2021 OASDI Trustees Report

skip to main content
Table of Contents Previous Next Tables Figures Index

VI. APPENDICES
A. HISTORY OF OASI AND DI TRUST FUND OPERATIONS
The Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) Trust Fund was established on January 1, 1940 as a separate account in the United States Treasury. The Federal Disability Insurance (DI) Trust Fund, another separate account in the United States Treasury, was established on August 1, 1956. These funds conduct the financial operations of the OASI and DI programs. The Board of Trustees is responsible for overseeing the financial operations of these funds. The following paragraphs describe the various components of trust fund income and cost. Following this description, tables VI.A1 and VI.A2 present the historical operations of the separate trust funds since their inception, and table VI.A3 presents the operations of the hypothetical combined trust funds1 during the period when they have co-existed.
The primary income of these two funds comes from appropriations under permanent authority on the basis of payroll tax contributions. Federal law requires that all employees who work in OASDI covered employment, and their employers, make payroll tax contributions on their wages up to a specified annual maximum amount (the contribution and benefit base). Employees and their employers must also make payroll tax contributions on monthly cash tips if such tips are at least $20. Self-employed persons must make payroll tax contributions on their covered net earnings from self-employment subject to the annual contribution and benefit base. The Federal Government pays amounts equivalent to the combined employer and employee contributions that would be paid on deemed wage credits attributable to military service performed between 1957 and 2001, if such wage credits were covered wages. Treasury initially deposits payroll tax contributions to the trust funds each day on an estimated basis. Subsequently, Treasury makes adjustments based on the certified amount of wages and self-employment earnings in the records of the Social Security Administration.
Income also includes various reimbursements from the General Fund of the Treasury, such as: (1) the cost of noncontributory wage credits for military service before 1957, and periodic adjustments to previous determinations of this cost; (2) the cost in 1971 through 1982 of deemed wage credits for military service performed after 1956; (3) the cost of benefits to certain uninsured persons who attained age 72 before 1968; (4) the cost of payroll tax credits provided to employees in 1984 and self-employed persons in 1984 through 1989 by Public Law 98-21; (5) the cost in 2009 through 2017 of excluding certain self-employment earnings from SECA taxes under Public Law 110-246; and (6) payroll tax revenue forgone under the provisions of Public Laws 111-147, 111-312, 112-78, and 112-96.
Beginning in 1984, Federal law subjected up to 50 percent of an individual’s or couple’s OASDI benefits to Federal income taxation under certain circumstances. Effective for taxable years beginning after 1993, the law increased the maximum percentage from 50 percent to 85 percent. Treasury credits the proceeds from this taxation of up to 50 percent of benefits to the OASI and DI Trust Funds in advance, on an estimated basis, at the beginning of each calendar quarter, with no reimbursement to the General Fund for interest costs attributable to the advance transfers.2 Treasury makes subsequent adjustments based on the actual amounts shown on annual income tax records. Each of the OASI and DI Trust Funds receives the income taxes paid on the benefits from that trust fund.3
Another source of income to the trust funds is interest received on investments held by the trust funds. On a daily basis, Treasury invests trust fund income in interest-bearing obligations of the U.S. Government. These investments include the special public-debt obligations described in the next paragraph. The Social Security Act also authorizes the trust funds to hold obligations guaranteed as to both principal and interest by the United States. The act therefore permits the trust funds to hold certain Federally sponsored agency obligations and marketable obligations.4 The trust funds may acquire any of these obligations on original issue at the issue price or by purchase of outstanding obligations at their market price.
The Social Security Act authorizes the issuance of special public-debt obligations for purchase exclusively by the trust funds. The act provides that the interest rate for special obligations newly issued in any month is the average market yield, as of the last business day of the prior month, on all of the outstanding marketable U.S. obligations that are due or callable more than 4 years in the future. This rate is rounded to the nearest one-eighth of one percent. Beginning January 1999, in calculating the average market yield rate for this purpose, the Treasury incorporates the yield to the call date when a callable bond’s market price is above par.
Although the Social Security Act does not authorize the purchase or sale of special issue securities in the open market, Treasury redeems special issue securities prior to maturity at par value when needed to meet current operating expenses. As a result, changes in market yield rates after issuance of special issue securities do not cause fluctuations in the value of these securities. As is true for marketable Treasury securities held by the public, the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government backs all of the investments held by the trust funds.
Annual cost for the OASI and DI Trust Funds primarily consists of: (1) OASDI benefit payments5, net of any reimbursements from the General Fund of the Treasury for unnegotiated benefit checks; and (2) expenses incurred by the Social Security Administration and the Department of the Treasury in administering the OASDI program and the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code relating to the collection of contributions. Such administrative expenses include, among other items, the cost of (1) payroll; (2) construction, rental, lease, or purchase of office buildings and related facilities for the Social Security Administration; and (3) information technology systems. The Social Security Act prohibits payments from the OASI and DI Trust Funds for any purpose not related to the payment of benefits or administrative costs for the OASDI program.
Annual cost also includes: (1) the costs of vocational rehabilitation services furnished to disabled persons receiving cash benefits because of their disabilities, where such services contributed to their successful rehabilitation; and (2) net costs of the provisions of the Railroad Retirement Act that provide for a system of coordination and financial interchange between the Railroad Retirement program and the Social Security program. Under the financial interchange provisions, the Railroad Retirement program’s Social Security Equivalent Benefit Account and the trust funds interchange amounts on an annual basis so that each trust fund is in the same position it would have been had railroad employment always been covered under Social Security.
The statements of the operations of the trust funds in this report do not include the net worth of facilities and other fixed capital assets because the value of fixed capital assets is not available in the form of a financial asset redeemable for the payment of benefits or administrative costs. As a result of this unavailability, the actuarial status of the trust funds does not take these assets into account.
Asset Reservesa
GF
reim-
burse-
mentsb
Net
interest c
Trust
fund
ratio e
1937f
h .6
i20
h 8.7
i24
h 3.2
i28
i30
i41
i59
i78
g
g
g
g

