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Jennifer's avatar

This is tricky. UBI would be the fairest way to do this. You may be skeptical of UBI but Social Security is tied to wages because you pay through your wages. For example, I do modest work as an independent contractor for a nonprofit and pay a decent chunk of that money to social security (both the employee’s and the employer’s contribution.) This amounts to 12.4%, and I also pay out 2.9% for Medicaid. So with $10,000 in income , I am paying more than $1500/yr into the system. The only other alternative I see is allowing people to buy into the system without salary and receiving a commensurate benefit in the future. Or perhaps this social security benefit could be something like the student loan forgiveness programs, where the government subsidizes qualified service with a stipend to cover a social security contribution. Our representatives seem very tied to paid work as a public good for all (including mothers in the fourth trimester apparently) so it is hard to envision public support. I think perhaps allowing people to buy social security credits (with a similar rationale as Spousal IRAs) might be the most palatable.

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Barbara James's avatar

Katie's arguments are persuasive, and important. If volunteers are doing the equivalent of paid work for non profits and aren't getting the salaries that enable Social Security credits, either they should become paid employees (for whom Social Security payments made) or they should get Social Security credit anyway even without the payments being made.

I definitely support the first, and I'd be willing to support the latter. The latter would be easiest, I think. Proof of volunteer work would enable the person to file for Social Security credits each year.

I'd also support caregivers getting Social Security credits too.

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