Sorry, I can't figure this being the case even with maximum taxable earnings for 40 years. We'll just have to disagree, but folks can easily compute their own numbers. I just wanted to make it clear that most people get back far more than they contribute. FWIW, everyone who receives Social Security worked for it, with the exception of dependent spouses and children. In those cases, their benefits were part of the deal with the spouse or parent who worked. Now if you want to talk about a Social Security scam, look at the Disability program!