Social Security is a program run by the federal government. The program works by using taxes paid into a trust fund to provide benefits to people who are eligible. You'll need a Social Security number when you apply for a job.

Social Security is more than a retirement program. It can help support your family when you die and provide monthly benefits when you retire or if you become severely disabled. Your work in Social Security covered employment helps you and your family qualify for those benefits.

Social Security helps older Americans, workers who become disabled, and families in which a spouse or parent dies. ... Social Security was never meant to be the only source of income for people when they retire. Social Security replaces a percentage of a worker's pre-retirement income based on your lifetime earnings.

The Social Security Act was signed into law by President Roosevelt on August 14, 1935. In addition to several provisions for general welfare, the new Act created a social insurance program designed to pay retired workers age 65 or older a continuing income after retirement.

The Social Security Act of 1935 was enacted by the 74th United States Congress and signed into law by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The law created the Social Security program as well as insurance against unemployment. The law was part of Roosevelt's New Deal domestic program.