time or less as a "child".