Brief Facts and Statistics

Brief Facts and Statistics

Order Code 94-27
CRS Report for Congress
Received through the CRS Web
Social Security: Brief Facts and Statistics
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Updated January 26, 2006
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Gary Sidor
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Research Information Specialist
Knowledge Services Group
Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress

Social Security: Brief Facts and Statistics
Summary
This document provides brief facts and statistics about Social Security that are
frequently requested by Members of Congress and their staffs. It includes
information about Social Security taxes and benefits, the program’s impact on
recipients’ incomes, federal tax receipts, federal spending and the economy, and
administrative information.
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Contents
Recipient Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Recipients By Trust Fund and Eligibility Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Recipients by State and Other Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Tax Facts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Workers Exempt From the Tax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Social Security Taxpayers in 2003 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Social Security Tax Rates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
How the Tax Rates Are Divided . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
How Much Earnings Are Taxable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Annual OASDI and HI Tax Payments in 2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Historical Level of Taxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Social Security Taxpayers Per Recipient . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Benefit Facts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Benefit Formula . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Quarters of Coverage (QCs) Required for Eligibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
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Minimum Ages To Receive Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Ages At Which Persons Receive Full Retirement Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Average Monthly Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
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Social Security Benefit Increases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
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Initial Monthly Benefits for Workers Retiring in 2005 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
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New Benefit Awards as Percent of Final Year’s Earnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
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Benefit Reductions and Offsets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
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Maximum Monthly Earnings From Work Permitted for Disability
Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
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How Long It Takes To Get Your Taxes Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
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Social Security Benefits May Be Partially Taxable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Economic Facts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Income of Social Security Recipients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Social Security’s and Medicare’s Costs as Percent of Federal
Budget, FY2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Social Security and Medicare Spending as Percent of Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Financial Status of Social Security Trust Funds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Administrative Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Offices, Employees, and Administrative Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Sources for Information in this Document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Other References for Program Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Benefit Facts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Tax Facts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Economic Facts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

List of Figures
Figure 1. Ratio of Covered Workers to Beneficiaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Figure 2. Cost-of-Living Adjustments Since 1975 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Figure 3. Historical Cost-of-Living Adjustments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Figure 4. Proportion of Income of Single Beneficiaries
Aged 65 and Older . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Figure 5. Reliance of the Age 65+ on Social Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Figure 6. Balance of the Social Security Trust Funds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
List of Tables
Table 1. Recipients, By Selected Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Table 2. Where Recipients Live . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Table 3. Social Security Taxpayers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Table 4. Social Security Tax Rates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Table 5. FICA and SECA Tax Rates Fund Both Social Security
and Medicare Hospital Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Table 6. Maximum Earnings Taxable by FICA and SECA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
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Table 7. 2004 Social Security Tax Payments, Selected Work Histories . . . . . . . 8
Table 8. Social Security Tax Rates, Selected Years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Table 9. Amount of FICA or SECA Tax Paid, Selected Wage Histories
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and Years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Table 10. Ratio of Covered Workers to Beneficiaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
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Table 11. Quarters of Coverage, Selected Facts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
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Table 12. Age Restrictions for OASDI Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
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Table 13. Full Retirement Age Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Table 14. Average Monthly Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
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Table 15. Historical Cost-of-Living Adjustments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
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Table 16. New Benefit Awards to Retired Workers in 2005 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Table 17. Initial Retirement Benefits as a Percent of Earnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Table 18. Earnings Test and Other Benefit Reductions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Table 19. Substantial Gainful Activity Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Table 20. Expected Payback Times (in years)*, Selected Earnings Histories . . 20
Table 21. A Lower Portion of Taxable Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Table 22. A Higher Portion of Taxable Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Table 23. Distribution of Beneficiaries and Benefits, By Income Band . . . . . . . 22
Table 24. Aged Income Sources and Poverty Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Table 25. The Role of Social Security and Medicare in the Federal Budget,
FY2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Table 26. Social Security and Medicare Spending as a Percent of GDP . . . . . . 25
Table 27. Various Performance Measures of the Trust Funds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Table 28. Administrative Structure and Customer Service Contacts for SSA . . 27

Social Security: Brief Facts and Statistics
This document provides facts and statistics about Social Security that are
frequently requested by Members of Congress and their staffs. Its purpose is to
provide quick answers to basic questions about the program. It should not be treated
as a guide to Social Security. The reader is advised to consult other sources for
explanations of how eligibility and benefits are determined and how the program is
financed. Among them are the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) website at
[http://www.ssa.gov] and the Congressional Research Service’s (CRS) product line
of reports, issue briefs, and fact sheets on Social Security, accessible through the
CRS homepage at [http://www.crs.gov] (for congressional office users only). SSA
also issues numerous pamphlets on various aspects of the program as well as a
lengthy Handbook on Social Security. For other sources that provide data and basic
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descriptive material, see the references listed at the end of this document.
This document is updated periodically.
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Recipient Statistics
The federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) programs
collectively make up the system commonly referred to as Social Security. Officially,
there are two separate programs, each of which is administered by the Social Security
Administration (SSA) and managed by the operations of its own trust fund. The Old-
Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) program and the Disability Insurance (DI)
program each disburse benefits to eligible retired or disabled workers and their
dependents, who have been covered by payroll contributions.
Recipients By Trust Fund and Eligibility Status
Benefit payments are disbursed by the relevant trust fund. Retired workers and
their eligible dependent family members, as well as the dependent family members
of deceased workers, receive benefits from the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance trust
fund. Disabled workers and their eligible dependent family members receive benefits
from the Disability Insurance trust fund. Table 1 breaks down recipients by trust
fund, by entitlement, and by age.
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Table 1. Recipients, By Selected Indicators
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Recipients (as of December 2005)
48.4 million
100.0%
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Old-Age and Survivors Insurance
40.1 million
82.8%
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Disability Insurance
8.3 million
17.2%
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Entitled on their own work records
37.0 million
76.4%
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Entitled as dependents
11.5 million
23.7%
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— Widow(er)s & surviving parents
(4.7 million)
(9.8%)
— Wives and husbands
(2.7 million)
(5.5%)
— Young children & adults disabled
since childhood
(4.0 million)
(8.3%)
Age 65 or older
34.0 million
70.2%
Under age 65
13.6 million
29.8%
Source: Social Security Administration (SSA), Office of the Actuary.
Note: Totals may not equal the sums of rounded components.

