Social Security: Taxation of Benefits

January 14, 2005 – June 12, 2020 RL32552

Social Security: Taxation of Benefits
Updated June 12, 2020
Congressional Research Service
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RL32552

Social Security: Taxation of Benefits

Summary
Social Security provides monthly cash benefits to retired or disabled workers and their family
members and to the family members of deceased workers. Those benefits were initial y exempt
from federal income tax, but in 1983, Congress approved recommendations from the National
Commission on Social Security Reform (also known as the Greenspan Commission) as part of the
Social Security Amendments of 1983 to tax the benefits of some higher-income Social Security
beneficiaries. In the congressional debate leading to the Social Security Amendments of 1983 and
the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 (OBRA 1993), the committee reports noted a
desire to treat Social Security benefits more like private pension benefits, where benefits are
subject to income tax except for the portion attributable to the individual’s own contributions to
the system (on which the individual had already paid income tax).
Beginning in 1984, up to 50% of Social Security and Railroad Retirement Tier I benefits became
taxable for individuals whose provisional income exceeds $25,000 and couples whose provisional
income exceeds $32,000. Provisional income equals adjusted gross income (total income from al
sources recognized for tax purposes) plus certain otherwise tax-exempt income, including half of
Social Security and Railroad Retirement Tier I benefits. The proceeds from taxing this portion of
Social Security and Railroad Retirement Tier I benefits are credited to the Old-Age and Survivors
Insurance (OASI) trust fund, the Disability Insurance (DI) trust fund, and the Railroad Retirement
system, respectively, based on the source of the benefit taxed.
OBRA 1993 increased the taxable share of Social Security and Railroad Retirement Tier I
benefits for some beneficiaries. That law taxes up to 85% of benefits for individuals whose
provisional income exceeds $34,000 and for married couples whose provisional income exceeds
$44,000. The additional proceeds from that law are credited to the Medicare Hospital Insurance
(HI) trust fund.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that 49% of Social Security beneficiaries
were affected by the income taxation of Social Security benefits in tax year 2014. That share is
expected to grow over time because the income thresholds used to determine the taxable share of
benefits are not indexed for inflation or wage growth. A Social Security Administration analysis
projected that over 56% of Social Security beneficiary families wil owe income tax on their
Social Security benefits in 2050. Among those who owe income tax on their Social Security
benefits, the tax liability increases with income.
In 2019, the Social Security trust funds were credited with $36.5 bil ion in revenue from taxation
of benefits, accounting for 3.4% of total income. The Medicare HI trust fund was credited with
$23.8 bil ion in revenue from taxation of benefits, which equaled 7.4% of total income. In 2018,
the Railroad Retirement system was credited with $255 mil ion in revenue from taxation of
Railroad Retirement Tier I benefits, representing about 1.9% of total income.
Under the intermediate assumptions of the 2020 Social Security Trustees Report, income taxes on
benefits are projected to reach $98 bil ion in 2029, representing 6.1% of total income to the Social
Security trust funds. Under the intermediate assumptions of the 2020 Medicare HI Trustees
Report, income taxes on benefits are projected to be $68.8 bil ion in 2029, accounting for 13.3%
of total income to the Medicare HI trust fund. The 2020 intermediate assumptions reflect the
Board of Trustees’ understanding of Social Security and Medicare at the start of 2020; they do not
include potential effects of the Coronavirus Disease 2019, or COVID-19.
In the 116th Congress, four bil s have been introduced that would affect the taxation of Social
Security and Railroad Retirement Tier 1 benefits: H.R. 860 (Representative Larson) and its
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Social Security: Taxation of Benefits

companion bil S. 269 (Senator Blumenthal), H.R. 3966 (Representative Lipinski), and H.R. 3971
(Representative Massie).
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Social Security: Taxation of Benefits

Introduction
The Social Security system provides monthly benefits to qualified retirees, disabled workers, and
their spouses and dependents; it also provides monthly benefits to qualified survivors of deceased
workers. Before 1984, Social Security benefits were exempt from the federal income tax.
Congress passed legislation in 1983 to tax a portion of Social Security and Railroad Retirement
Tier I benefits, with the share of benefits subject to taxation gradual y increasing as a person’s
income rose above a specified income threshold.1 In 1993, a second income threshold was added
that increased the taxable share of benefits. These two thresholds are often referred to as first tier
and second tier.
In the congressional debate leading to the Social Security Amendments of 1983 and the Omnibus
Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 (OBRA 1993), the committee reports noted a desire to
 treat Social Security benefits more like private pension benefits, in which
benefits are subject to income tax except for the portion attributable to the
individual’s own contributions to the system (on which the individual had
already paid income tax);
 protect lower-income beneficiaries from taxation of benefits; and
 improve the Social Security program’s solvency.2
Today, approximately half of Social Security beneficiaries pay federal income taxes on a portion
of their benefits. That percentage is projected to increase over time because the income thresholds
used to determine the taxable share of benefits are not indexed for inflation or wage growth.
In 2020, Social Security tax liability (federal income taxes owed on Social Security benefits) is
projected to be 6.6% of Social Security benefits, with higher tax liabilities associated with higher
income categories. Among affected taxpayer units, the average dollar value of Social Security tax
liability is projected to be $3,211, again with higher projected tax liabilities for those in higher
income brackets.
Overal in 2017, 33.0% of al Social Security benefit payments were taxable. Revenue from the
federal taxation of benefits is directed to the Social Security trust funds, the Medicare Hospital
Insurance (HI) trust fund, and the Railroad Retirement system,3 and it makes up 3.4%, 7.4%, and
1.9% of total income to the respective systems. In 2029, income from the taxation of benefits is
projected to reach 6.1% of revenue to the Social Security trust funds and 13.3% of revenue to the

