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The Social Security Earnings Test Removal. Money Saved or Money Spent by the Trust Fund?

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  • Giovanni Mastrobuoni

Abstract

Beneficiaries of Social Security face restrictions on how much they can earn without incurring the earnings test (ET). In 2000, President Clinton eliminated the ET between age 65 and 70. In this paper I evaluate how this removal impacts the long-term finances of the Trust Fund. I find that starting in 2006 the Social Security Administration is actually saving money and that the removal appears to be Pareto efficient. A removal of the remaining part of the ET is likely to be even less costly and to produce larger increases in labor supply and contributions.

Suggested Citation

  • Giovanni Mastrobuoni, 2006. "The Social Security Earnings Test Removal. Money Saved or Money Spent by the Trust Fund?," Carlo Alberto Notebooks 25, Collegio Carlo Alberto.
    • Handle: RePEc:cca:wpaper:25
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    File URL: https://www.carloalberto.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/no.25.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Honig, Marjorie & Reimers, Cordelia, 1989. "Is It Worth Eliminating the Retirement Test?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 79(2), pages 103-107, May.
    2. Alan L. Gustman & Thomas L. Steinmeier, 1991. "Changing the Social Security Rules for Work after 65," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 44(4), pages 733-745, July.
    3. Olivia S. Mitchell, 1999. "New Evidence on the Money's Worth of Individual Annuities," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 89(5), pages 1299-1318, December.
    4. Michael D. Hurd & James P. Smith & Julie M. Zissimopoulos, 2004. "The effects of subjective survival on retirement and Social Security claiming," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 19(6), pages 761-775.
    5. Gruber, Jonathan & Orszag, Peter, 2003. "Does the Social Security Earnings Test Affect Labor Supply and Benefits Receipt?," National Tax Journal, National Tax Association;National Tax Journal, vol. 56(4), pages 755-773, December.
    6. Song, Jae G. & Manchester, Joyce, 2007. "New evidence on earnings and benefit claims following changes in the retirement earnings test in 2000," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(3-4), pages 669-700, April.
    7. David S Loughran & Steven Haider, 2007. "Do Elderly Men Respond to Taxes on Earnings? Evidence from the Social Security Retirement Earnings Test," Working Papers WR-223-1, RAND Corporation.
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    Cited by:

    1. Mastrobuoni, Giovanni, 2011. "The role of information for retirement behavior: Evidence based on the stepwise introduction of the Social Security Statement," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(7), pages 913-925.
    2. Pierre-Carl Michaud & Arthur vanSoest, 2006. "How Did the Elimination of the Earnings Test Above the Normal Retirement Age Affect Retirement Expectations?," Working Papers wp135, University of Michigan, Michigan Retirement Research Center.
    3. Mastrobuoni, Giovanni, 2009. "Labor supply effects of the recent social security benefit cuts: Empirical estimates using cohort discontinuities," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(11-12), pages 1224-1233, December.
    4. Duggan, Mark & Dushi, Irena & Jeong, Sookyo & Li, Gina, 2023. "The effects of changes in social security’s delayed retirement credit: Evidence from administrative data," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 223(C).
    5. Pierre-Carl Michaud & Arthur vanSoest, 2006. "How Did the Elimination of the Earnings Test Above the Normal Retirement Age Affect Retirement Expectations?," Working Papers wp135, University of Michigan, Michigan Retirement Research Center.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    earnings test; social security; claiming; retirement;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H55 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Social Security and Public Pensions
    • J26 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Retirement; Retirement Policies

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