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Recipients by State and Other Location
Social Security benefits are paid to eligible individuals in all fifty states, the
U.S. outlying areas, and foreign countries. Table 2 illustrates the distribution of
recipients in December 2003 by where they live.
Table 2. Where Recipients Live
State of other location
Number
% of Total
Total
47,038,391
100.0%
Alabama
867,601
1.8%
Alaska
60,860
0.1%
Arizona
863,874
1.8%
Arkansas
543,727
1.2%
California
4,363,657
9.3%
Colorado
557,253
1.2%
Connecticut
582,877
1.2%
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Delaware
141,488
0.3%
District of Columbia
72,209
0.2%
Florida
3,330,425
7.1%
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Georgia
1,168,095
2.5%
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Hawaii
194,019
0.4%
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Idaho
211,528
0.4%
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Illinois
1,867,671
4.0%
Indiana
1,032,417
2.2%
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Iowa
546,065
1.2%
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Kansas
443,706
0.9%
Kentucky
768,861
1.6%
Louisiana
731,511
1.6%
Maine
262,533
0.6%
Maryland
751,359
1.6%
Massachusetts
1,061,851
2.3%
Michigan
1,699,384
3.6%
Minnesota
765,228
1.6%
Mississippi
533,375
1.1%
Missouri
1,033,886
2.2%
Montana
163,659
0.3%
Nebraska
287,891
0.6%
Nevada
327,319
0.7%
New Hampshire
211,499
0.4%
New Jersey
1,363,838
2.9%
New Mexico
294,669
0.6%
New York
3,035,697
6.5%
North Carolina
1,436,124
3.1%
North Dakota
114,047
0.2%

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State of other location
Number
% of Total
Ohio
1,932,026
4.1%
Oklahoma
613,515
1.3%
Oregon
591,461
1.3%
Pennsylvania
2,386,426
5.1%
Rhode Island
192,662
0.4%
South Carolina
735,084
1.6%
South Dakota
137,880
0.3%
Tennessee
1,041,360
2.2%
Texas
2,792,148
5.9%
Utah
256,551
0.5%
Vermont
108,248
0.2%
Virginia
1,093,695
2.3%
Washington
890,466
1.9%
West Virginia
405,444
0.9%
Wisconsin
928,505
2.0%
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Wyoming
78,745
0.2%
Outlying Areas:
American Samoa
5,425
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Guam
11,245
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No. Mariana Islands
2,157
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Puerto Rico
702,675
1.5%
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Virgin Islands
15,024
Foreign Countries
427,446
0.9%
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Source: Social Security Administration, Office of Policy.
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Note: Totals may not equal the sums of rounded components.
* = less than 0.1%

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Tax Facts
The Social Security trust funds are financed by payroll taxes on covered
earnings. Being “covered” by Social Security means that a worker is employed in a
job or is self-employed and contributes a portion of his or her earnings to Social
Security. Workers not covered by Social Security are either covered by a similar
eligible contributory system offered by their employers outside of Social Security, do
not have high enough earnings for mandatory participation, or have another special
exemption. The type of workers exempt from coverage are provided below.
Workers Exempt From the Tax
! State and local government workers participating in alternative
retirement systems (HI tax is mandatory for workers hired since
April 1, 1986).
! Election workers earning $1,300 or less a year (in 2006).
! Career federal employees hired before 1984 who did not choose
Social Security coverage (HI tax is mandatory for all federal
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workers);
! College students working at their academic institutions.
! Ministers who choose not to be covered, and certain religious sects.
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! Household workers earning less than $1,500 a year (in 2006), and
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those under age 18 for whom household work is not their principal
occupation.
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! Self-employed workers with annual net earnings below $400.
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Social Security Taxpayers in 2003
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Covered workers contribute to Social Security by paying payroll taxes on their
earnings. Wage and salaried workers often have their contributions deducted from
each paycheck they receive, while self-employed must report earnings regularly with
the Social Security Administration. Table 3 provides the number of covered workers
that contribute to the Social Security system, as of December 2003. The total number
of taxpayers is much lower than the sum of the two coverage groups because
approximately six million individuals overlap coverage and engage separately in both
wage and salaried work as well as in self-employed work.

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Table 3. Social Security Taxpayers
Taxpayers, by coverage group
Number
Number of wage and salaried taxpayers
145.1 million
Number of self-employed taxpayers
15.1 million
Total taxpayers*
154.3 million
Source: Social Security Administration, Office of Policy.
* Includes people who are both self-employed and wage or salaried employees.
Social Security Tax Rates
Covered wage and salaried workers contribute 7.65% of their earnings below
the taxable maximum earnings threshold (explained below) to the Social Security
system. Employers of covered workers contribute to the system an additional 7.65%
of the earnings of each employee. The payroll taxes levied on workers and their
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employers are called FICA taxes, after the legislation that created them, the Federal
Insurance Contribution Act.
Self-employed workers contribute roughly 15.30% of their net earnings to the
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system. The payroll tax levied on the self-employed are known as SECA taxes, for
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the Self-Employed Contribution Act. FICA and SECA tax rates are displayed in
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Table 4. On paper, it appears that the self-employed are subject to a tax rate that is
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double that of a wage and salaried worker, essentially equaling both the employee
and employer FICA portions. However, the self-employed receive two breaks that
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The first break is that not all of a self-employed worker’s earnings are subject
to SECA taxes. Only 92.35% of net earnings are subject to SECA taxes (meaning
that 7.65% is exempt). The second break is that one-half of the tax payments made
in the form of SECA contributions are deductible for income tax purposes.
Table 4. Social Security Tax Rates
Type of employment and tax
% of Earnings
FICA rate is paid by employee and employer:
7.65% each
SECA rate is paid by self-employed:
15.30%*
S o urce: So cial Security Ad ministr a t i o n we b s i t e , E l e c t r o n i c F a c t S h e e t
[http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10003.html].
* = The self-employed now compute the tax using only 92.35% of net earnings, and one-half of the
tax so computed is deductible for income tax purposes.

