Means Testing Social Security: Income Versus Wealth

Alan Gustman (), Thomas L. Steinmeier and Nahid Tabatabai

National Tax Journal, 2017, vol. 70, issue 1, 111-132

Abstract: A Social Security means test targeting benefit recipients in the top quarter of the income distribution will have substantially different distributional effects from a means test targeting the top quarter of wealth holders. Only 14.5 percent of individuals fall in the top quarters of both the income and wealth distributions. A means test based on income will reduce benefits for 10.5 percent of individuals who fall outside the top quarter of wealth holders, while a means test based on wealth will have similar consequences for those who fall outside the top quarter of the income distribution.

Date: 2017
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