<prompt> Human: As far as I understand, there is a set amount of credits you need to earn to get social security benefits. I believe this year, you need 5040 of income to get the maximum of four credits. Since my wife is not working, she will not earn any credits. So, would it be worthwhile paying my wife a salary so she can get those credits? I understand that I would be paying her from my already taxed income, so in effect, Id be paying taxes twice. Also, I understand social security might not exist in future and benefits might change etc. , but I am looking for feedback about this plan and trying to understand if I am missing something here. Assuming social security pays same benefits in the future, would paying my wife a salary that gives her 4 credits a year be a worthwhile investment ?Edit: Thanks for the valuable insights. I know people have asked if I can simply put it in IRA or other tax saving accounts. This year, I have been fortunate to max out my 401k, both our IRAs and HSA, so I was trying to find the max bang for my buck. The other option is to put it in a index ETF. u9554503312 has a good breakdown of how that might look.  <response>: Id just put it into a Roth IRA or Ira instead. If you can afford to do that. Id trust that more then ss. Who knows if ss will even exist when you retire or if they will make the age really highlike 85 so you die before you can even get it. At least if its in a Roth IRA or a Ira you can take it out early if need be or can leave it to grow. 