SS is the ideal government program. Just like the Hotel California. It’s completely voluntary, but there is no provision to get out of it once you’re in.
It’s the ultimate insurance scam, completely legal and sanctioned by the government.
Only sure way to opt-out is to never sign up to begin with.
Many have tried to opt-out. Maybe someone has been able to get the SSA to cancel their account in some rare case, but generally their response is basically that you can refuse to receive benefits and discontinue using the number, but they won’t cancel, rescind, revoke or otherwise delete your number or account.
Until enough people wake up and call for the system to be abolished and there’s actually people in office willing to do it (like Ron Paul maybe?), the best you can do is to refuse to participate. You can’t get out what you’ve already contributed, it’s already been spent.
You can just go on as if you don’t have a SSN, just be prepared to answer any and all requests for it. Forget all government assistance programs (which I think should also be abolished anyway), credit and probably any banking. Get to know all the laws concerning the SSA/SSN. It’s surprising how many requests for a SSN have no legal basis and are actually a violation of federal law.

42 USC § 408. Penalties
“(a) In general
Whoever –
(8) discloses, uses, or compels the disclosure of the social security number of any person in violation of the laws of the United States; shall be guilty of a felony and upon conviction thereof shall be fined under title 18 or imprisoned for not more than five years, or both.”

“railroad benefits, like social security benefits, are not contractual and may be altered or even eliminated at any time” – United States Railroad Retirement Board v. Fritz, 449 U.S. 166, 174, 101 S.Ct. 453, 459 (1980)

Practically any IRA will give you a better ROI than Social inSecurity. Though not having a number will likely exclude any such option, but there may be one, I don’t know. However, just sticking cash under the mattress or what have you, with no interest at all may even be a better ROI than SS.

You may also be interested in the outcome of this pending case:

You could join the Amish – and try to get out of it on religious grounds –

But why not work to get the government to be responsible – and roll back the Bush tax cuts for the rich, so that the government won’t have to keep looting money from the Social Security trust fund. (Last year the Bush government “borrowed” 168 billion dollars in surplus from the Social Security Trust fund, every penny of which came from FICA taxes on the wages of working people.- And he plans to borrow another trillion dollars from it over the next 5 years, with no plan in place to pay it back when it is needed to pay benefits.

Social Security was fixed in 1983 – (See President Reagan’s speech at:

It is the rest of the government that is broken.

The Democratic party now controls congress but it has yet to introduce a bill to roll back the Bush tax cuts. – The Democrats are too frightened of back lash to talk about doing what is necessary to keep the government solvent. Write to your Democratic representative and tell him or her to show a little courage for the good of the country.

Work for an organization that does not pay into Social Security. The Hospital that I work for does not pay into Social Security, we have our own retirement plan.

Someone once said…”There are two definite things in life..Death and Taxes”……………Just like Taxes, if you work for a “Convential
or Legally legit employer he or She will be paying your “SS” taxes in to the system…Which of course these days is Pilfered for all kinds of other things like Benefits for “Illegals”….

Whats the solution..I don’t know??..if you work for yourself are you required to pay into “SS”..or if you work for someone “Under the table”..???….

I think the majority of pleased are “Displeased at the system as a whole…and the screwball running this country”

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA..you KNOW there’s a way?? Where did you hear that? All Americans, until w. Changes it, are required to pay into the sytem. WHY? The same reason I’ve paid into it for the last 4 decades…to pay my father and uncle social security benefits…now it’s your turn to pay me.

move to Antigua

You’re kidding right? You are young and anything could happen as you age. If you are going to opt out, if you can, you better seriously, seriously start a retirement program now, outside your current job.

you cannot opt out.

you cant. Social security is run by the government and it is not an option just like taxes are not an option. Sorry, you have been misinformed.