1 Railroad Retirement T ier I benefits are paid to a qualified railroad retiree who has met the quarterly work
requirements for Social Security benefit eligibility. T he retiree receives Social Security benefits based on the work
history that qualified the retiree for Social Security benefits, and the retiree receives T ier I benefits based on both the
Social Security and railroad work histories. T he actual Social Security benefits received are subtracted from this
calculation of T ier I benefits to get actual T ier I benefits. See CRS Report RS22350, Railroad Retirem ent Board:
Retirem ent, Survivor, Disability, Unem ploym ent, and Sickness Benefits. In this report, references to Social Security
benefits generally also apply to T ier I benefits.
2 Larry DeWitt, “Research Note #12: T axation of Social Security Benefits,” Social Security Administration Historian’s
Office, February 2001, at https://www.ssa.gov/history/taxationofbenefits.html.
3 T he Railroad Retirement Board, an independent federal agency, administers retirement, survivor, disability,
unemployment, and sickness insurance for railroad workers and their families. T he Ra ilroad Retirement Act authorizes
retirement, disability, and survivor benefits for railroad workers and their families, financed primarily by payroll taxes,
financial interchanges from Social Security, and transfers from the National Railroad Ret irement Investment T rust. See
CRS Report RS22350, Railroad Retirem ent Board: Retirem ent, Survivor, Disability, Unem ploym ent, and Sickness
Benefits.
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Medicare HI trust fund. The Social Security and Medicare projections for 2029 do not include
potential effects of the Coronavirus Disease 2019, or COVID-19.
This report details the rules for determining the portion of Social Security benefits subject to
federal income taxation, provides statistics about Social Security benefits subject to taxation and
the amount of taxes owed, and discusses the impacts on the Social Security and Medicare HI trust
funds. It also explains the history of the federal income taxation of Social Security benefits and
briefly describes current legislative proposals that would change the taxation of Social Security
benefits.
Determining the Portion of Social Security Benefits
Subject to Federal Income Taxation
In general, about half of Social Security beneficiaries pay federal income taxes on a portion of
their benefits. Up to 85% of Social Security benefits can be included in taxable income for
recipients whose “provisional income” exceeds either of two statutory thresholds (based on filing
status).4
Provisional income is adjusted gross income,5 plus certain otherwise tax-exempt income (tax-
exempt interest), plus the addition of certain income specifical y excluded from federal income
taxation (interest on certain U.S. savings bonds,6 employer-provided adoption benefits, foreign
earned income or foreign housing, and income earned in Puerto Rico or American Samoa by bona
fide residents), plus 50% of Social Security benefits.
The first-tier thresholds, below which no Social Security benefits are taxable, are $25,000 of
provisional income for taxpayers filing as single, head of household, or qualifying widow(er) and
$32,000 of provisional income for taxpayers filing a joint return. In the case of taxpayers who are
married filing separately, the threshold is also $25,000 of provisional income if the spouses lived
apart al year, but it is $0 for those who lived together at any point during the tax year.7

4 For additional information on calculating taxable Social Security benefits, see U.S. Department of the Treasury,
Internal Revenue Service, “Social Security and Equivalent Railroad Retirement Benefits,” Publication 915, at
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p915.pdf. T he term provisional incom e is not defined in the Internal Revenue Code but
was referred to in the conference report accompanying the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 ( P.L. 103-66),
which established the second-tier threshold. See U.S. Congress, Committee on the Budget, Om nibus Budget
Reconciliation Act of 1993, conference report to accompany H.R. 2264, 103th Cong., 1st sess., August 4, 1993, H.Rept.
103-213, (Washington: GPO, 1993), p. 594, at https://www.finance.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/confrpt103-213.pdf.
5 Adjusted gross income (AGI) is the main measure of income used when computing income taxes. T he Internal
Revenue Service refers to provisional income as m odified adjusted gross incom e. See IRS Publication 915 for details
on the sources of income included in computing provisional income.
6 Interest on qualified U.S. savings bonds used to pay certain educational expenses is exempt from federal income
taxation.
7 “T he base amount is zero for married individuals filing separate returns because the committee believes that the
family should be treated as the integral unit in determining the amount of social security benefit that is included in
gross income under this provision. If the base amount for these individuals were higher, couples who are otherwise
subject to tax on their benefits and whose incomes are relatively equally divided would be able to reduce substantially
the amount of benefits subject to tax by filing separate returns.” U.S. Congress, House Committee on Ways and Means,
Social Security Act Am endm ents of 1983, report to accompany H.R. 1900, 98th Cong., 1st sess., H.Rept. 98-25 Part 1
(Washington, DC: GPO, 1983), p. 24, at https://www.ssa.gov/history/pdf/Downey%20PDFs/
Social%20Security%20Amendments%20of%201983%20Vol%201.pdf .
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If provisional income is between the first-tier thresholds and the second-tier thresholds of $34,000
(for single filers) or $44,000 (for married couples filing jointly), the amount of Social Security
benefits subject to tax is the lesser of (1) 50% of Social Security benefits or (2) 50% of
provisional income in excess of the first threshold.
If provisional income is above the second-tier thresholds, the amount of Social Security benefits
subject to tax is the lesser of (1) 85% of benefits or (2) 85% of provisional income above the
second threshold, plus the smal er of (a) $4,500 (for single filers) or $6,000 (for married filers)8
or (b) 50% of benefits.
Because the threshold for married taxpayers filing separately who have lived together any time
during the tax year is $0, the taxable benefits in such a case are the lesser of 85% of Social
Security benefits or 85% of provisional income. None of the thresholds are indexed for inflation
or wage growth. Table 1 summarizes the thresholds and calculation of taxable benefits.
Table 1. Calculation of Taxable Social Security and Railroad Retirement Tier I
Benefits
Taxable Social Security and
Provisional Incomea
Railroad Retirement Tier I Benefits
Single Taxpayer
(A) Less than $25,000
None
(B) $25,000 to $34,000
Lesser of (1) 50% of benefits or
(2) 50% of provisional income above $25,000 (maximum of $4,500)
(C) Greater than $34,000
Lesser of (1) 85% of benefits or
(2) 85% of provisional income above $34,000 plus amount from line (B)
Married Taxpayer
(D) Less than $32,000
None
(E) $32,000 to $44,000
Lesser of (1) 50% of benefits or
(2) 50% of provisional income above $32,000 (maximum of $6,000)
(F)
Greater than $44,000
Lesser of (1) 85% of benefits or
(2) 85% of provisional income above $44,000 plus amount in line (E)
Source: Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Publication 915, “Social Security and Equivalent Railroad Retirement
Benefits.”
a. Provisional income is adjusted gross income plus certain income exclusions plus 50% of Social Security
benefits.
The two examples in Table 2 il ustrate how taxable Social Security benefits may be calculated for
single (nonmarried) retirees. In the examples, John and Mary are at least 62 years of age and
receive $17,500 in annual Social Security benefits.9 John has non-Social Security income of
$20,000, whereas Mary has non-Social Security income of $30,000. John’s provisional income is
between the first-tier and second-tier thresholds, resulting in taxable Social Security benefits of
$1,875. Because Mary’s provisional income is higher than John’s and exceeds the second-tier
threshold, a larger amount of her Social Security benefits ($8,537.50) is subject to income

8 T he $4,500 and $6,000 amounts are the maximum taxes for the first-tier calculation, and they are equivalent to 50%
of the difference between the first - and second-tier thresholds.
9 Information on monthly Social Security benefit payments is available in the Social Security Administrat ion’s (SSA’s)
Monthly Statistical Snapshot at https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/quickfacts/stat_snapshot/.
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taxation. Because of the differences in non-Social Security income, 10.7% of John’s Social
Security benefits are subject to income taxation, compared with 48.8% of Mary’s. The amount of
income tax John and Mary owe on their taxable Social Security benefits is determined separately
through the federal income tax system based on their other taxable income and their marginal tax
rates.
Table 2. Calculation of Taxable Social Security Benefits for Single Social Security
Recipients with a $17,500 Benefit and Different Levels of Other Income: An Example
Step 1: Calculate Provisional Income
John
Mary
Other income
$20,000
$30,000
+ 50% of Social Security (assume annual Social Security benefits are $17,500)
$8,750
$8,750
= Provisional income
$28,750
$38,750
Step 2: Compare Provisional Income to First-Tier Threshold
First-tier threshold
$25,000
$25,000
Excess over first-tier threshold
Lesser of

