<prompt> Human: Im not in a super amazing financial situation or anything, but Ive been considering opting out of S.S. for a few years now. All the talk of the money drying up, on top of thousands of dollars a year thay I could invest myself; ie. Paying off my mortgage early, paying for improvement to my house, andor ensuring lower cost of living for a retired me; has me feeling like I would be better off opting out. I just dont know the pros and cons of opting out and how badly it could hurt my future. Edit: OP is completely ignorant.  <response>: Certain religious groups, students, employees of foreign governments and self-employed workers who make less than 400 annually are all examples of taxpayers who are generally exempt from the Social Security system. Since they are exempt, they are also ineligible to receive any Social Security benefits. The law is very specific about the requirements for exemption from Social Security, and most taxpayers do not qualify under its guidelines. 