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August 11, 2009 at 08:00 PM
By 2043, the Social Security trust fund will be exhausted, according to a new study from the Congressional Budget Office.
After that date, the Social Security agency would have to reduce benefits to all beneficiaries to a level dependent on how much it takes in every year.
By 2043, revenues would equal only 83% of scheduled outlays for Social Security, meaning that payable benefits would have to decline 17% from scheduled benefits.
The gap between scheduled and payable benefits would begin to widen in about 2055, and by 2083, payable benefits would be 21% smaller than scheduled benefits, the report projects.
One factor that would contribute to the decline in the program’s income is that a growing share of compensation would be paid in the form of nontaxable health benefits, the CBO report says.
Currently, the trust fund is taking in more than it pays out. Total outlays equaled 4.4% of gross domestic product in 2008, while income equaled 4.8% of GDP, the CBO says.
As baby boomers age, the number of Social Security beneficiaries will grow considerably, the report points out.