$3,750
$9,000

Provisional income minus first-tier threshold or

Difference between first-and second-tier thresholds [$9,000]
First tier taxable benefits equals
Lesser of

$1,875
$4,500a

50% of benefits or

50% of excess over first tier
Step 3: Compare Provisional Income To Second-Tier Threshold
Second-tier threshold
$34,000
$34,000
Calculate excess over second tier
$0
$4,750

Provisional income minus second-tier threshold
Second tier taxable benefits

85% of excess
$0 $4,037.50
Step 4: Calculate Total Taxable Social Security Benefits
For John: Provisional income is less than $34,000, so total taxable benefits equal first tier
taxable benefits.
For Mary: Provisional income is greater than $34,000, so total taxable benefits equal the
lesser of

85% of Social Security benefits (= $14,875) or
$1,875 $8,537.50

First tier taxable benefits plus second tier taxable benefits ($4,500 + $4,037.50 =
$8,537.50)
Note: The amounts shown here for John and Mary are the taxable portions of their annual
Social Security benefits. The amount of taxes paid on their taxable Social Security benefits
is determined separately based on their other taxable income and their marginal tax rates.
Source: Congressional Research Service (CRS).
a. The maximum amount of first tier taxable benefits is 50% of the difference between the second - and first-
tier thresholds ($34,000 - $25,000 = $9,000 × 50% = $4,500).

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The calculation of taxable Social Security benefits depends on the level of benefits and the level
of non-Social Security income.
 Holding benefits constant, as non-Social Security income increases, provisional
income increases, and therefore the amount of taxable Social Security benefits
increases.
 Holding non-Social Security income constant, as Social Security benefits
increase, the taxable amount of Social Security benefits increases.
Those two perspectives are il ustrated in the two figures below. (The figures are for single retirees
only, but they would be similar for married couples.)
Figure 1 shows taxable Social Security benefits for single retirees with four different amounts of
annual Social Security benefits ($10,000, $15,000, $20,000, and $25,000) as non-Social Security
income increases from zero to $45,000. (Provisional income, which equals non-Social Security
income plus half of Social Security benefits, is not shown directly in the figure.) Once provisional
income exceeds the first-tier threshold of $25,000, each additional dollar of non-Social Security
income results in 50 cents of additional taxable income. For example, for someone with Social
Security benefits of $10,000, no benefits are taxable unless non-Social Security income exceeds
$20,000, in which case provisional income would exceed $25,000 (which equals $20,000 plus
half of $10,000).
Once provisional income exceeds the second-tier threshold, each additional dollar of non-Social
Security income results in an additional 85 cents of taxable income. As described above, the
second-tier threshold occurs when provisional income exceeds $34,000, at which point taxable
Social Security benefits exceed $4,500. In the figure, a horizontal line marks $4,500 of taxable
Social Security benefits.
The taxable amount of Social Security benefits continues to increase as non-Social Security
income increases until 85% of Social Security benefits are taxable. After that, the amount of
taxable benefits is constant, as shown by the flat portions of the lines on the right-hand side of the
figure.
Stars in the figure identify Table 2’s example retirees, John and Mary. Both have the same
amount of Social Security benefits ($17,500); however, Mary has greater taxable Social Security
benefits than John because her non-Social Security income is larger ($30,000 for Mary, $20,000
for John). Mary is in the second tier of the calculation of taxable Social Security benefits, whereas
John is in the first tier.
Note that the additional tax owed is less than the additional taxable income. The additional tax
owed equals the additional taxable income multiplied by the taxpayer’s marginal tax rate. That is,
the additional taxable income is the additional amount subject to federal income taxation, not the
additional amount paid in taxes.
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Social Security: Taxation of Benefits

Figure 1. Taxable Social Security Benefits as Annual
Non-Social Security Income Increases
(for single retirees with four dif erent amounts of annual Social Security benefits)

Source: Congressional Research Service (CRS).
Notes: Once provisional income (taxable non-Social Security income plus half of Social Security benefits)
exceeds the first-tier threshold of $25,000, each additional dol ar of non-Social Security income results in 50
cents of additional taxable income. Once provisional income exceeds the second-tier threshold of $34,000, when
taxable Social Security benefits equal $4,500, each additional dol ar of non-Social Security income results in 85
cents of additional taxable income, reflected in the steeper lines.
Figure 2 shows taxable Social Security benefits for single retirees with three different levels of
non-Social Security income ($20,000, $30,000, and $40,000) as Social Security benefits increase.
(Provisional income, which equals non-Social Security income plus half of Social Security
benefits, is not shown directly in the figure.) For people with $10,000 of Social Security benefits,
those benefits would be untaxed unless non-Social Security income exceeded $20,000, at which
point provisional income would exceed the $25,000 threshold (which equals half of $10,000 plus
$20,000).
Stars in the figure identify Table 2’s example retirees, John and Mary. Although they have the
same amount of Social Security benefits ($17,500), they are on different lines in the figure,
representing the differences in their non-Social Security income. If John or Mary were to
experience an increase or decrease in their Social Security benefits, holding non-Social Security
income constant, their new amount of taxable Social Security benefits would be found by moving
to the right or left, respectively, along their same non-Social Security income lines in the figure.
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Social Security: Taxation of Benefits

As noted above, the additional tax owed is less than the additional taxable income, because the
additional tax owed equals the additional taxable income multiplied by the taxpayer’s marginal
tax rate.
Figure 2. Taxable Social Security Benefits as Total Annual
Social Security Benefits Increase
(for single retirees with three dif erent amounts of annual non-Social Security income)