a
Beginning in 1979, benefit payments scheduled to be paid on January 3 of a given year were paid on December 31 of the preceding year as required by the statutory provision included in the 1977 Social Security Amendments for early delivery of benefit payments when the normal payment delivery date is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal public holiday. Such advance payments have occurred about every 7 years, first for benefits scheduled for January 3, 1982. For comparability with other historical years and the projections in this report, all trust fund operations and asset reserves reflect the 12 months of benefits scheduled for payment in each year without regard to the accelerated payments described above.

b
Includes net reimbursements from the General Fund of the Treasury to the OASI Trust Fund for: (1) the cost of noncontributory wage credits for military service before 1957; (2) the cost in 1971-82 of deemed wage credits for military service performed after 1956; (3) the cost of benefits to certain uninsured persons who attained age 72 before 1968; (4) the cost of payroll tax credits provided to employees in 1984 and self-employed persons in 1984-89 by Public Law 98-21; (5) the cost in 2009-17 of excluding certain self-employment earnings from SECA taxes under Public Law 110-246; and (6) payroll tax revenue forgone under the provisions of Public Laws 111-147, 111-312, 112-78, and 112-96.

c
Net interest includes net profits or losses on marketable investments. Beginning in 1967, the trust fund pays administrative expenses on an estimated basis, with a final adjustment including interest made in the following fiscal year. Net interest includes the amounts of these interest adjustments. The 1970 report describes the accounting for administrative expenses for years prior to 1967. Beginning in October 1973, figures include relatively small amounts of gifts to the fund. Net interest for 1983-86 reflects payments for interest on amounts owed under the interfund borrowing provisions. During 1983-90, net interest reflects interest reimbursements paid from the trust fund to the General Fund on advance tax transfers.

d
Beginning in 1966, includes payments for vocational rehabilitation services furnished to disabled persons receiving benefits because of their disabilities. Beginning in 1983, net benefit amounts include reimbursements paid from the General Fund to the trust fund for unnegotiated benefit checks. Excluding the portion attributable to vocational rehabilitation services and unnegotiated benefit checks, amounts are the same as benefits scheduled under law at that time for all historical years.

e
The “Trust fund ratio” column represents asset reserves at the beginning of a year as a percentage of cost during the year. The table shows no ratio for 1937 because no reserves existed at the beginning of the year.

f
Operations prior to 1940 are for the Old-Age Reserve Account established by the original Social Security Act. The 1939 Amendments transferred the asset reserves of the Account to the OASI Trust Fund effective January 1, 1940.

g
Between -$50 million and $50 million.

h
Reflects interfund borrowing of $17.5 billion by the OASI Trust Fund from the DI and HI Trust Funds in 1982 and the subsequent repayment of those loans in 1985 ($4.4 billion) and 1986 ($13.2 billion).

i
Reserves used for the trust fund ratio calculation include January advance tax transfers.
Note: Components may not sum to totals because of rounding.

