THE CLOCK IS TICKING ON SOCIAL SECURITY'S SOLVENCY

Social Security’s Board of Trustees has released its 2025 report on the financial status of the program’s trust funds, revealing that the outlook for future retiree benefits has become a bit more precarious.

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THE CLOCK IS TICKING ON SOCIAL SECURITY’S SOLVENCY

The Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) trust fund, which pays out retiree benefits, is projected to run out of money in the first quarter of 2033, earlier in the year than predicted in the 2024 report. If the fund is exhausted, benefits would face a 23% cut, with Social Security recipients getting 77% of their scheduled benefits, paid from payroll taxes and other sources of income. If the OASI fund were combined with the fund that provides disability insurance benefits (a move that would require congressional approval), the funds would be able to pay out 100% of scheduled benefits until 2034, according to the 2025 estimates, instead of 2035 as predicted in 2024. After the projected fund’s reserves are depleted, continuing total income could pay 81% of benefits.