Source: CRS.
Notes: For any fixed amount of non-Social Security income, the amount of taxable Social Security benefits
increases as total Social Security benefits increase. The slope of the lines varies because the amount of Social
Security benefits that is taxable increases at varying rates as total benefits increase.
For the same levels of non-Social Security income and Social Security benefits, a married couple
wil have lower taxable Social Security benefits than a single retiree. Consequently, Figure 1 and
Figure 2 do not reflect the impact of taxation on a married couple filing a joint tax return.
Special Considerations
The application of the benefit taxation formula may vary within special considerations. These
include lump-sum distributions, repayments, workers’ compensation coordination, nonresident
aliens’ treatment, and wage withholdings. Each consideration is discussed in more detail in the
Appendix to this report.
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State Taxation
Although the Railroad Retirement Act prohibits states from taxing railroad retirement benefits ,
including any federal y taxable Tier I benefits (45 U.S.C. §231m), states may tax Social Security
benefits. In general, state personal income taxes follow federal taxes. That is, many states use
federal adjusted gross income, federal taxable income, or federal taxes paid as a beginning point
for state income tax calculations. Al of these beginning points include the federal y taxed portion
of Social Security benefits. States with these beginning points for state taxation must then make
an adjustment, or subtraction from income (or taxes), for railroad retirement benefits. A state may
also make an adjustment for al or part of the federal y taxed Social Security benefits. Some states
do not begin state income tax calculation with these federal tax values, but instead begin with a
calculation based on income by source. The state may then include part or al of Social Security
benefits in the state income calculation.10
As shown in Table 3, in tax year 2020, 30 states and the District of Columbia fully exclude Social
Security benefits from the state personal income tax. Twelve states tax al or part of Social
Security benefits but differ from the federal government, and one state follows the federal
government in its tax treatment of Social Security benefits. The remaining seven states have no
personal income tax.
Table 3. State Income Taxation of Social Security Benefits, Tax Year 2020
Thirty states and the District of
Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, District of Columbia,
Columbia exempt Social Security
Georgia, Hawai , Idaho, Il inois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana,
benefits from income taxation
Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire,
New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon,
Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Wisconsin
Twelve states tax al or part of Social
Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana,
Security benefits but not the same as
Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont, West
federal taxation
Virginia
One state fol ows federal taxation of
Utah
Social Security benefits
Seven states do not have an income tax Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, Wyoming
Source: Rick Olin, Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau, Individual Income Tax Provisions in the States, Informational
Paper 4, January 2019, available at http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/misc/lfb/informational_papers/january_2019/
0004_individual_income_tax_provisions_in_the_states_informational_paper_4.pdf; Tax Foundation, “Does Your
State Tax Social Security Benefits?,” available at https://taxfoundation.org/states-that-tax-social-security-benefits/;
and AARP, “How is Social Security taxed?,” available at https://www.aarp.org/retirement/social-security/
questions-answers/how-is-ss-taxed/.
Growth in Social Security Benefits Subject to
Taxation
Historical data from 1999 through 2017 show that the number and percentage of beneficiaries
subject to taxation of Social Security benefits is growing over time because the provisional
income thresholds used to determine the taxable share of benefits are not indexed for inflation or
wage growth. Table 4 shows that the percentage of al tax returns with taxable Social Security
benefits has grown from 7.4% in 1999 to 13.7% in 2017. In the aggregate, Table 4 shows that the

10 States that tax Social Security benefits generally tax up to the federally taxed amount.
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amount of taxable Social Security benefits as a percentage of al Social Security benefit payments
has grown from 19.5% in 1999 to 33% in 2017.
Table 4. Income Taxation of Social Security Benefits, 1999-2017
Taxable Social
Percentage of All Tax
Security Benefits as a
Returns with Taxable
Percentage of All
Social Security
Social Security
Year
Benefits
Benefits
1999
7.4
19.5
2000
8.2
22.1
2001
8.3
21.7
2002
8.2
20.6
2003
8.4
20.8
2004
8.8
22.4
2005
9.4
24.0
2006
9.9
26.4
2007
10.5
28.6
2008
10.5
27.3
2009
10.9
25.9
2010
11.3
27.2
2011
11.5
27.8
2012
12.3
28.9
2013
12.6
30.0
2014
12.8
30.8
2015
13.1
31.3
2016
13.3
31.4
2017
13.7a
33.0a
Source: CRS calculations from IRS, Statistics of Income Bul etin Historical Table 1, at https://www.irs.gov/statistics/
soi-tax-stats-historical-table-1, IRS, SOI Tax Stats – Individual Income Tax Returns, Preliminary Data, Table 1, at
https://www.irs.gov/statistics/soi-tax-stats-individual-income-tax-returns, and Social Security Administration,
Office of the Chief Actuary, Trust Fund Tables, OASI and DI Trust Funds, Combined, 1957 and later, at
https://www.ssa.gov/oact/STATS/table4a3.html.
a. IRS data for 2017 are preliminary; 2017 is the most recent year for which data are available.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that 49% of Social Security beneficiaries
(25.5 mil ion people) were affected by the income taxation of Social Security benefits in tax year
2014.11 That share has almost doubled since 1998, when 26% of beneficiaries were affected by
taxation of benefits.12 A 2015 Social Security Administration (SSA) analysis projected that the

11 Congressional Budget Office (CBO), “Effect of T axing Social Security Benefits by income Class Estimated for T ax
Year 2014,” February 12, 2015, https://www.cbo.gov/publication/49949.
12 Ibid.
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share wil continue to rise, with more than 56% of Social Security beneficiary families owing
income tax on their Social Security benefits in 2050.13
Federal Income Taxes Owed on Social Security
Benefits by Income Level
Federal income tax liability on Social Security benefits increases with income. 14 Figure 3 shows
that the overal projected share of Social Security benefits that wil be paid as federal income
taxes is projected to be 6.6% in 2020. Among Social Security beneficiaries in taxpayer units with
economic income less than $50,000, the share is projected to be either zero or nearly zero. 15 The
share is projected to increase for economic income categories above $50,000 and is projected to
reach 12.8% among Social Security beneficiaries in taxpayer units with economic income
between $100,000 and $200,000 in 2020, going up to 31.9% among Social Security beneficiaries
in taxpayer units with economic income over $1,000,000 in 2020.
The SSA’s 2015 analysis projected that, among al Social Security beneficiary families, the mean
percentage of Social Security benefits owed as taxes wil be 10.9% in 2050, ranging from 1.1%
among beneficiary families in the lowest quartile of the income distribution to 16.1% for
beneficiaries in the top quartile.16

13 Patrick J. Purcell, “Income T axes on Social Security Benefits,” SSA, Issue Paper no. 2015 -02, December 2015, chart
1, at https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/issuepapers/ip2015-02.html. Note that the unit of analysis differs between the
CBO analysis (Social Security beneficiaries) and the SSA analysis (Social Security beneficiary families), though the
analyses are similar conceptually.
14 T ax liability is the total amount of tax owed in a given period by a taxpayer unit. In this context, federal income tax
liability on Social Security benefits refers to the total amount of federal income tax owed on the portion of a taxpayer
unit’s Social Security benefits that is subject to federal income taxation.
15 T he Joint Committee on T axation defines economic income to include “the annual flow of all resources at the
command of an individual and represents an individual’s total well-being.” Specifically, economic income is AGI plus
(1) tax-exempt interest, (2) employer contributions for health plans and life insurance, (3) employer share of payroll
taxes, (4) worker’s compensation, (5) nontaxable Social Security benefits, (6) the value of Medicare benefits in excess
of premiums paid, (7) alternative minimum tax preference items, (8) individual share of business taxes, and (9)
excluded income of U.S. citizens living abroad. Joint Committee on T axation (JCT ), Background on Revenue Sources
for the Social Security Trust Funds, JCX-41-19, July 24, 2019, at https://www.jct.gov/publications.html?func=
startdown&id=5216.
16 Patrick J. Purcell, “Income T axes on Social Security Benefits,” SSA, Issue Paper no. 2015-02, December 2015,
charts 2 and 5, at https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/issuepapers/ip2015-02.html. Note that the unit of analysis and
definition of income in this study are different from the concepts in the Joint Committee on T axation estimates in
Figures 3 and 4.
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Figure 3. Federal Income Tax Liability on Social Security Benefits as a Percentage of
Social Security Benefits, by Taxpayer Unit Income Category
(projected for 2020)