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How the Tax Rates Are Divided
Portions of both the FICA and SECA tax rates are dedicated to fund both Social
Security and the Medicare Hospital Insurance (HI) program, also known as Medicare
“Part A.” Of the 7.65% FICA tax rate paid by both employers and employees, 6.2
percentage points go to OASDI, and the remaining 1.45% of the tax is used to fund
HI. Similarly, of the 15.3% SECA rate, 12.4 percentage points is dedicated to
OASDI, while 2.9% goes to HI. Table 5 provides a detail of the breakdown.
Table 5. FICA and SECA Tax Rates Fund Both Social Security
and Medicare Hospital Insurance
FICA rate (employee
and employer, each)
SECA rate
Old-age, survivors, and disability insurance
6.20%
12.4%
(OASDI)
Hospital insurance (HI)
1.45%
2.9%
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Total (OASDI and HI)
7.65%
15.3%
Source: Social Security Administration website, Electronic Fact Sheet [http://www.ssa.gov/
pubs/10003.html].
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How Much Earnings Are Taxable
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Covered workers contribute the proper percentage of their earnings by either the
FICA or SECA tax. However, not all earnings are subject to FICA and SECA taxes.
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There is a maximum taxable earnings threshold, which rises each year with overall
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wage growth. Earnings above the cap are not subject to the OASDI portion of the
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FICA and SECA taxes. The earnings above the cap, however, are subject to the HI-
dedicated portion of the FICA and SECA taxes. The wage cap is effective for both
the employer and employee OASDI-dedicated portions of the FICA tax. Recent
wage cap limits are shown in Table 6. The Social Security Administration’s Office
of Policy estimates that 94.6% of covered workers had earnings below the maximum
taxable threshold in 2002, the latest year for which data is available.
Table 6. Maximum Earnings Taxable by FICA and SECA
2004
2005
2006
Maximum taxable for OASDI:*
$87,900
$90,000
$94,200
Maximum taxable for HI:
No limit
No limit
No limit
Source: Social Security Administration website, Electronic Fact Sheet [http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/
10003.html].
* Adjusted yearly to reflect the growth of average wages.

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Annual OASDI and HI Tax Payments in 2004
Self-employed workers are subject to the payroll tax rate, which amounts to the
sum of both the employer and employee shares of the FICA tax rate. However, the
self-employed benefit from two breaks that reduce their overall tax burden. First,
self-employed workers are only required to make 92.35% of their net earnings
subject to the SECA tax rate. Wage and salaried employees have the FICA tax rate
applied to all (100%) of their earnings.
Second, self-employed workers can deduct one-half of their SECA tax
payments from their income taxes. For example, if a hypothetical self-employed
person had $35,057 in net earnings, an amount equivalent to the average wage earner
in the economy, they would pay SECA taxes on $32,375 of those earnings (92.35%
of $35,057). When the 15.3% SECA tax rate is applied to $32,375, the result is a
SECA tax burden of $4,953. In computing the effect of the income tax deduction,
one-half of the $4,953 tax burden ($2,477) is used for calculation purposes.
Assuming that this hypothetical self-employed worker with $35,057 in net earnings
is in the 15% marginal income tax bracket, a $2,477 income tax deduction is going
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to result in a tax savings of an additional $372 (15% of $2,477). The net real tax
burden in this example would be $4,582 — instead of $4,953 without the income tax
deduction and $5,364 (15.3% of $35,057) without the income tax deduction and the
exemption from net earnings.
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These computations are included in Table 7 to illustrate the tax burdens of both
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wage and salary and self-employed workers with various earnings histories.
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Table 7. 2004 Social Security Tax Payments, Selected Work
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Histories
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Earnings level
FICA**
SECA***
Minimum wage
($10,712/year)
$819
$1,438
Average
($35,057/year)
$2,682
$4,582
Maximum
($87,900/year)
$6,724
$10,557
Source: Estimates made by CRS from data in the 2004 trustees’ report. The average and maximum
earnings levels are linked to real average increases in wages. The minimum wage annual earnings
level is obtained by multiplying the federal minimum wage for most workers, $5.15 per hour, by 2080
hours worked (40 hours worked per week, for 52 calendar year weeks). A maximum earner is
someone who earns the maximum wage subject to OASDI taxes ($87,900 in 2004).
** Employee share only.
*** Figures are net of federal income tax adjustments. Workers earning the minimum or the average
wage are assumed to be in the 10% and 15% marginal tax brackets, respectively. Maximum-wage
earners are assumed to be in the 30% marginal tax bracket.
Historical Level of Taxes
The FICA and SECA tax rates have been increased several times since the
beginning of the Social Security program. SECA taxes were not levied until after

