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42 U.S. Code § 410. Definitions relating to employment
For the purposes of this subchapter—(a) EmploymentThe term “employment” means any service performed after 1936 and prior to 1951 which was employment for the purposes of this subchapter under the law applicable to the period in which such service was performed, and any service, of whatever nature, performed after 1950 (A) by an employee for the person employing him, irrespective of the citizenship or residence of either, (i) within the United States, or (ii) on or in connection with an American vessel or American aircraft under a contract of service which is entered into within the United States or during the performance of which and while the employee is employed on the vessel or aircraft it touches at a port in the United States, if the employee is employed on and in connection with such vessel or aircraft when outside the United States, or (B) outside the United States by a citizen or resident of the United States as an employee (i) of an American employer (as defined in subsection (e) of this section), or (ii) of a foreign affiliate (as defined in section 3121(l)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986) of an American employer during any period for which there is in effect an agreement, entered into pursuant to section 3121(l) of such Code, with respect to such affiliate, or (C) if it is service, regardless of where or by whom performed, which is designated as employment or recognized as equivalent to employment under an agreement entered into under section 433 of this title; except that, in the case of service performed after 1950, such term shall not include—
(1)
Service performed by foreign agricultural workers lawfully admitted to the United States from the Bahamas, Jamaica, and the other British West Indies, or from any other foreign country or possession thereof, on a temporary basis to perform agricultural labor;
(2)
Domestic service performed in a local college club, or local chapter of a college fraternity or sorority, by a student who is enrolled and is regularly attending classes at a school, college, or university;
(3)
(A)
Service performed by a child under the age of 18 in the employ of his father or mother;
(B) Service not in the course of the employer’s trade or business, or domestic service in a private home of the employer, performed by an individual under the age of 21 in the employ of his father or mother, or performed by an individual in the employ of his spouse or son or daughter; except that the provisions of this subparagraph shall not be applicable to such domestic service performed by an individual in the employ of his son or daughter if—
(i)
the employer is a surviving spouse or a divorced individual and has not remarried, or has a spouse living in the home who has a mental or physical condition which results in such spouse’s being incapable of caring for a son, daughter, stepson, or stepdaughter (referred to in clause (ii)) for at least 4 continuous weeks in the calendar quarter in which the service is rendered, and
(ii)
a son, daughter, stepson, or stepdaughter of such employer is living in the home, and
(iii)
the son, daughter, stepson, or stepdaughter (referred to in clause (ii)) has not attained age 18 or has a mental or physical condition which requires the personal care and supervision of an adult for at least 4 continuous weeks in the calendar quarter in which the service is rendered;
(4)
Service performed by an individual on or in connection with a vessel not an American vessel, or on or in connection with an aircraft not an American aircraft, if (A) the individual is employed on and in connection with such vessel or aircraft when outside the United States and (B)(i) such individual is not a citizen of the United States or (ii) the employer is not an American employer;
(5) Service performed in the employ of the United States or any instrumentality of the United States, if such service—
(A)
would be excluded from the term “employment” for purposes of this subchapter if the provisions of paragraphs (5) and (6) of this subsection as in effect in January 1983 had remained in effect, and
(B) is performed by an individual who—
(i) has been continuously performing service described in subparagraph (A) since December 31, 1983, and for purposes of this clause—
(I)
if an individual performing service described in subparagraph (A) returns to the performance of such service after being separated therefrom for a period of less than 366 consecutive days, regardless of whether the period began before, on, or after December 31, 1983, then such service shall be considered continuous,
(II)
if an individual performing service described in subparagraph (A) returns to the performance of such service after being detailed or transferred to an international organization as described under section 3343 of subchapter III of chapter 33 of title 5 or under section 3581 of chapter 35 of such title, then the service performed for that organization shall be considered service described in subparagraph (A),
(III)
if an individual performing service described in subparagraph (A) is reemployed or reinstated after being separated from such service for the purpose of accepting employment with the American Institute of Taiwan as provided under section 3310 of title 22, then the service performed for that Institute shall be considered service described in subparagraph (A),