Source: CRS calculations from Joint Committee on Taxation, Background on Revenue Sources for the Social
Security Trust Funds, JCX-41-19, Tables 9 and 10, July 24, 2019, at https://www.jct.gov/publications.html?func=
startdown&id=5216.
Notes: Taxpayer units include nonfilers, but exclude dependent filers and returns with negative income. The
income concept used to place tax returns into income categories is adjusted gross income plus (1) tax -exempt
interest, (2) employer contributions for health plans and life insurance, (3) employer share of payrol taxes, (4)
worker’s compensation, (5) nontaxable Social Security benefits, (6) the value of Medicare benefits in excess of
premiums paid, (7) alternative minimum tax preference items, (8) individual share of business taxes, and (9)
excluded income of U.S. citizens living abroad. Categories are measured at 2020 levels.
Corresponding to the share of Social Security benefits payable as federal income tax in Figure 3,
Figure 4 shows the projected average federal income tax liability on Social Security benefits
among Social Security taxpayer units, by taxpayer unit economic income category in 2020.17
Average federal income tax liability in 2020 for Social Security taxpayer units with economic
income less than $50,000 is projected to be either zero or nearly zero. Average federal income tax
liability in 2020 is projected to rise steadily with economic income above $50,000, reaching
approximately $3,700 for Social Security taxpayer units with economic income between
$100,000 and $200,000 and just over $12,000 for Social Security taxpayer units with economic
income above $1,000,000. Average federal income tax liability on Social Security benefits across
al Social Security taxpayer units is projected to be about $3,200 in 2020.

17 Social Security taxpayer units are those federal income taxpayer units that owe federal income taxes on their Social
Security benefits.
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Figure 4. Average Federal Income Tax Liability on Social Security Benefits Among
Social Security Taxpayer Units, by Taxpayer Unit Income Category
(projected for 2020)

Source: CRS and Joint Committee on Taxation, Background on Revenue Sources for the Social Security Trust Funds,
JCX-41-19, Table 9, July 24, 2019, at https://www.jct.gov/publications.html?func=startdown&id=5216.
Notes: Social Security taxpayer units are those federal income taxpayer units that owe federal income taxes on
their Social Security benefits. Taxpayer units include nonfilers, but exclude dependent filers and returns with
negative income. The income concept used to place tax returns into income categories is adjusted gross income
plus (1) tax-exempt interest, (2) employer contributions for health plans and life insurance, (3) employer share of
payrol taxes, (4) worker’s compensation, (5) nontaxable Social Security benefits, (6) the value of Medicare
benefits in excess of premiums paid, (7) alternative minimum tax preference items, (8) individual share of
business taxes, and (9) excluded income of U.S. citizens living abroad. Categories are measured at 2020 levels.
Impact on the Trust Funds
The proceeds from taxing up to 50% of Social Security and Railroad Retirement Tier I benefits
for beneficiaries with provisional income between the first-tier and second-tier thresholds are
credited to Social Security’s two trust funds—the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) and
Disability Insurance (DI) trust funds—and to the Railroad Retirement system, on the basis of the
source of the benefits taxed. Proceeds from taxing up to 85% of benefits for beneficiaries with
provisional income above the second-tier thresholds are credited to Medicare’s HI trust fund.
In 2019, the OASI and DI (collectively referred to as OASDI) trust funds were credited with
$36.5 bil ion from taxation of benefits, or 3.4% of the funds’ total income.18 Income from the

18 Board of T rustees of the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and Federal Disability Insurance T rust Funds,
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taxation of benefits in the HI trust fund in 2019 was $23.8 bil ion, or 7.4% of total HI fund
income.19 In 2018, the Railroad Retirement system was credited with $255 mil ion in revenue
from taxation of Railroad Retirement Tier I benefits, representing about 1.9% of its total
income.20
As noted above, because the income thresholds used to determine the taxable share of benefits are
not indexed for inflation or wage growth, income taxes on benefits wil become an increasingly
important source of tax revenues for Social Security and Medicare. In 2017, about 33.0% of the
total Social Security benefits were subject to income tax (Table 4). CBO estimated that
proportion wil increase to more than 50% by 2046.21 The income taxes collected from Social
Security benefits are projected to grow from 0.2% of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2019 to
0.3% of GDP in 2028 and 0.4% of GDP in 2078.22
Under the intermediate assumptions, the Social Security and Medicare Trustees project that over
the next 10 years, income taxes wil grow from 3.4% of Social Security’s income to 6.1%. In
addition, the share wil continue to grow, to 7.7% by 2095.23 For Medicare, income tax on
benefits as a share of total revenue increases from 7.4% to 13.3% in 2029.24 The 2020
intermediate assumptions reflect the Board of Trustees’ understanding of Social Security and
Medicare at the start of 2020; they do not include potential effects of the Coronavirus Disease
2019, or COVID-19.
History of Taxing Social Security Benefits
Until 1984, Social Security benefits were exempt from the federal income tax. The exclusion was
based on rulings made in 1938 and 1941 by the Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Internal
Revenue (the predecessor of the Internal Revenue Service). The 1941 bureau ruling on Social
Security payments viewed benefits as being for general welfare and reasoned that subjecting the
payments to income taxation would be contrary to the purposes of Social Security.25
Under these rules, the treatment of Social Security benefits was similar to that of certain types of
government transfer payments (such as Aid to Families with Dependent Children, Supplemental

2020 Annual Report, April 22, 2020 (hereinafter “ OASDI Board of T rustees, 2020 Annual Report”), at
https://www.ssa.gov/oact/T R/2020/tr2020.pdf, and CRS calculations. Of the $36.5 billion, $34.9 billion was credited to
the OASI trust fund and $1.6 billion to the DI trust fund (totals do not necessarily equal the sums of rounded
components).
19 Boards of T rustees of the Federal Hospital Insurance and Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance T rust Funds,
2020 Annual Report, April 22, 2020 (hereinafter “ HI and SMI Boards of T rustees, 2020 Annual Report”), at
https://www.cms.gov/files/document/2020-medicare-trustees-report.pdf.
20 United States Railroad Retirement Board, 2019 Annual Report, https://rrb.gov/sites/default/files/2019-11/
2019%20ANNUAL%20REPORT _0.pdf.
21 CBO, The 2016 Long-Term Budget Outlook, July 2016, p. 60, at http://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/114th-
congress-2015-2016/reports/51580-LTBO.pdf.
22 CBO, Supplemental Information to The 2019 Long-Term Budget Outlook, T able 6, June 2019, at
https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2019-07/51119-CBO-2019-06-ltbo.xlsx.
23 CRS calculations based on OASDI Board of T rustees, 2020 Annual Report, at https://www.ssa.gov/oact/T R/2020/
tr2020.pdf, and Social Security Administration, Office of the Chief Actuary, “ Components of Annual Income Rates—
2020 OASDI T rustees Report ,” at https://www.ssa.gov/OACT /T R/2020/IV_B_LRest.html#506020.
24 CRS calculations based on HI and SMI Boards of T rustees, 2020 Annual Report, at https://www.cms.gov/files/
document/2020-medicare-trustees-report.pdf.
25 U.S. Congress, Senate Committee on Finance, Tax Free Status of Social Security Benefits, report to accompany
S.Res. 87, S.Rept. 97-135, June 15, 1981.
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Social Security: Taxation of Benefits