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1950, when coverage began for the first categories of self-employed workers. The
evolution of FICA and SECA tax rates and tax payments are shown in Table 8 and
Table 9.
Table 8. Social Security Tax Rates, Selected Years
FICAa
SECA
Maximum taxable earningsb
1940
1.00%
—
$3,000
1950
1.50
—
3,000
1960
3.00
4.50%
4,800
1970
4.80
6.90
7,800
1980
6.13
8.10
25,900
1990
7.65
15.30
51,300
2000
7.65
15.30
76,200 (OASDI) (No limit HI)
2006
7.65
15.30
94,200 (OASDI) (No limit HI)
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Source: Social Security Administration, Office of the Actuary.
Table 9. Amount of FICA or SECA Tax Paid, Selected Wage
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Histories and Years
g/w
s.or
Average earner
Maximum earner
ak
le
FICAa
SECA
FICAa
SECA
1940
$ 12
—
$ 30
—
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1950
38
—
45
—
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h
1960
120
$ 180
144
$ 216
1970
297
427 374
538
1980
767
1,014 1,588
2,098
1990
1,609
2,748c
3,924
6,234c
2004
2,682
4,539c
6,724
10,557c
Source: Estimates made by Congressional Research Service (CRS) from data in the 2004 OASDI
trustees’ report.
a. Employee share only for the FICA column. An average earner is someone who earned average
wages throughout his or her working years (average wages are estimated for 2003). A maximum
earner is someone who always earned the maximum wage subject to OASDI taxes ($87,900 in
2004).
b. Maximum taxable earnings were the same for OASDI and HI through 1990.
c. Figures are net of federal income tax adjustments. In 1990, the average and maximum wage
workers were assumed to be in the 15% and 28% marginal tax brackets, respectively. In 2004,
they are assumed to be in the 15% and 30% marginal tax brackets, respectively.
Social Security Taxpayers Per Recipient
Much of the expected long-term financial strain on the Social Security system’s
ability to disburse benefits to future benefits lies in demographics. In the early years
of the system, there were more than ten covered workers contributing with payroll

CRS-10
taxes for every one person drawing benefits. Presently, there is barely more than
three covered workers for every beneficiary, and the Social Security trustees project
that this ratio will eventually fall to less than 2 to 1. Table 10 and Figure 1 illustrate
how this ratio has changed drastically over time.
Table 10. Ratio of Covered Workers to Beneficiaries
Covered workers
Beneficiaries (in
Ratio of covered workers
(in thousands)
thousands)
per beneficiary
1950
48,280
2,930
16.5 to 1
1960
72,530
14,262
5.1 to 1
1970
93,090
25,186
3.7 to 1
1980
113,649
35,118
3.2 to 1
1990
133,672
39,470
3.4 to 1
2000
154,732
45,166
3.4 to 1
2005 (estimated)
158,718
47,993
3.3 to 1
27
2010 (projected)
166,717
52,604
3.2 to 1
2020 (projected)
176,049
67,977
2.6 to 1
2030 (projected)
181,110
83,524
2.2 to 1
2040 (projected)
186,581
91,077
2.0 to 1
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2050 (projected)
191,869
95,340
2.0 to 1
g/w
2060 (projected)
196,467
100,389
2.0 to 1
s.or
ak
2070 (projected)
200,774
105,828
1.9 to 1
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Source: 2005 OASDI trustees report.
://wiki
ttp
h
Figure 1. Ratio of Covered Workers to Beneficiaries
Covered Workers Per Beneficiary
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2005 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 2060 2070
Source: Chart prepared by Congressional Research Service (CRS) from data in the 2005 OASDI
trustees report.

CRS-11
Benefit Facts
Benefit Formula
The Social Security benefit computation formula is progressive, as it uses “bend
points” to return higher percentages of a lower-wage worker’s lifetime indexed
earnings, computed on a monthly basis. For 2006, the bend points used in the benefit
formula are $656 and $3,955, respectively, and are increased annually based on
average wage growth.
If all or most of a worker’s indexed earnings fall under the first or second bend
point, they will see a higher replacement rate of average monthly earnings as
compared to monthly Social Security benefits. The more earnings a worker may have
beyond the second bend point, the lower the net return that worker will see in
augmenting their Social Security benefit.
For basic benefit (or primary insurance amount):*
27
! 90% of first $656 of AIME,** plus
! 32% of AIME over $656 through $3,955, plus
! 15% of AIME over $3,955
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For maximum family benefit:
g/w
s.or
ak
! 150% of first $838 of basic benefit, plus
le
! 272% of basic benefit over $838 through $1,210, plus
! 134% of basic benefit over $1,210 through $1,578, plus
://wiki
! 175% of basic benefit over $1,578
ttp
h
* Without adjustment for early or delayed retirement or other factors.
** AIME = average indexed monthly earnings.
Quarters of Coverage (QCs) Required for Eligibility
To qualify for retired or disabled worker benefits, an individual must
accumulate the required number of quarters of coverage. A worker must have
covered earnings equal to or exceeding the prescribed amount ($970 in 2006) in a
calendar quarter to earn a quarter of coverage. While a minimum of 40 covered
quarters must be achieved to be “vested” in the system to receive retirement benefits
in most cases, disabled worker benefits may be granted with as few as six quarters
of coverage, if the onset of the disabling condition or event occurred while the
worker was at young enough age. The number of quarters of coverage needed under
different circumstances is illustrated in Table 11.

CRS-12
Table 11. Quarters of Coverage, Selected Facts
2005
2006
Annual covered earnings needed to obtain one QC*
$920
$970
Maximum QCs that can be credited in any year
4
4
QCs needed for most retirement or survivor benefits**
40
40
QCs needed for disability benefits**
40
40
(with 20 earned during 40-quarter period before disability began)
Minimum QCs needed for survivor or disability benefits
6
6
Source: Social Security Administration, Office of Policy.
* Adjusted yearly to reflect the growth of average wages.
** Fewer QCs may be required in some survivor and disability cases.
Minimum Ages To Receive Benefits
27
In addition to covered earnings and length of coverage employment, receipt of
many OASDI benefits is conditional with age. Table 12 shows the earliest eligibility
ages (EEA) and maximum eligibility age that qualify or disqualify a worker or
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dependent for benefit payments. Retired worker, spousal, and widow(er) benefits all
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have a “full” or “normal” eligibility age (FRA or NRA), in which benefits are not
penalized for early receipt. In cases where an eligible claimant files for benefits
s.or
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between the earliest eligibility age and the normal retirement age, the amount of the
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monthly benefit is subject to an actuarial reduction, with the reduction being lower
the closer the claimant is to reaching the normal eligibility age.
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ttp
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Table 12. Age Restrictions for OASDI Benefits
Type of benefit claimant
Age restriction
For retired worker (earliest eligibility age)
62
For widow/widower
60
For disabled widow/widower
50
For mother/father caring for child under
any age
age 16
For child
under age 18 (or 19, if in high school)
For disabled worker
any age up to FRA*
Source: Social Security Administration, Office of the Actuary.
* The “full retirement age” or age at which benefits are not reduced for retiring “early.” (See the
following table).

