Check out this document from GAO:
www.gao.gov/new.items/d05193sp.pdf
Your money is not deposited anywhere. The dollar amount is credited to the trust fund, which does not actually contain money. (pg. 17)
SSI is a defined benfits pension, not a defined contribution system. (pg 18)
It is also uses “pay as you go” (i.e. ponzi) financing meaning most money going in pays current recipients. (pg 22).
I’m still trying to track down how much SSI actually costs the taxpayer. Remember, it’s not just benefits paid out, it’s the salaries of gov’t workers at SSA along w/their generous benefits. It’s also the cost of those SS buildings to house those employees’ workplace and requisite IT infrastructure.
Such items do not appear in the SS budget, as far as I can tell. The “overhead” in the SS budget applies to financial services associated w/Medicare (as far as I can tell).
I’ve tried looking through fed budgets to see what the employees of SS cost us, along w/buildings, etc., to no avail. Not enough time for me to do that research.
Yes, I’ve heard it’s a government-mandated swindle; however, it’s not like the Oldsters didn’t earn the money.