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Social Security's Five OASI Inflation Indexing Problems

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  • Lovell, Michael C.

Abstract

This paper examines five problems with the indexing procedures used by the Social Security Administration of the United States in taking inflation into account when calculating Old Age and Survivor Insurance (OASI) Benefits. Because of the commin-gling of unindexed with indexed earnings, a retiree born in 1930 who continued in a high earning career until age 75 receives an annual benefit more than $1,800 larger than would have been generated with full indexing. While the inflation indexing problems identified in this paper do not attract much attention in normal times, they can contribute to serious short-run financial instability for the OASI trust fund in periods of substantial inflation or deflation. They make the percentage increase in your inflation adjusted (CPI-W) benefit if you elect to postpone retirement and the start of OASI benefits depend in part on the pace of inflation. This paper explains how these problems could be resolved in a way that would not hurt and might help resolve Social Security's longrun solvency problems.

Suggested Citation

  • Lovell, Michael C., 2009. "Social Security's Five OASI Inflation Indexing Problems," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal (2007-2020), Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), vol. 3, pages 1-41.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:ifweej:7547
    DOI: 10.5018/economics-ejournal.ja.2009-3
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    8. Biggs, Andrew G. & Brown, Jeffrey R. & Springstead, Glenn, 2005. "Alternative Methods of Price Indexing Social Security: Implications for Benefits and System Financing," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 58(3), pages 483-504, September.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Simonovits, András, 2015. "Hogyan hat a nyugdíjszabályok hiányos ismerete a dolgozók döntéseire? [How does imperfect knowledge of pension rules affect workers decisions?]," Közgazdasági Szemle (Economic Review - monthly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Közgazdasági Szemle Alapítvány (Economic Review Foundation), vol. 0(3), pages 263-283.
    3. Stefan Domonkos & Andras Simonovits, 2016. "Pensions in transition in EU11 countries between 1990 and 2015," CERS-IE WORKING PAPERS 1615, Institute of Economics, Centre for Economic and Regional Studies.
    4. András Simonovits, 2014. "Design Errors in Public Pension Systems: The Case of Hungary," CERS-IE WORKING PAPERS 1414, Institute of Economics, Centre for Economic and Regional Studies.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Social security; inflation; indexing;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H55 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Social Security and Public Pensions
    • E31 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Price Level; Inflation; Deflation

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