Security Income, and benefits under the Black Lung Benefits Act). This was in sharp contrast to
then-current rules for retirement benefits under private pension plans, the federal Civil Service
Retirement System, and other government pension systems.26 Benefits from those pension plans
were fully taxable, except for the portion of total lifetime benefits (using projected life
expectancy) attributable to the employee’s own contributions to the system (and on which he or
she had already paid income tax).
Currently (and as in 1941), under Social Security, the worker’s contribution to the system is half
of the payroll tax, official y known as the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) tax. The
amount the worker pays into the Social Security system in FICA taxes is not subtracted to
determine income subject to the federal income tax, and is therefore taxed. The employer’s
contributions to the system are not considered part of the employee’s gross income, and they are
deductible from the employer’s business income as a business expense.27 Consequently, neither
the employee nor the employer pays taxes on the employer’s contribution.28
The 1979 Advisory Council on Social Security concluded that because Social Security benefits
are based on earnings in covered employment, the 1941 ruling was wrong and the tax treatment
of private pensions was a more appropriate model for treating Social Security benefits.29 The
council estimated that the most anyone who entered the workforce in 1979 would pay in payroll
taxes during his or her lifetime would equal 17% of the Social Security benefits he or she would
ultimately receive. (This was the most any individual would pay; in the aggregate, workers would
make payroll tax payments amounting to substantial y less than 17% of their ultimate benefits.)
Because of the administrative difficulties involved in determining the taxable amount of each
individual benefit and to avoid “taxing more of the benefit than most people would consider
appropriate,” the council recommended instead that half of everyone’s benefit be taxed. It
justified this ratio as a matter of “rough justice” and noted that it coincided with the portion of the
tax (the employer’s share) on which income taxes had not been paid.30
The council’s position on taxing Social Security benefits contrasted with that of the National
Commission on Social Security, established by Congress in the Social Security Amendments of
1977 (P.L. 95-216). The commission did not, in its 1981 final report, include a recommendation
to tax Social Security benefits. Also in 1981, the Senate passed a resolution by a roll-cal vote of
98-0 against enacting legislation to tax Social Security benefits, stating that taxing Social Security
benefits would be tantamount to a benefit cut and noting that the prospect of taxing benefits could
undermine older Americans’ confidence in the Social Security program:

26 Most federal civilian employees hired before 1984 are covered by the Civil Service Retirement System; those hired
later are covered by the Federal Employees’ Retirement System. See CRS Report 98-810, Federal Em ployees’
Retirem ent System : Benefits and Financing .
27 Employers can generally deduct the amount they pay their employees for the services they perform, including wages,
salaries, bonuses, commissions, and other noncash employee benefit programs (e. g., accident and health plans,
adoption assistance, cafeteria plans, dependent care assistance, education assistance, life insurance coverage). See IRS
Publication 535, Business Expenses, at https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p535.pdf.
28 Under the Self-Employment Contributions Act, self-employed workers pay the full 12.4% payroll tax, but to ensure
parity with FICA, half of those payments are exempt from income tax.
29 Statement of Henry Aaron, Chairman of the Advisory Council on Social Security, in U.S. Congress, Senate Select
Committee on Aging, Hearings Before the Com m ittee on Retirem ent Incom e And Em ployment, Oversight on
Recom m endations of the 1979 Social Security Advisory Council, S.Rept. 96-230, March 11 and 13, 1980, p. 13.
30 Social Security Administration (SSA), Social security financing and benefits, Report of the 1979 Advisory Council,
1981, pp. 64-65.
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Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that any proposals to make social security
benefits subject to taxation would adversely affect social security recipients and undermine
their confidence in the social security programs, that social security benefits are and should
remain exempt from Federal taxation, and that the Ninety-seventh Congress will not enact
legislation to subject social security benefits to taxation.31
The National Commission on Social Security Reform (often referred to as the “Greenspan
Commission”), appointed by President Reagan in 1981, recommended in its 1983 report that,
beginning in 1984, 50% of Social Security cash benefits and Railroad Retirement Tier I benefits
be taxable for individuals whose adjusted gross income, excluding Social Security benefits,
exceeded $20,000 for a single taxpayer and $25,000 for a married couple, with the proceeds of
such taxation credited to the Social Security trust funds.32 The commission did not include any
provisions for indexing the thresholds. The commission estimated that 10% of Social Security
beneficiaries would be subject to taxation of benefits. The commission acknowledged that the
proposal had a “notch” problem, in that people with income at the thresholds would pay
significantly higher taxes than those with only one dollar less, but trusted that it would be
rectified during the legislative process.
In enacting the 1983 Social Security Amendments (P.L. 98-21), Congress adopted the
commission’s recommendation to tax Social Security benefits, but with a formula that gradual y
increased the taxable share as a person’s income rose above the thresholds, up to a maximum of
50% of benefits. The formula calculated taxable benefits as the lesser of 50% of benefits or 50%
of the excess of the taxpayer’s provisional income over thresholds of $25,000 (for single filers)
and $32,000 (for married filers). Provisional income equaled adjusted gross income plus tax-
exempt interest plus certain income exclusions plus 50% of Social Security benefits.
The House Ways & Means Committee reported the following:
Your Committee believes that social security benefits are in the nature of benefits received
under other retirement systems, which are subject to taxation to the extent they exceed a
worker’s after-tax contributions and that taxing a portion of social security benefits wil
improve tax equity by treating more nearly equally all forms of retirement and other income
that are designed to replace lost wages (for example, unemployment compensation and sick
pay).33,34
The Senate Finance Committee reported the following:
... by taxing social security benefits and appropriating these revenues to the appropriate
trust funds, the financial solvency of the social security trust funds will be strengthened ..
By taxing only a portion of social security and railroad retirement benefits (that is, up to