Asset Reservesa
Net
interest c
Trust
fund
ratio e
g -.4
h35
g 2.4
h27
g 1.5
h38
h44
h38
h38
h40
f
f
f
f
f
f

a
Beginning in 1979, benefit payments scheduled to be paid on January 3 of a given year were paid on December 31 of the preceding year as required by the statutory provision included in the 1977 Social Security Amendments for early delivery of benefit payments when the normal payment delivery date is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal public holiday. Such advance payments have occurred about every 7 years, first for benefits scheduled for January 3, 1982. For comparability with other historical years and the projections in this report, all trust fund operations and asset reserves reflect the 12 months of benefits scheduled for payment in each year without regard to the accelerated payments described above.

b
Includes net reimbursements from the General Fund of the Treasury to the DI Trust Fund for: (1) the cost of noncontributory wage credits for military service before 1957; (2) the cost in 1971-82 of deemed wage credits for military service performed after 1956; (3) the cost of payroll tax credits provided to employees in 1984 and self-employed persons in 1984-89 by Public Law 98-21; (4) the cost in 2009-17 of excluding certain self-employment earnings from SECA taxes under Public Law 110-246; and (5) payroll tax revenue forgone under the provisions of Public Laws 111-147, 111-312, 112-78, and 112-96.

c
Net interest includes net profits or losses on marketable investments. Beginning in 1967, the trust fund pays administrative expenses on an estimated basis, with a final adjustment including interest made in the following fiscal year. Net interest includes the amounts of these interest adjustments. The 1970 report describes the accounting for administrative expenses for years prior to 1967. Beginning in July 1974, figures include relatively small amounts of gifts to the fund. Net interest for 1983-86 reflects payments for interest on amounts owed under the interfund borrowing provisions. During 1983-90, net interest reflects interest reimbursements paid from the trust fund to the General Fund on advance tax transfers.

d
Beginning in 1966, includes payments for vocational rehabilitation services furnished to disabled persons receiving benefits because of their disabilities. Beginning in 1983, net benefit amounts include reimbursements paid from the General Fund to the trust fund for unnegotiated benefit checks. Excluding the portion attributable to vocational rehabilitation services and unnegotiated benefit checks, amounts are the same as benefits scheduled under law at that time for all historical years.

e
The “Trust fund ratio” column represents asset reserves at the beginning of a year as a percentage of cost during the year. The table shows no ratio for 1957 because no reserves existed at the beginning of the year.

f
Between -$50 million and $50 million.

g
Reflects interfund borrowing by the OASI Trust Fund from the DI Trust Fund in 1982 of $5.1 billion and the subsequent repayment of that loan in 1985 ($2.5 billion) and 1986 ($2.5 billion).

h
Reserves used for the trust fund ratio calculation include January advance tax transfers.
Note: Components may not sum to totals because of rounding.

Asset Reservesa
Net
interestc
Trust
fund
ratio e
g .2
h21
g 11.1
h24
g 4.7
h29
h31
h41
h57
h75
f
f
f
f

a
Beginning in 1979, benefit payments scheduled to be paid on January 3 of a given year were paid on December 31 of the preceding year as required by the statutory provision included in the 1977 Social Security Amendments for early delivery of benefit payments when the normal payment delivery date is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal public holiday. Such advance payments have occurred about every 7 years, first for benefits scheduled for January 3, 1982. For comparability with other historical years and the projections in this report, all trust fund operations and asset reserves reflect the 12 months of benefits scheduled for payment in each year without regard to the accelerated payments described above.

b
Includes net reimbursements from the General Fund of the Treasury to the OASI and DI Trust Funds for: (1) the cost of noncontributory wage credits for military service before 1957; (2) the cost in 1971-82 of deemed wage credits for military service performed after 1956; (3) the cost of benefits to certain uninsured persons who attained age 72 before 1968; (4) the cost of payroll tax credits provided to employees in 1984 and self-employed persons in 1984-89 by Public Law 98-21; (5) the cost in 2009-17 of excluding certain self-employment earnings from SECA taxes under Public Law 110-246; and (6) payroll tax revenue forgone under the provisions of Public Laws 111-147, 111-312, 112-78, and 112-96.