CRS-13
Ages At Which Persons Receive Full Retirement Benefits
For purposes of qualifying for spousal or widow(er)’s benefits, the full or
normal retirement age (known as both the FRA or NRA), has little to do with
retirement, as claims to these benefits is not conditional on a covered work history,
or more specifically, the ceasing of work. In fact, the FRA is misleading to workers,
too, because leaving the workforce is not a condition for retirement benefit eligibility.
Rather, the FRA is simply a qualifying age threshold.
For many years, the Social Security full or normal retirement age remained
constant at 65 years. In 1983, however, a comprehensive Social Security reform
package that included many programmatic changes altered the law to gradually phase
in an increase of the normal retirement age. Starting with those born in 1938, the full
retirement age will be higher than age 65, depending on your year of birth. The
highest the full retirement age is scheduled to hit is age 67, affecting those born in
1960 and later. Table 13 provides the full schedule of current law increases
scheduled to take effect.
27
Table 13. Full Retirement Age Schedule
For retired worker and spouse
Full retirement age
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born before 1938
65
g/w
born 1938
65 and 2 months
s.or
born 1939
65 and 4 months
ak
le
born 1940
65 and 6 months
born 1941
65 and 8 months
://wiki
born 1942
65 and 10 months
ttp
h
born 1943-1954
66
born 1955
66 and 2 months
born 1956
66 and 4 months
born 1957
66 and 6 months
born 1958
66 and 8 months
born 1959
66 and 10 months
born 1960 and later
67
Source: Social Security Administration, Office of the Actuary.
Average Monthly Benefits
OASDI benefits are paid to retired and disabled workers, as well as to their
eligible dependent family members. The benefit formula illustrated above is used to
compute primary insurance amounts (PIAs) for eligible retired or disabled workers,
but benefit amounts paid to dependents are determined by applying the relevant
percentage amount of the worker they are dependent upon. Typically, eligible
spouses and children of workers can receive a monthly amount up to 50% of the
worker’s primary insurance amount. Surviving spouses may be eligible for a
monthly amount up to 100% of the worker’s PIA. Factors that may reduce these

CRS-14
maximum percentage amounts include early eligibility, a dependent’s own work
record and subsequent benefit eligibility based on that work record, remarriage, and
other factors. Table 14 provides average monthly benefit amounts for selected
beneficiary categories before and after the application of the 2006 annual cost-of-
living (COLA) automatic benefit increase (more on COLAs below).
Table 14. Average Monthly Benefits
Monthly payment for January 2006
Before COLA
After COLA*
For all retired workers
$963
$1,002
For all disabled workers
901
938
For retired worker and spouse
1,583
1,648
For aged widow(er) alone
929
967
For widowed mother/father and two children
1,989
2,071
For disabled worker, spouse, and child(ren)
1,509
1,571
27
Source: Social Security Administration, Office of the Actuary.
* Includes January 2006 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) of 4.1%.
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g/w
Social Security Benefit Increases
s.or
ak
Social Security benefits are inflation-protected by the application of an
le
automatic annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). The percentage applied to all
beneficiaries is compiled from economic indicators that track inflation of prices on
://wiki
goods and services over the previous year. The COLA is applied so beneficiaries do
ttp
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not lose their purchasing power over time as they would if benefits were held
constant while prices of goods and services generally increased.
Prior to 1975, COLAs were applied sporadically to increase benefit levels to
keep pace with inflation. Starting in 1975, COLAs have been applied annually, with
the exception being when their effective date was switched from July to January, and
there was no COLA applied in the months between July 1982 and January 1984.
Table 15 and Figure 2 illustrate the full history of benefit level increases, while
Figure 3, for a different perspective, focuses on recent COLAs.

CRS-15
Table 15. Historical Cost-of-Living Adjustments
Year of increase
Percent of increase
January 2006
4.1%
January 2005
2.7%
January 2004
2.1%
January 2003
1.4%
January 2002
2.6%
January 2001
3.5%
January 2000
2.5%*
January 1999
1.3%
January 1998
2.1%
27
January 1997
2.9%
January 1996
2.6%
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January 1995
2.8%
g/w
January 1994
2.6%
s.or
ak
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January 1993
3.0%
January 1992
3.7%
://wiki
ttp
h
January 1991
5.4%
January 1990
4.7%
January 1989
4.0%
January 1988
4.2%
January 1987
1.3%
January 1986
3.1%
January 1985
3.5%
January 1984
3.5%
July 1982
7.4%
July 1981
11.2%
July 1980
14.3%
July 1979
9.9%
July 1978
6.5%

CRS-16
Year of increase
Percent of increase
July 1977
5.9%
July 1976
6.4%
July 1975**
8.0%
April-July 1974***
11.0%
October 1972
20.0%
February 1971
10.0%
February 1970
15.0%
March 1968
13.0%
February 1965
7.0%
February 1959
7.0%
27
October 1954
13.0%
October 1952
12.5%
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October 1950
77.0%
g/w
s.or
Source: Social Security Administration, Office of the Actuary.
ak
le
* As originally computed, the COLA payable in January 2000 was 2.4%. Later, it was corrected to
2.5% under P.L. 106-554.
** Automatic cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) began.
://wiki
*** Provided in two steps.
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h
Figure 2. Cost-of-Living Adjustments Since 1975
Source: Chart prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) from data obtained from Social
Security Administration, Office of the Actuary.