31 U.S. Congress, Senate, A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the Congress not enact legislation to tax
Social Security benefits, and for other purposes, 97th Cong., 1st sess., S.Res. 87, S.Rept. 97-135 (Washington, DC:
GPO, 1981), p. 2.
32 SSA, Report of the National Commission on Social Security Reform , January 1983, pp. 2-10 through 2-11, available
at http://www.ssa.gov/history/reports/gspan.html.
33 U.S. Congress, House Committee on Ways and Means, Social Security Act Amendments of 1983, report to
accompany H.R. 1900, 98th Cong., 1st sess., H.Rept. 98-25 Part 1 (Washington, DC: GPO, 1983), p. 24, at
https://www.ssa.gov/history/pdf/Downey%20PDFs/
Social%20Security%20Amendments%20of%201983%20Vol%201.pdf .
34 Unemployment compensation including benefits paid by the Federal Unemployment T rust Fund and by states or the
District of Columbia is reported on IRS Form 1099 -G and is taxable as other income on IRS Form 1040. For additional
information on the tax treatment of unemployment compensation and sickness a nd injury benefits, see the sections on
“Unemployment Benefits” and “Sickness and Injury Benefits” in IRS Publication 525, Taxable and Nontaxable
Incom e, at https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p525.pdf.
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one-half of benefits in excess of a certain base amount), the Committee’s bill assures that
lower-income individuals, many of whom rely upon their benefits to afford basic
necessities, will not be taxed on their benefits. The maximum proportion of benefits taxed
is one-half in recognition of the fact that social security benefits are partially financed by
after-tax employee contributions. The bill’s method for taxing benefits assures that only
those taxpayers who have substantial taxable income from other sources will be taxed on
a portion of the benefits they receive.35
In 1993, the SSA’s Office of the Actuary estimated that, if pension tax rules were applied to
Social Security, the ratio of total employee Social Security payroll taxes to expected benefits for
current recipients (in 1993) would be approximately 4% or 5%. For workers just entering the
workforce, the actuaries estimated that the ratio would be, on average, about 7%.36 Because
Social Security benefits replaced a higher proportion of earnings for workers who were lower
paid and had dependents, and because women had longer life expectancies, the workers with the
highest ratio of taxes to benefits would be single, highly paid males. The estimated ratio for these
workers (highly paid males) entering the workforce in 1993 was 15%.37
Applying the tax rules for private and public pensions presents practical administrative problems.
Determining the proper exclusion would be complex for several reasons, including the difficulty
of calculating the ratio of contributions to benefits for each individual when several people may
receive benefits on the basis of the same worker’s account.38
President Wil iam Clinton proposed (as part of his FY1994 budget proposal) that the portion of
Social Security benefits subject to taxation be increased from 50% to 85%, effective in tax year
1994. As under then-current law, only Social Security recipients whose provisional income
exceeded the thresholds of $25,000 (for single filers) and $32,000 (for married filers) were to pay
taxes on their benefits. In addition, the first step was to add 50%, not 85%, of benefits to adjusted
gross income. Because the thresholds and definition of provisional income did not change, the
measure would only affect recipients already paying taxes on benefits. However, the ratio used to
compute the amount of taxable benefits was increased from 50% to 85%. Taxing no more than
85% of Social Security benefits (the estimated portion not based on contributions by a recipient,
including highly paid males) would ensure that no one would have a higher percentage of Social
Security benefits subject to tax than if the tax treatment of private and civil service pensions were
actual y applied.
The proceeds from the increase (from 50% to 85%) were slated to be credited to the Medic are HI
program, which had a less favorable financial outlook than Social Security. Doing so also avoided
possible procedural obstacles (budget points of order that can be raised regarding changes to the
Social Security program in the budget reconciliation process). This measure was included in the
OBRA 1993, which passed the House on May 27, 1993.
The Senate version of the bil included a provision to tax Social Security benefits up to 85% but
imposed it only after provisional income exceeded new thresholds of $32,000 (for single filers)
and $40,000 (for married filers). The conference agreement adopted the Senate version of the

35 U.S. Congress, Senate Committee on Finance, Social Security Act Amendments of 1983, report to accompany S. 1,
98th Cong., 1st sess., S.Rept . 98-23 (Washington, DC: GPO, 1983), pp. 25 -26, at https://www.ssa.gov/history/pdf/
Downey%20PDFs/Social%20Security%20Amendments%20of%201983%20Vol%202.pdf.
36 Unpublished memo from Stephen C. Goss, Social Security Office of the Actuary, April 7, 1993. T he ratios were
computed using nominal dollar values for both taxes and benefits.
37 Ibid.
38 See section on “Benefits for the Worker’s Family Members” in CRS Report R42035, Social Security Primer.
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taxation of Social Security benefits provision and raised the thresholds to $34,000 (for single
filers) and $44,000 (for married filers).
President Clinton signed the measure into law (as part of P.L. 103-66) on August 10, 1993.
Although other changes in tax law have since affected the amount of taxes paid on Social
Security benefits, there have been no direct legislative changes regarding taxation of Social
Security benefits since 1993.
Current Proposals Addressing the Taxation of Social
Security Benefits
In the 116th Congress, four bil s that would alter the taxation of Social Security benefits have been
introduced. Each is described briefly below.
H.R. 567, the Save Social Security Act of 2019, was introduced in the House on January 15,
2019, by Representative Crist. In addition to applying the Social Security payroll tax to annual
earnings above $300,000 and providing benefit credits for annual earnings above the current-law
taxable maximum amount, H.R. 567 would replace the current-law provisional income thresholds
for federal income taxation of Social Security benefits with a higher threshold and tax up to 85%
of Social Security benefits for individuals and couples with provisional income above that
threshold. The separate provisional income thresholds under current law for single individuals
and married couples filing jointly would be replaced with one provisional income threshold. The
separate thresholds under current law for taxation of up to 50% of Social Security benefits and up
to 85% of Social Security benefits also would be replaced with a single threshold. H.R. 567
would tax up to 85% of Social Security benefits for tax filers with provisional income greater
than $100,000. The new provisional income threshold would not be indexed to changes in prices
or average wages. If enacted, H.R. 567 would result in less income tax revenue to the Social
Security trust funds, the Medicare HI trust fund, and the Railroad Retirement system. General
revenues would be appropriated in amounts required to make up the lost revenue to each fund.
H.R. 860, the Social Security 2100 Act, was introduced in the House on January 30, 2019, by
Representative Larson. A companion bil , S. 269, was introduced in the Senate on the same date
by Senator Blumenthal. The bil s would increase the Social Security payroll tax rate, expand the
share of aggregate covered earnings subject to the Social Security payroll tax, increase benefits
for al beneficiaries, change the index used to calculate annual cost-of-living adjustments, and
change the federal income taxation of Social Security benefits. Specifical y, the bil s would
replace the separate provisional income thresholds under current law for taxation of up to 50% of
Social Security benefits and up to 85% of Social Security benefits with new, higher thresholds for
taxation of up to 85% of Social Security benefits, set at $50,000 for single filers and $100,000 for
married couples filing jointly. As a result, the bil s would reduce the number of beneficiaries who
pay federal income taxes on their Social Security benefits. They would require that the Medicare
HI trust fund be held harmless in light of the lost income tax revenue.39

