<P> The first reported Social Security payment was to Ernest Ackerman, a Cleveland motorman who retired only one day after Social Security began . Five cents were withheld from his pay during that period, and he received a lump - sum payout of seventeen cents from Social Security . </P> <P> The first monthly payment was issued on January 31, 1940 to Ida May Fuller of Ludlow, Vermont . In 1937, 1938, and 1939, she paid a total of $24.75 into the Social Security System . Her first check was for $22.54 . After her second check, Fuller already had received more than she contributed over the three - year period . She ultimately reached her 100th birthday, dying in 1975 and she collected a total of $22,888.92 . </P> <P> The provisions of Social Security have been changing since the 1930s, shifting in response to economic worries as well as concerns over changing gender roles and the position of minorities . Officials have responded more to the concerns of women than those of minority groups . Social Security gradually moved toward universal coverage . By 1950, debates moved away from which occupational groups should be included to how to provide more adequate coverage . Changes in Social Security have reflected a balance between promoting equality and efforts to provide adequate protection . </P> <P> In 1940, benefits paid totaled $35 million . These rose to $961 million in 1950, $11.2 billion in 1960, $31.9 billion in 1970, $120.5 billion in 1980, and $247.8 billion in 1990 (all figures in nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation). In 2004, $492 billion of benefits were paid to 47.5 million beneficiaries . In 2009, nearly 51 million Americans received $650 billion in Social Security benefits . </P>

When did farmers start paying into social security