What earnings are covered under Social Security?
Covered earnings are work-related earnings which are subject to Social Security taxation. Covered earnings include most types of wage income and self-employment income. Today almost all types of wages are covered by Social Security (notable exceptions are earnings from certain state and local governments and from railroads). Check your Social Security Statement to see your earnings history. The Statement will show your covered earnings for each year up to the taxable maximum applicable in each year. If you had several years in non-covered employment, then we recommend that you not use the Quick Calculator because the Quick Calculator will estimate all of your past earnings as covered earnings and overestimate your benefit. Please use one of our other calculators.
