[Chickensoup]

Will that 18 year old still have to pay FICA taxes even though he’ll never receive any benefits? If not, where will the money come from to pay the people who do get benefits?

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SS is a tax, nothing else, not a promise, not a retirement fund. I am debating whether to sign up for ss or to forgoe it and medicate. I am wondering whether I will be able to do it. I am not wealthy by any means, but would like to disengage from government intrusion into my healthcare or life span..

[The Pack Knight]

Well, if your parents signed you up for a social security number so they could report you as a dependent, then you're already signed up.

There really isn't any benefit for not signing up, anyway. As you said, Social Security is a tax "imposed on the income of every individual ... [received as wages] received by him with respect to employment." 26 U.S.C. § 3101(a) (emphasis added). You pay it whether or not you're signed up for an SSN and, therefore, for benefits.