Will non-covered employment show up on my Social Security earnings record or is it just zeros?

This is completely normal. Years you work in non-covered employment (jobs where you don't pay Social Security taxes) will always show as $0 on your Social Security earnings record, regardless of how much you actually earned. The SSA only tracks earnings that have Social Security taxes withheld because those are the only earnings that count toward your future benefit calculations. There's no mechanism to record non-covered earnings in the system.

my husband had the same thing from working at a railroad for 5 yrs. those earnings dont show. its normal

They DEFINITELY show as zeros and there's nothing you can do to change that. What you need to be worried about is WEP (Windfall Elimination Provision) which will reduce your SS benefits if you get a pension from non-covered employment. It can cut your benefit by up to 50% depending on how many years of substantial earnings you have under Social Security. Look into this NOW rather than being surprised later!!

To directly answer your question: yes, non-covered employment will show as $0 on your earnings record, and no, SSA cannot and will not change this to show your actual earnings. These records are specifically for tracking Social Security-covered earnings. Since you have 15 years of covered employment and are now in a position with a government pension, you should be aware of two important provisions: 1. Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) - This may reduce your Social Security retirement benefit because you'll receive a pension from non-covered work. 2. Government Pension Offset (GPO) - This could affect any potential Social Security spousal or survivor benefits you might be eligible for. I recommend requesting a WEP calculation from SSA when you're closer to retirement age to understand exactly how your benefits will be affected.

Have u tried calling SSA directly? I spent THREE DAYS trying to get thru to someone on the phone about my earnings record but kept getting disconnected or wait times of 2+ hours. Super frustrating!

My brother went through this same thing with his university job that didn't pay into SS. The zeros are correct and there's nothing wrong with your record. Just keep all your pay stubs and W-2s from these years for your pension calculation later. That's what really matters for that work.

I wanted to add - while those zero years won't affect your eligibility for Social Security benefits (as long as you have 40 quarters/10 years of covered work elsewhere in your career), they can affect your benefit AMOUNT. Social Security calculates your benefit based on your highest 35 years of indexed earnings. If you don't have 35 years of covered employment, zeros will be used to fill in the missing years, which can lower your benefit calculation. Just something to be aware of for retirement planning.

I went through EXACTLY this when I retired last year. State university professor for 22 years (non-SS job) and 13 years in private sector (SS covered). They hit me with BOTH WEP and GPO. My SS retirement benefit got cut by almost $400/month because of WEP, and my wife can't even get spousal benefits from my record because of GPO. The whole system is RIGGED against public employees!!!

I'm new to government work and this thread has been incredibly eye-opening! I just started a job with my city government last month that participates in a pension system instead of Social Security. Reading about WEP and GPO has me concerned - I had no idea these provisions existed when I took the job. For someone just starting out in non-covered employment, would it make sense to try to get some part-time work that pays into Social Security to build up more covered quarters? Or is it better to focus on maximizing my pension contributions? I'm 28 and trying to figure out the best strategy for long-term retirement planning.

As someone who just went through a similar situation, I wanted to share my experience. I worked 8 years in state government (non-covered) and had the same concern about those zero years on my SSA statement. What I learned is that you're absolutely right to be thinking about this early - those zeros are permanent and normal, but the real impact comes from WEP if you eventually collect both a government pension and Social Security benefits. One thing that helped me was using the SSA's WEP calculator online to estimate my future benefit reduction based on different scenarios. Since you have 15 years of covered work already, you're in better shape than many people - but if you stay in government work much longer, you might want to consider occasional side work or consulting that pays into Social Security to build up more substantial earnings years. Also, keep excellent records of all your government employment and pension contributions. When you do apply for Social Security later, having clear documentation of your non-covered work history can help avoid delays or confusion in the application process. The SSA will need to know about your government pension to apply WEP correctly.

As someone who works in HR for a state agency, I see this question come up frequently with new hires. You're absolutely correct that those years will show as $0 - this is how the system is designed to work. The Social Security Administration only tracks earnings where FICA taxes were paid, so non-covered employment (like most state/local government jobs) will always appear as zero earnings regardless of your actual salary. One important thing to keep in mind is that when you eventually apply for Social Security benefits, you'll need to provide documentation of your government pension to SSA. They use this information to determine if WEP applies to your case. I always recommend that employees keep copies of their annual pension statements and employment records, as this documentation can be crucial decades later. Also, don't let those zero years discourage you from checking your Social Security statement regularly. It's still important to verify that your covered employment years are being recorded correctly, and that there are no errors in your earnings history from your previous 15 years of covered work. Catching and correcting errors early is much easier than trying to fix them at retirement.