(IV)
if an individual performing service described in subparagraph (A) returns to the performance of such service after performing service as a member of a uniformed service (including, for purposes of this clause, service in the National Guard and temporary service in the Coast Guard Reserve) and after exercising restoration or reemployment rights as provided under chapter 43 of title 38, then the service so performed as a member of a uniformed service shall be considered service described in subparagraph (A), and
(V)
if an individual performing service described in subparagraph (A) returns to the performance of such service after employment (by a tribal organization) to which section 5323(e)(2) of title 25 applies, then the service performed for that tribal organization shall be considered service described in subparagraph (A); or
(ii)
is receiving an annuity from the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund, or benefits (for service as an employee) under another retirement system established by a law of the United States for employees of the Federal Government (other than for members of the uniformed services);
except that this paragraph shall not apply with respect to any such service performed on or after any date on which such individual performs—
(C)
service performed as the President or Vice President of the United States,
(D) service performed—
(i)
in a position placed in the Executive Schedule under sections 5312 through 5317 of title 5,
(ii)
as a noncareer appointee in the Senior Executive Service or a noncareer member of the Senior Foreign Service, or
(iii)
in a position to which the individual is appointed by the President (or his designee) or the Vice President under section 105(a)(1), 106(a)(1), or 107(a)(1) or (b)(1) of title 3, if the maximum rate of basic pay for such position is at or above the rate for level V of the Executive Schedule,
(E)
service performed as the Chief Justice of the United States, an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, a judge of a United States court of appeals, a judge of a United States district court (including the district court of a territory), a judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims, a judge of the United States Court of International Trade, a judge or special trial judge of the United States Tax Court, a United States magistrate judge, or a referee in bankruptcy or United States bankruptcy judge,
(F)
service performed as a Member, Delegate, or Resident Commissioner of or to the Congress,
(G) any other service in the legislative branch of the Federal Government if such service—
(i)
is performed by an individual who was not subject to subchapter III of chapter 83 of title 5 or to another retirement system established by a law of the United States for employees of the Federal Government (other than for members of the uniformed services), on December 31, 1983, or
(ii)
is performed by an individual who has, at any time after December 31, 1983, received a lump-sum payment under section 8342(a) of title 5 or under the corresponding provision of the law establishing the other retirement system described in clause (i), or
(iii)
is performed by an individual after such individual has otherwise ceased to be subject to subchapter III of chapter 83 of title 5, (without having an application pending for coverage under such subchapter), while performing service in the legislative branch (determined without regard to the provisions of subparagraph (B) relating to continuity of employment), for any period of time after December 31, 1983,
and for purposes of this subparagraph (G) an individual is subject to such subchapter III or to any such other retirement system at any time only if (a) such individual’s pay is subject to deductions, contributions, or similar payments (concurrent with the service being performed at that time) under section 8334(a) of such title 5 or the corresponding provision of the law establishing such other system, or (in a case to which section 8332(k)(1) of such title applies) such individual is making payments of amounts equivalent to such deductions, contributions, or similar payments while on leave without pay, or (b) such individual is receiving an annuity from the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund, or is receiving benefits (for service as an employee) under another retirement system established by a law of the United States for employees of the Federal Government (other than for members of the uniformed services), or
(H) service performed by an individual—
(i)
on or after the effective date of an election by such individual, under section 301 of the Federal Employees’ Retirement System Act of 1986, section 2157 of title 50, or the Federal Employees’ Retirement System Open Enrollment Act of 1997 [1] to become subject to the Federal Employees’ Retirement System provided in chapter 84 of title 5, or
(ii)
on or after the effective date of an election by such individual, under regulations issued under section 860 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 [22 U.S.C. 4071i], to become subject to the Foreign Service Pension System provided in subchapter II of chapter 8 of title I of such Act [22 U.S.C. 4071 et seq.];