CRS-17
Figure 3. Historical Cost-of-Living Adjustments
Cost of Living Adjustment (% Change of Benefit Increase)
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1950
1965
1972
1977
1981
1986
1990
1994
1998
2002
27
Source: Chart prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) from data obtained from Social
Security Administration, Office of the Actuary.
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g/w
Initial Monthly Benefits for Workers Retiring in 2005
s.or
ak
Table 16 shows what workers with different earnings histories would receive
le
in monthly benefits when retiring in 2005. The disparity in benefit amounts in the
two columns is affected by the fact that a worker born in 1940 and turning 65 during
://wiki
the 2005 must wait until six months past his/her month of birth before receiving
ttp
h
unreduced benefits at the full retirement age. See Table 13 for the schedule of full
retirement ages.
Table 16. New Benefit Awards to Retired Workers in 2005
At the normal
At age 65
retirement age
Low-wage earner
$ 750
$ 775
Average-wage earner
1,236
1,278
Maximum-wage earner
1,877
1,940
Source: 2005 OASDI trustees’ report.
Note: A low-wage earner is someone who always earned approximately 45% of the national average
wage. An average-wage earner is someone who always earned the average wage. A maximum-wage
earner is someone who always earned the maximum amount subject to the Social Security tax.

CRS-18
New Benefit Awards as Percent of Final Year’s Earnings
(new retiree age 65 in 2005; figures based on assumptions of 2005 trustees’ report)
The progressive nature of the benefit computation formula, explained above,
provides lower earning workers with a higher replacement rate of benefits as
compared to earnings. The expected replacement rates of new retirees in 2005, with
different earnings histories and benefit election at age 65, are shown in Table 17.
Table 17. Initial Retirement Benefits as a Percent of Earnings
Percent of benefits to earnings
Low-wage earner
57%
Average-wage earner
42%
Maximum-wage earner
30%
Source: 2005 OASDI trustees’ report
27
Note: A low-wage earner is someone who always earned approximately 45% of the national average
wage. An average-wage earner is someone who always earned the average wage. A maximum-wage
earner is someone who always earned the maximum amount subject to the Social Security tax.
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Benefit Reductions and Offsets
g/w
s.or
While election for retirement benefits is not conditional on leaving the work
ak
le
force, earnings from work can reduce monthly benefits that are received before the
full retirement age. In years preceeding the year in which one will reach the full
://wiki
retirement age, benefits are reduced $1 for every $2 of earnings over the base
ttp
earnings test annual exemption amount ($12,480 in 2006). In the calendar year in
h
which one will reach the full retirement age, benefits are reduced $1 for every $3 of
earnings over a much higher second earnings test exemption amount ($33,240 in
2006). After reaching the full retirement age, beneficiaries are not subject to any
benefit reductions due to earnings. Table 18 provides the thresholds for the earnings
test, as well as other basic benefit reductions or offsets.

CRS-19
Table 18. Earnings Test and Other Benefit Reductions
Reduction rate
Earnings test (reduction in
for earnings
benefits on account of earnings
2005 exempt
2006 exempt
above exempt
from work)
amounts
amounts
amounts
Before year in which worker
$12,000
$12,480
50.0%
reaches full retirement age
For months before birthday in
year in which worker attains full
$31,800
$33,240
33.3%
retirement age
Month in which worker reaches
all earnings
all earnings
none
full retirement age and later
Spousal dual entitlement limitation: $1 reduction in spousal benefits for each $1 of
benefits earned as a worker.
Government pension offset: $0.662/3 reduction in spousal benefits for each $1 of
pension received from government employment not covered by Social Security.
27
Windfall reduction: 40% factor is used as first step of benefit formula (instead of 90%),
if worker receives a pension from government employment not covered by Social
Security and has less than 21 years of substantial Social Security coverage (factor is
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larger if worker has 21 or more years of substantial coverage). Reduction cannot exceed
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50% of the government pension.
s.or
ak
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Source: Social Security Administration, Office of Policy.
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Maximum Monthly Earnings From Work Permitted for
ttp
Disability Benefits
h
The primary indicator in determining one’s eligibility to receive Social Security
disability benefits is one’s ability to partake in gainful employment. There are two
earnings thresholds that are applied to determine if a disability beneficiary or
claimant is gainfully employed or has the ability to be gainfully employed. They are
known as the monthly “substantial gainful activity” (SGA) levels.
In 2006, those beneficiaries who disabling condition is blindness, the level of
SGA before loss of eligibility is $1,450 per month. For all other disabled
beneficiaries, the monthly SGA amount is $860. These amounts are provided in
Table 19.
Table 19. Substantial Gainful Activity Levels
2005
2006
Non-blind disabled
$830
$860
Blind disabled
1,380
1,450
Source: Social Security Administration, Office of the Actuary.
*Adjusted yearly to reflect the growth of average wages.

CRS-20
How Long It Takes To Get Your Taxes Back
Similar to the fact that lower-wage workers receive a higher replacement rate
of benefits to earnings that higher paid workers, it also takes less time for lower-wage
workers to recoup the value of worker payroll tax contributions in monthly benefit
payments. Table 20 provides expected payback times of workers with varying wage
histories.
Since spouses with no earnings histories are eligible for monthly benefits when
they meet certain factors such as age requirements, worker and spouse receiving
benefits simultaneously significantly reduces the expected time of recoupment of the
workers contributions.
Table 20. Expected Payback Times (in years)*, Selected
Earnings Histories
Employee/employer shares
27
Employee share alone
combined
Worker
Worker
Worker
and spouse
Worker
and spouse
Low-wage earner
5.4
3.5
12.0
7.5
iki/CRS-94-
Average-wage earner
7.5
4.8
17.4
10.5
g/w
Maximum-wage earner
10.4
6.5
25.7
14.8
s.or
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Source: Estimates made by CRS from data obtained in the 2003 OASDI trustees report.
://wiki
* Time it takes to recover retirement portion of the Social Security payroll tax with interest. Assumes
ttp
worker retired in January 2003 at age 65 after having worked steadily since age 21 (age 22 for
h
maximum-wage earner). A low-wage earner is someone who always earned approximately 45% of
the national average wage. A maximum-wage earner is someone who always earned the maximum
amount subject to the Social Security tax. Assumes the worker’s spouse is also age 65. The
“retirement portion” of the tax is approximate since the law does not actually isolate the “old age”
portion. Medicare benefits and taxes are excluded from the figures. Interest assumed to be equal to
rates that accrue on government securities with four-year or longer maturities. (All figures based on
intermediate assumptions of the 2003 trustees’ report.)
Social Security Benefits May Be Partially Taxable
Table 21 and Table 22 provide examples of how the combination of Social
Security benefits and other income can subject different proportions of the Social
Security benefits to income taxes.
Up to 50% of benefits are subject to federal income taxes if adjusted gross
income plus tax-free interest plus one-half of Social Security benefits is:
! Over $25,000, but not more than $34,000 for a single person
! Over $32,000, but not more than $44,000 for a married couple filing
jointly

CRS-21
Table 21. A Lower Portion of Taxable Benefits
Example #1:
Single retiree’s adjusted gross income
$23,000
+4,000
One-half of retiree’s Social Security benefits
+1,000
Interest from tax-free municipals
Total
$28,000
-25,000
Less: exempt amount
Excess over $25,000
$ 3,000
Amount of taxable Social Security benefits (One-half of excess or one-
half of benefits, whichever is lower)
$ 1,500
Source: Social Security Administration, Office of Policy, 2003 Annual Statistical Supplement.
Up to 85% of benefits are subject to federal income taxes if adjusted gross
income plus tax-free interest plus one-half of Social Security benefits is:
27
! Over $34,000 for a single person
! Over $44,000 for a married couple filing jointly
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Table 22. A Higher Portion of Taxable Benefits
g/w
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Example #2:
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Single retiree’s adjusted gross income
$32,000
+5,000
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One-half of retiree’s Social Security benefits
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Total
37,000
-25,000
Less: exempt amount
Excess
12,000
Taxable benefits based on income
between $25,000 and $34,000
$4,500
(lower of 50% of excess, 50% of benefits, or $4,500)
Taxable benefits based on income above $34,000
[($37,000 - $34,000) x 85%]
$2,550
Total benefits taxable (taxable portions as calculated above, or
85% of benefits, if lower)
$7,050
Source: Social Security Administration, Office of Policy, 2003 Annual Statistical Supplement.

CRS-22
Economic Facts
Income of Social Security Recipients
Many Social Security beneficiaries rely on benefit payments to make up a
significant portion of their income. The incomes of many lower income beneficiary
families is largely dependent on Social Security payments, and for 40% of single
beneficiaries over age 65, Social Security payments make up 90% or more of the
individual’s income.
Table 23 shows distributions of beneficiaries and aggregate Social Security
benefit payments by income band. The lowest income band listed contains the
highest number of beneficiary families, yet receives only the third highest proportion
of benefit payments.
Table 24 as well as Figure 4 and Figure 5 illustrate the magnitude to which
recipients rely on their monthly benefit payments.
27
Table 23. Distribution of Beneficiaries and Benefits, By Income
Band
iki/CRS-94-
% of aggregate Social
g/w
Annual level of individual or
% of recipients in
Security benefits paid to
s.or
couple income*
income band
recipients in income band
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Less than $10,000
18.8%
12.6%
$10,000-15,000
12.8%
12.5%
://wiki
$15,000-20,000
10.8%
10.8%
ttp
h
$20,000-25,000
8.6%
9.3%
$25,000-30,000
7.5%
7.8%
$30,000-40,000
12.0%
12.8%
$40,000-50,000
9.4%
9.9%
$50,000-100,000
14.6%
17.3%
Over $100,000
5.4%
6.9%
All
100.0%
100.0%
Source: Congressional Budget Office (House Ways and Means Committee 2000 Greenbook).
Note: Distribution is estimated for Calendar Year 2000.
* Includes all cash income and capital gains.

CRS-23
Table 24. Aged Income Sources and Poverty Status
Income of the population age 65 and older in 2000
derived from:
Single
Married
Social Security
46%
34%
Other retirement systems
18%
18%
Interest, dividends, rents
19%
17%
Earnings
14%
29%
Other
4%
2%
Total
100%
100%
Percent of population age 65 and older in 2000:
With incomes below poverty line
17%
5%
With no income from Social Security
10%
10%
With under 50% of income from Social Security
29%
47%
With 50% or more of income from Social Security
71%
53%
With 90% or more of income from Social Security
40%
20%
27
With 100% of income from Social Security
26%
11%
Source: Social Security Administration, Office of Policy. Totals may not equal sums of rounded
components.
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g/w
s.or
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ttp
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CRS-24
Figure 4. Proportion of Income of Single Beneficiaries
Aged 65 and Older
4%
14%
S o c ia l S e c u rit y
45%
O t h e r R e t ire m e n t S ys t e m s
In t e re s t , D iv id e n d s , R e n t s
E a rn in g s
19%
O t h e r
27
18%
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g/w
Source: Chart prepared by Congressional Research Service (CRS) from data obtained from SSA,
s.or
Office of Policy.
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Figure 5. Reliance of the Age 65+ on Social Security
://wiki
P e rce n t o f t h e P o pu l a ti o n A g e 6 5 a n d O l de r
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Wit h 10 0 % o f In c o m e
2 6 %
f ro m S o c ia l S e c u rit y
Wit h 9 0 % o r M o re o f
In c o m e f ro m S o c ia l
4 0 %
S e c u rit y
Wit h 5 0 % o f M o re o f
In c o m e f ro m S o c ia l
7 1 %
S e c u rit y
Wit h Un d e r 5 0 % o f
In c o m e f ro m S o c ia l
2 9 %
S e c u rit y
Wit h N o In c o m e f ro m
1 0 %
S o c ia l S e c u rit y
Wit h In c o m e s B e lo w
1 7 %
t h e P o v e rt y Lin e
0 %
1 0 %
2 0 %
3 0 %
4 0 %
5 0 %
6 0 %
7 0 %
8 0 %
Source: Chart prepared by Congressional Research Service (CRS) from data obtained from Social
Security Administration, Office of Policy.

CRS-25
Social Security’s and Medicare’s Costs as Percent of Federal
Budget, FY2004
Social Security and Medicare make up a significant portion of federal spending.
Table 25 shows that the two programs combined make up over one-fourth of federal
outlays.
Table 25. The Role of Social Security and Medicare in the
Federal Budget, FY2004
Estimated share of all federal outlays
Social Security
21.4%
Medicare
7.3%
Combined
28.7%
Source: Office of Management and Budget (OMB), FY2006 Budget.
27
Social Security and Medicare Spending as Percent of Gross
Domestic Product (GDP)
iki/CRS-94-
As a proportion of the overall economy is as measured by gross domestic
g/w
product (GDP), Social Security and Medicare combined spending will increase by
s.or
54% from 2004 to 2030. As Table 26 shows, in 2004 Social Security and Medicare
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spending make up 5.83% of GDP. In 2030, it is projected that the two programs will
account for 8.95% of GDP.
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Table 26. Social Security and Medicare Spending as a Percent
h
of GDP
2004
2030
Social Security
4.33%
6.31%
Medicare
1.50%
2.64%
Social Security and Medicare, combined
5.83%
8.95%
Source: 2004 OASDI trustees’ report.
Financial Status of Social Security Trust Funds
The Social Security trust funds currently bring in much more revenue than what
is needed for benefit obligations and have accumulated large balances. However, in
the near future payroll tax revenue will no longer be sufficient for expected spending,
and the trust funds are projected to be no longer solvent by 2042. Table 27 and
Figure 6 illustrate the magnitude of the projected revenue shortfall and how quickly
trust fund balances will erode.

CRS-26
Figure 6. Balance of the Social Security Trust Funds
Balance of the OAS DI Funds, in Billions
$7,000
$6,000
$5,000
$4,000
$3,000
$2,000
$1,000
$0
2004 2007 2010 2013 2016 2019 2022
2025 2028 2031 2034 2037 2040
27
Source: Chart prepared by Congressional Research Service (CRS) from data obtained from 2004
OASDI Trustees’ report.
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Table 27. Various Performance Measures of the Trust Funds
g/w
s.or
ak
Balance of trust
le
CY
Income
Outgo
funds (end of year)
(intermediate forecast, $ in billions)
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2005
$701
$518
$1,867
ttp
h
2010
930
670
3,030
2015
1,215
927
4,442
2020
1,539
1.299
5,776
2025
1,876
1,782
6,575
2030
2,223
2,364
6,370
2035
2,572
3,032
4,736
2040
2,919
3,778
1,280
Estimated peak of trust funds’ balances:
$6.6 trillion in 2027
Estimated year of insolvency (intermediate forecast):
Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund
2044
Disability Insurance Trust Fund
2029
Combined
2042
Source: 2004 OASDI trustees’ report.

CRS-27
Administrative Information
Offices, Employees, and Administrative Costs
The Social Security Administration has an extensive nationwide network of
local field offices, regional offices, and headquarters for policy and research. SSA
has a large customer service network, and of all federal agencies, its 800-telephone
line and internet website are among the most heavily used.
Table 28. Administrative Structure and Customer Service
Contacts for SSA
Location of SSA headquarters:
Baltimore, Maryland
Number of:*
Regional offices
10
Field offices
1,336
Hearings offices
138 permanent
27
Teleservice centers
36
Program service centers
7
Data operations centers
1
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g/w
Number of SSA employees: (FY2004 full-time equivalents)
63,701
s.or
ak
Administrative costs of Social Security:**
$4.3 billion
le
Administrative costs as percent of benefit costs:**
0.9%
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Source: Social Security Administration’s Accountability Report for Fiscal Year 2004.
h
** Data for FY2003 from the 2004 OASDI trustees’ report.

CRS-28
References
Sources for Information in this Document
800 Telephone Number for SSA: 800-772-1213.
SSA Internet website at [http://www.ssa.gov].
Commissioner of Social Security, Jo Anne B. Barnhart, Altmeyer Building, 6401
Security Blvd., Baltimore, MD 21235.
U.S. Social Security Administration. 2004 annual reports of the boards of trustees
of the old age, survivors, and disability insurance, hospital insurance, and
supplementary medical insurance trust funds. Washington, 2004.
Annual Statistical Supplement to the Social Security Bulletin, 2003.
Unpublished data from the Social Security Administration, Office of Research
27
and Statistics.
Other References for Program Descriptions
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g/w
Myers, Robert J. Social Security. 4th ed. Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania
s.or
Press, 1993.
ak
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U.S. Congress. House. Committee on Ways and Means. 2000 Green Book:
Background Material and Data on Programs Within the Jurisdiction of the
://wiki
Committee on Ways and Means. Washington, GPO, 2000. 1,575 p. (106th
ttp
h
Cong., 2nd session. WMCP 106-14)
Benefit Facts
CRS Report 94-803, Social Security: The Cost-of-Living Adjustment in January
2006, by Gary Sidor.
CRS Report 98-789, Social Security Earnings Test: Proposed Changes, by Debra
Whitman.
CRS Report 94-622, Social Security: Raising the Retirement Age: Background and
Issues, by Geoffrey Kollmann.
CRS Report RL32453, Social Security: The Government Pension Offset, by Laura
Haltzel.
CRS Report 98-35, Social Security: The Windfall Elimination Provision, by Laura
Haltzel.
Tax Facts
CRS Report 94-28, Social Security and Medicare Taxes and Premiums: A Fact
Sheet, by Dawn Nuschler.
CRS Report RL32552, Social Security: Calculation and History of Taxing Benefits,
by Christine Scott.

CRS-29
CRS Report RL33028, Social Security: The Trust Fund, by Christine Scott.
Economic Facts
CRS Report 95-543, The Financial Outlook for Social Security and Medicare, by
Dawn Nuschler.
CRS Issue Brief IB98048, Social Security Reform, by Dawn Nuschler.
CRS Report 97-77, Social Security: Long-Range Projections, by Dawn Nuschler.
CRS Report 95-206, Social Security’s Treatment Under the Federal Budget: A
Summary, by Dawn Nuschler
27
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s.or
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