Years of coverage, for purposes of the American Social Security program, are years in which a beneficiary is considered to have contributed a substantial amount into the Social Security Trust Fund.
[1] Years of coverage are used in the computations in whether and how to apply the Windfall Elimination Provision.
[2] Years of coverage are not the amounts used in similar computations, such as with Quarter Credits.
Because the amount paid into the Social Security Trust Fund were not identified by year prior to 1951,[3] Years of coverage before 1951 are determined by dividing pre-1951 earnings by $900.00 with any remainder dropped.
The limit of 14 represents the number of years from 1937, when contributions began,[4] through 1950.