Trust Fund Operations

Trust Fund Operations

Even though there is presently more FICA taxes coming in each year than benefits paid out, this has not always been the case. Since 1937, there have been 11 years in which benefits paid out exceeded income and so the assets of the Trust Funds had to be spent to make up the difference. This cashing-in of the Trust Fund bonds amounted to about $26 billion in those 11 years.

(Note: In actual practice the Trust Funds are cashing-in bonds all the time, not just in periods of income shortfalls. The Trust Funds regularly purchase new bonds and redeem mature ones ("rolling over" much of the debt) and the benefits paid are from a combination of new tax revenues and redeemed bonds. It is difficult in any given year to say precisely what part of the benefits paid come from new tax revenues and what part form redeemed bonds. However, in the 11 years identified below, since payroll taxes could not cover the benefits paid out, we can say fairly precisely that at least this amount of the benefits paid came from redeemed government bonds.)

In the table below, the main summary indicators of Trust Fund financial transactions--income, outgo, annual deficit or surplus, and net accumulated size of the Trust Fund reserve--are presented for each year since the beginning of payroll taxation and benefit payment in 1937. The approximate cumulative totals for receipts and expenditures is also shown.


Social Security Trust Funds,
Calendar Years 1937-2009

[In millions]

Calendar Year

Receipts

Expenditures

Net
Increase
In Trust Funds

Amount
At End Of Period

1937.....

$767

$1

$766

$766

1938.....

375

10

366

1,132

1939.....

607

14

592

1,724

1940.....

368

62

306

2,031

1941.....

845

114

731

2,762

1942.....

1,085

159

926

3,688

1943.....

1,328

195

1,132

4,820

1944.....

1,422

238

1,184

6,005

1945.....

1,420

304

1,116

7,121

1946.....

1,447

418

1,029

8,150

1947.....

1,722

512

1,210

9,360

1948.....

1,969

607

1,362

10,722

1949.....

1,816

721

1,094

11,816

1950.....

2,928

1,022

1,905

13,721

1951.....

3,784

1,966

1,818

15,540

1952.....

4,184

2,282

1,902

17,442

1953.....

4,359

3,094

1,265

18,707

1954.....

5,610

3,741

1,869

20,576

1955.....

6,167

5,079

1,087

21,663

1956.....

6,697

5,841

856

22,519

1957.....

8,090

7,567

523

23,042

1958.....

9,108

8,907

201

23,243

1959.....

9,516

10,793

-1,277

21,966

1960.....

12,445

11,798

647

22,613

1961.....

12,937

13,388

-451

22,162

1962.....

13,699

15,156

-1,457

20,705

1963.....

16,227

16,217

10

20,715

1964.....

17,476

17,020

456

21,172

1965.....

17,857

19,187

-1,331

19,841

1966.....

23,381

20,913

2,467

22,308

1967.....

26,413

22,471

3,942

26,250

1968.....

28,493

26,015

2,479

28,729

1969.....

33,346

27,892

5,453

34,182

1970.....

36,993

33,108

3,886

38,068

1971.....

40,908

38,542

2,366

40,434

1972.....

45,622

43,281

2,341

42,775

1973.....

54,787

53,148

1,639

44,414

1974.....

62,066

60,593

1,472

45,886

1975.....

67,640

69,184

-1,544

44,342

1976.....

75,034

78,242

-3,209

41,133

1977.....

81,982

87,254

-5,272

35,861

1978.....

91,903

96,018

-4,115

31,746

1979.....

105,864

107,320

-1,456

30,291

1980.....

119,712

123,550

-3,838

26,453

1981.....

142,438

144,352

-1,914

24,539

1982.....

147,913

160,111

239

24,778

1983.....

171,266

171,177

89

24,867

1984.....

186,637

180,429

6,208

31,075

1985.....

203,540

190,628

11,088

42,163

1986.....

216,833

201,522

4,698

46,861

1987.....

231,039

209,093

21,946

68,807

1988.....

263,469

222,514

40,955

109,762

1989.....

289,448

236,242

53,206

162,968

1990.....

315,443

253,135

62,309

225,277

1991.....

329,676

274,205

55,471

280,747

1992.....

342,591

291,865

50,726

331,473

1993.....

355,578

308,766

46,812

378,285

1994.....

381,111

323,011

58,100

436,385

1995.....

399,497

339,815

59,683

496,068

1996.....

424,451

353,569

70,883

566,950

1997.....

457,668

369,108

88,560

655,510

1998.....

489,204

382,255

106,950

762,460

1999.....

526,582

392,908

133,673

896,133

2000.....

568,433

415,121

153,312

1,049,445

2001.....

602,003

438,916

163,088
1,212,533

2002.....

627,085

461,653

165,432
1,377,965

2003.....

631,886

479,086

152,799
1,530,764

2004.....

657,718

501,643

156,075
1,686,839
2005.....
701,758
529,938
171,821
1,858,660
2006.....
744,873
555,421
189,452
2,048,112
2007.....
784,889
594,501
190,388
2,238,500
2008.....
805,302
625,143
180,159
2,418,658
2009.....
807,490
685,801
121,689
2,540,348
TOTALS
13,866,220
11,325,872
 
Notes:

Source: SSA Annual Statistical Supplement, Tables 4A1 and 4A3.

For the period 1937-1956, includes only the Old-Age and Survivors Trust Fund. For the period 1957-1997, includes Old-Age and Survivors and Disability Trust Funds combined. Table does NOT include transactions to the Medicare Trust Fund.

The annual net increase in the funds is the change in the assets from the end of one year to the end of the next. In 1982, the Old-Age and Survivors Trust Fund borrowed money from the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund, and repaid the borrowed amounts in 1985 and 1986. For each of these years, the net increase in the funds is equal to total receipts less total expenditures, plus amounts borrowed or less amounts repaid.