39 T he SSA’s Office of the Chief Actuary and the CBO produced estimates that assume that a proportion of the revenue
attributable to the federal income taxation of Social Security benefits would be directed to the HI trust fund to replicate
the approximate total revenue that would have been designated as HI trust fund revenue under current law. T he
remaining portion of revenue from the federal incom e taxation of Social Security benefits would be directed to the
Social Security trust funds. Letter from Stephen C. Goss, chief actuary, Social Security Administration, to Chairman
Larson, Senator Blumenthal, and Senator Van Hollen, September 18, 2019, at https://www.ssa.gov/oact/solvency/
LarsonBlumenthalVanHollen_20190918.pdf. Letter from Phillip L. Swagel, director, CBO, to Chairman Larson,
October 10, 2019, at https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2019-10/hr860ltr_1.pdf.
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H.R. 3971, the Senior Citizens Tax Elimination Act, was introduced in the House on July 25,
2019, by Representative Massie. It would eliminate the federal income taxation of Social Security
benefits and Railroad Retirement Tier I benefits. Under H.R. 3971, Section 86 of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986, which provides for the federal income taxation of Social Security benefits
and Railroad Retirement Tier I benefits, would not apply to any taxable year beginning after the
date of enactment of H.R. 3971. General funds would be appropriated in amounts needed to hold
the Social Security trust funds and the Medicare HI trust fund harmless from the loss of income
tax revenues. General funds also would be appropriated to the Railroad Retirement system in
amounts needed to compensate for the lost income tax revenues.
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Appendix. Taxation of Benefits Under
Special Situations
Lump-Sum Distributions
A Social Security beneficiary may receive a lump-sum distribution of benefits owed for one or
more prior years.40 In this situation, a beneficiary may choose between two methods for
calculating the taxable portion of the lump-sum distribution: (1) include al of the benefits for
prior years in calculating the taxable benefits for the current year or (2) recalculate the prior-year
taxable benefits using prior-year income and take the difference between the recalculated taxable
benefits and the taxable benefits reported in each prior year. In either case, the additional taxable
benefits are included in taxable income for the current year. In computing the taxable portion of
benefits in prior years, some income sources general y excluded from the provisional income
calculation are included.41
Repayments
Sometimes a Social Security beneficiary must repay a prior overpayment of benefits. In this case,
the calculation of taxable Social Security benefits is based on the net benefits—gross benefits less
the repayment—even if the repayment is for a benefit received in a previous year. For married
taxpayers filing a joint return, net benefits equal the sum of the couple’s Social Security gross
benefits less the repayment.
If, however, the repayment results in negative net Social Security benefits, two consequences
exist: (1) there are no taxable benefits and (2) the taxpayer may be able to deduct part of the
negative net Social Security benefit if it was included in gross income in an earlier year.42
Coordination of Workers’ Compensation
For individuals under the full retirement age who receive Social Security disabled worker
benefits, Social Security benefits are reduced by a portion of any workers’ compensation
payments (or payments from some other public disability programs) received by the individual.43
Workers’ compensation is general y not taxable. Any reduction in Social Security benefits due to
the receipt of workers’ compensation is stil considered to be a Social Security benefit, however,
so income taxes are computed based on the full (unreduced) benefit amount.44

40 An individual originally denied benefits, but approved on appeal, may receive a lump -sum amount for the period
when benefits were denied (which may be prior years). See Internal Revenue Service, Publication 915, “ Lump-Sum
Election.” T his is not the lump-sum death benefit , which is not subject to federal income tax.
41 See “Lump-Sum Election” in Internal Revenue Service, Publication 915.
42 For details on the repayment computations, see Internal Revenue Service, Publication 915, “Repayments More T han
Gross Benefits.”
43 See section on “Workers’ Compensation and Public Disability Benefit Offset” in CRS Report R44948, Social
Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplem ental Security Incom e (SSI): Eligibility, Benefits, and Financing .
44 Section 86(d)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code; see also United States T ax Court, T .C. Memo. 2012-249, August 28,
2012, at http://www.ustaxcourt.gov/InOpHistoric/moorermemo.TCM.WPD.pdf, and United States T ax Court, T .C.
Summary Opinion 2014-66, July 10, 2014, at https://www.ustaxcourt.gov/InOpHistoric/
EnglishSummary.Gerber.SUM.WPD.pdf.
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Treatment of Nonresident Aliens
Citizenship is not required to receive Social Security benefits. Nonresident aliens, under IRS
definitions, may receive benefits provided they have engaged in covered employment and
otherwise meet eligibility requirements. The IRS defines a nonresident alien as a noncitizen who
(1) is not a lawful permanent resident (this is known as the Green Card Test) and (2) has been
physical y present in the United States for fewer than 31 days in the previous calendar year and
183 days in the previous three-year period, counting al the days in the calendar year and a
portion of the days in the two previous calendar years (this is known as the Substantial Presence
Test).45 In general, 85% of the Social Security benefits for nonresident aliens are taxable (i.e.,
none of the thresholds apply) at a 30% rate. However, there are a number of exceptions to this
general rule on the basis of tax treaties such that nonresident aliens or U.S. citizens living abroad
may not have U.S. Social Security benefits subject to U.S. income taxes.46
Withholding
In general, withholding for a wage earner is based on the estimated income taxes for a full year of
earnings at the periodic (weekly, biweekly, monthly, etc.) rate. Taxable Social Security benefits,
and the associated taxes, are based on the amount of non-Social Security income earned by a
recipient during the tax year. The Social Security Administration, without knowledge about the
amount of other income received by a beneficiary, is unable to properly determine the amount of
taxes that should be withheld from Social Security benefits. Like other taxpayers, Social Security
recipients can make quarterly estimated income tax payments. In addition, effective for payments
issued in February 1999, individuals may request voluntary tax withholding from Social Security
benefits.47
Nonresident aliens residing outside the United States are subject to different tax withholding
rules. Section 871 of the Internal Revenue Code imposes a 30% tax withholding rate on almost al
of the U.S. income of nonresident aliens, unless a lower rate is fixed by treaty. Thus, 30% of 85%
(or 25.5%) of a nonresident alien’s Social Security benefits may be withheld for federal income
taxes.

45 See Internal Revenue Service, Publication 519, “U.S. T ax Guide for Aliens,” at https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/
p519.pdf.
46 See Internal Revenue Service, Publication 519, and Internal Revenue Service, “T ax T reaty T ables,” at
https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/tax-treaty-tables.
47 T he Uruguay Round Agreements Act (P.L. 103-465) amended the Internal Revenue Code to allow individuals to
request voluntary tax withholding from certain federal payments to satisfy their income tax liability. An amendment to
Section 207 of the Social Security Acct allowed voluntary tax withholding from Social Security benefits, effective with
payments issued in February 1999. T he Economic Growth and T ax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (EGT RRA; P.L.
107-16) permitted voluntary withholding from Social Security benefits at rates of 7%, and equal to the bottom three tax
bracket tax rates (currently 10%, 15%, and 25%). T he T ax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job
Creation Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-312) extended the EGT RRA provisions to tax year 2012. T h e American T axpayer
Relief Act of 2012 (AT RA; P.L. 112-240) made the EGT RRA provisions permanent. Because they are not subject to
the federal income tax, Supplemental Security Income payments, Black Lung payments, Medicare premium refunds,
Lump Sum Death Payments, returned check reissuances, and benefits due before January 1984 are not subject to
voluntary tax withholding.
Congressional Research Service
20

Social Security: Taxation of Benefits

Author Information

Paul S. Davies

Specialist in Income Security

Acknowledgments
Previous versions of this report were written by CRS Analyst Julie M. Whittaker and former CRS Analyst
Noah Meyerson.

Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan
shared staff to congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and
under the direction of Congress. Information in a CRS Report should n ot be relied upon for purposes other
than public understanding of information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in
connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the United States Government, are not
subject to copyright protection in the United States. Any CRS Report may be reproduced and distributed in
its entirety without permission from CRS. However, as a CRS Report may include copyrighted images or
material from a third party, you may need to obtain the permission of the copyright holder if you wish to
copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.

Congressional Research Service
RL32552 · VERSION 44 · UPDATED
21

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