c
Net interest includes net profits or losses on marketable investments. Beginning in 1967, the trust funds pay administrative expenses on an estimated basis, with a final adjustment including interest made in the following fiscal year. Net interest includes the amounts of these interest adjustments. The 1970 report describes the accounting for administrative expenses for years prior to 1967. Beginning in October 1973, figures include relatively small amounts of gifts to the funds. Net interest for 1983-86 reflects payments for interest on amounts owed under the interfund borrowing provisions. During 1983-90, net interest reflects interest reimbursements paid from the trust funds to the General Fund on advance tax transfers.

d
Beginning in 1966, includes payments for vocational rehabilitation services furnished to disabled persons receiving benefits because of their disabilities. Beginning in 1983, net benefit amounts include reimbursements paid from the General Fund to the trust funds for unnegotiated benefit checks. Excluding the portion attributable to vocational rehabilitation services and unnegotiated benefit checks, amounts are the same as benefits scheduled under law at that time for all historical years.

e
The “Trust fund ratio” column represents asset reserves at the beginning of a year as a percentage of cost during the year.

f
Between -$50 million and $50 million.

g
Reflects interfund borrowing by the OASI Trust Fund from the HI Trust Fund in 1982 of $12.4 billion and the subsequent repayment of that loan in 1985 ($1.8 billion) and 1986 ($10.6 billion).

h
Reserves used for the trust fund ratio calculation include January advance tax transfers.
Note: Components may not sum to totals because of rounding.

Tables VI.A4 and VI.A5 show the total asset reserves of the OASI Trust Fund and the DI Trust Fund, respectively, at the end of calendar years 2019 and 2020. The tables show the invested asset reserves by interest rate and year of maturity. Bonds issued to the trust funds in 2020 had an interest rate of 0.750 percent, compared with an interest rate of 2.250 percent for bonds issued in 2019.
Undisbursed balancesa

a
A negative amount for a given year represents a situation where actual program cost exceeded the amount of invested securities of the OASI Trust Fund that were redeemed to cover such cost. In this situation, future redemption of additional invested securities will be required to pay for this shortfall. For 2020 and other calendar years where January 3 of the following year is a Sunday, a positive amount is shown on a liability basis for benefits scheduled to be paid on January 3 of the following year that were, by law, actually paid on the preceding December 31.

Note: Amounts of special issue securities are at par value. The trust fund purchases and redeems special issue securities at par value. The table groups equal amounts that mature in two or more years at a given interest rate.
Undisbursed balancesa

a
A negative amount for a given year represents a situation where actual program cost exceeded the amount of invested securities of the DI Trust Fund that were redeemed to cover such cost. In this situation, future redemption of additional invested securities will be required to pay for this shortfall. For 2020 and other calendar years where January 3 of the following year is a Sunday, a positive amount is shown on a liability basis for benefits scheduled to be paid on January 3 of the following year that were, by law, actually paid on the preceding December 31.

Note: Amounts of special issue securities are at par value. The trust fund purchases and redeems special issue securities at par value. The table groups equal amounts that mature in two or more years at a given interest rate.

1
The OASI and DI Trust Funds are distinct legal entities which operate independently. To illustrate the actuarial status of the program as a whole, the fund operations are often combined on a hypothetical basis.

2
The HI Trust Fund receives the additional tax revenue resulting from the increase to 85 percent.

3
A special provision applies to benefits paid to nonresident aliens. Effective for taxable years beginning after 1994, Public Law 103-465 subjects benefits to a flat-rate tax, usually 25.5 percent, before they are paid. Therefore, this tax remains in the trust funds. From 1984 to 1994, the flat-rate tax was usually 15 percent.

4
The Social Security Act requires the trust funds to acquire special-issue obligations unless the Managing Trustee determines that the purchase of marketable obligations is in the public interest. The purchase of marketable obligations has been quite limited and has not occurred since 1980.

5
Periodically, benefit payments which were scheduled to be paid on January 3 were actually paid on December 31 of the preceding year as required by the statutory provision included in the 1977 Social Security Amendments for early delivery of benefit payments when the normal payment delivery date is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal public holiday. Such advance payments have occurred about every 7 years, first for benefits scheduled for January 3, 1982. The most recent such accelerated payment affected benefits scheduled to be paid on January 3, 2021. For comparability with the values for historical years and the projections in this report, all trust fund operations and asset reserves reflect the 12 months of benefits scheduled for payment each year without regard to the accelerated payments described above.


Table of Contents Previous Next Tables Figures Index
SSA Home | Privacy Policy | Website Policies & Other Important Information | Site Map | Actuarial Publications August 31, 2021