Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance: Self-Employment Earnings Reported by Farmers, 1955–58

RECOGNITION of the problems involved in providing the protection of oltl-age, swvivors, and disability insurance to fwiu o~~er:~to13 delayed coverage of this group to 1954, wl~il legislation providing corewge for self-employed farmers was enacted. Aineiidrneiits iii 19.56 inade these coverage l)rovisions both more flexible and more liberal. The first year tlint fnriu self-eiilployment income could be credited for old-age, survivors, and disability inmraiice l)urposes was 1955. The number of persons report iiig fnrnl self employment incoiiie for olhgc, survivors, and disnbility insurance credit has changed relatively little during the s-year period 1!)55-50. The 2.2 million reports for 1959 were only 0.1 million less thn the number filed for 1955 and 0.3 niillion less tlmi the number for the peak year, 1056. This article attenlpts a roupll evaluation of the extent to which fxriiiers who sliould or could file social security tax returus on their farm self-employment exrniugs did file returns tluriiig 1055-58. Special attention is given to the returns for 1058, the latest year for wliicli detailed data were :krxilnble at the time tlkis aualysis was being prepared. The recent pul)lication of data from the 1959 1-S. Census of ,Igriculture giviug current iuformation for each St ate oii the iiuiiiber of farms according to the gross sales of farm products (here nswmed to be the gross income of the operator for oltl-age, survivors, and disability inswnnce purposes) innkes such an evaluation feasible mid timely.