A: Yes. If you received Social Security benefits last year, you may be entitled to an economic stimulus payment, or tax rebate, from the federal government — even if you otherwise would not plan on filing a tax return.

The IRS will begin sending stimulus payments to more than 130 million taxpayers in May. If you have filed or plan to file a 2007 tax return, no other action is necessary. If you receive Social Security and did not file a 2006 tax return, the IRS will send you a package over the next couple of months.

The package includes everything you need to file a 2007 return and receive a stimulus payment. In this situation, if you no longer have your form SSA-1099, you do not need a replacement form. The SSA-1099 shows the total amount of benefits received in the previous year and is used to find out if any benefits are subject to tax, and to complete a federal income tax return.

Remember that if you normally do not file a tax return, and the only reason you plan to this year is to receive your stimulus payment, you will not need an SSA-1099 for that. All you need to do is to fill out an estimate of how much your benefits were during 2007 based on your monthly payment amount on an IRS form 1040 or 1040A.

For more information about your federal income tax, or to determine if you qualify for an economic stimulus payment, go to the IRS Web site at www.irg.gov. You can also contact the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA). Individuals and families who earn up to $45,000 annually can receive free tax preparation services through VITA.

Please call the United Way Helpline at 2-1-1 or 227-4357 for more information on VITA services, locations and hours. You can also go online at www.vitasa.org. If you live outside of San Antonio, you can find your nearest VITA site by going to www.window.state.tx.us/taxinfo/eitc/vitasite.html.

Q: I know that I cannot opt out of paying Social Security taxes, but what value does Social Security have for me right now?

A: By working in a job covered by Social Security, you automatically get disability and survivor insurance protection. A worker under age 24 who pays Social Security taxes for just one and a half years is covered. A worker under age 31 who pays Social Security taxes for half the time elapsed since age 21 is also covered. If you are like most workers, you probably do not have private long-term disability insurance. You do have disability protection through Social Security, which will provide benefits to you and your family if you become disabled. About three in 10 of today’s 20-year-olds will become disabled before reaching age 67 — so it could happen to you.

The average disability benefit paid to a worker with a spouse and two children in 2008 is about $1,690 a month. Social Security also provides survivors benefits. It is a sad truth that about one of seven young Americans can expect to die before reaching age 67.

Social Security’s survivors insurance pays an average monthly benefit in 2008 of $2,243 for a spouse and two children of a young worker with average wages who dies. It is good to think ahead to retirement, but Social Security is more than that. It provides you and your family with protection now. For more information on how Social Security protects younger and older Americans alike, visit our Web site at www.socialsecurity.gov.  

Q: I am 29 years old, self employed, and I have multiple investments that will provide for my retirement. Am I required to participate in the Social Security program?

A: Participation in the Social Security program is mandatory with respect to the payment of Social Security taxes. Unless specifically exempt by law, everyone working in the United States is required to pay Social Security taxes on earnings from employment. It is not unusual for today’s younger workers to hold a bleak outlook when it comes to their future Social Security benefits.

Q: My 20-year-old daughter has a severe congenital disability. I worry about what could happen once my wife and I have passed away. Can she get disability benefits without having ever worked?

A: If a parent dies, gets disability benefits or starts receiving retirement benefits, an adult child disabled before age 22 may be eligible for benefits on the parent’s account. Though we make the disability decision using the disability rules for adults, we consider this to be a “child’s” benefit because it is paid on a parent’s Social Security earnings record.

Another safety net for this type of situation is the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. SSI provides monthly payments to people who have little or no income and who don’t own many things, and who are blind, disabled or 65 years or older.

Visit our Web site at www. socialsecurity.gov or call (800) 772-1213, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Oscar Garcia is a public affairs specialist with the Social Security Administration. Direct your questions to him at: SSA, 727 E. Durango Blvd., Room B701, San Antonio, Texas 78206. You can also e-mail him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .