How Secure Is Social Security?  

We hear from some folks that Social Security is going bankrupt. Is there any truth to that? In this story we first review the basics of the Social Security program, and then we take a look at the latest numbers provided in the 2017 Annual Report of the Board of Trustees of the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) and Federal Disability Insurance (DI) trust funds. Finally, we’ll look at possible fixes that have been proposed to keep Social Security solvent and able to pay benefits for the next 75 years. 

Notice that insurance is part of the names of both Social Security trust funds. That’s because Social Security was designed after the Great Depression as a safety net to be sure that we never again find seniors living under bridges, as was common during the Depression. It was designed as insurance, and Social Security payments are called “benefits.” 

First, some terminology. The whole program managed by the Social Security Administration is known as Old-Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance (OASDI). Note that, as the Annual Report's name makes clear, there are two funds  – one for retirees [the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) Trust Fund] and one for people who are disabled [the Disability Insurance (DI) Trust Fund]. The financial status of each is in a very different position, with different possible solutions to fix the financial problems.

Social Security benefits are based on a “pay as you go” system. This means that current workers pay Social Security taxes, while current retirees get benefits based on that tax revenue and earned income from the trust fund bonds. 

The concern related to that “pay as you go” structure is that the huge Baby Boomer generation (people born between 1946 and 1964) will create a crisis because so many will begin collecting Social Security. By the year 2031, when the youngest Boomers reach age 67, there will be 75 million people over the age of 65, nearly double the 39 million who were that age in 2008. This will change the ratio of workers to retirees, from 35 per 100 in 2014 to 45 per 100 in 2030, putting a strain on that “pay as you go” system.  (For more, see When Do I Stop Paying Social Security Tax?)

This Baby Boomer wave was not unexpected; in fact, it was planned for in 1983 when Alan Greenspan headed the National Commission on Social Security Reform, also known as the Greenspan Commission. At that time the trust funds almost did run out of money. The commission did an excellent job of finding fixes to deal with the Boomer wave. The biggest change was increasing Social Security tax rates to build up the trust funds. In 1983 the tax rate was 5.4% for employees and another 5.4% for employers. Today that tax rate is 6.2% for both employee and employer. 

The Greenspan Commission’s fix worked just as intended, and the nation has billions in the Social Security trust funds. The 2017 annual report on the trust funds showed these basic facts: 

– The OASDI trust funds had $2.848 trillion dollars at the beginning of 2017. The balance is expected to increase to $3 trillion at the beginning of 2020.

– Total expenditures for 2016 were $922 billion, and total income was $957 billion.

– DI trust fund reserves will be depleted in 2028.

– OASI trust funds will be depleted in 2035 – 18 years from now.

– When DI funds are depleted, if there is no fix in time, 93% of disability benefits will be able to be paid based on the “pay as you go” income to the DI trust fund.

– When OASI trust funds are depleted in 2035, only 75% of Social Security benefits will be able to be paid based on the “pay as you go” income to the OASI trust fund.

– For the 75-year projection period, the actuarial deficit is 2.83% of taxable payroll. In other words, Social Security taxes would need to increase by 2.83% to fix the problem permanently.

Yes, a fix is needed to avoid a reduction in benefits when the trust funds run out of money, but many different fixes have been suggested to restore Social Security’s financial health for the next 75 years. A tax increase is not the only way. It is most likely that some combination of the fixes will be used to minimize the impact on everyone. The sooner Congress acts to fix the system, the less painful the fix will be.

Fix 1: Raise the payroll tax rate. As indicated above, the combined tax rate for employer and employee is 12.4%. An increase of 2.68% would make that 15.08% or 7.54% for the employer and 7.54% for the employee. 

Fix 2: Raise the ceiling on which Social Security taxes must be paid. Right now that ceiling is $127,2000 for 2016, but it is adjusted for inflation each year. Eliminating the ceiling would cut about 50% from the projected 75-year deficit.

Fix 3: Change the way the annual cost-of-living adjustments are calculated. As there is no COLA for 2016, this may not be an effective long-term fix. 

Fix 4: Raise the full retirement age. Right now the full retirement age for Baby Boomers is 66, and for those who were born in 1960 or after it is 67. Some people are suggesting that the full retirement age be increased to 69 or 70. 

Fix 5: Invest Social Security trust funds in the stock market. Some people want the Social Security Administration to invest some of the trust fund money in the stock market to get a better return. 

(For another approach being discussed, see Should Social Security Be Privatized? An Unbiased Review.)

Social Security is nowhere near bankruptcy. As Alicia H. Munnell, director of the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, puts it in her analysis of the 2017 report: "Social Security faces a manageable financing shortfall over the next 75 years, which should be addressed soon to share the burden more equitably across cohorts, restore confidence in tha nation's major retirement program, and give people time to adjust to needed changes."

Even if there is no fix in the next 20 years, reduced benefits could be paid with “pay as you go” tax revenue. The sooner Congress passes a fix, the better it will be for all of us.