Social Insurance and Public Assistance

SOCIAL WELFARE PROGRAMS Series Bf476–483 779
TABLE Bf461–475 Old-Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance – average monthly family benefit, by selected family
groups: 1940–1999 Continued
Spouses of retired or disabled workers are eligible for monthly benefits
at age 62. Their benefits are equal to 50 percent of the worker’s PIA for the
first entitlement at the normal retirement age but are permanently reduced
if payments begin earlier. The annual rate of reduction is 8 1 / 3 percent for the
first three years and, eventually, 5 percent for the next two years. Children of
retired or disabled workers are also eligible to receive monthly benefits equal
to 50 percent of the worker’s PIA, as are spouses younger than age 65 who
are caring for at least one child younger than age 16 or disabled child age 18
or older of the worker.
Widows and widowers of fully insured workers are first eligible for
monthly benefits at age 60, or at age 50 if they are disabled. The benefit
amount payable to widows and widowers first entitled to benefits at age 60
or before is equal to 71.5 percent of the worker’s PIA, plus any delayed retirement
credit the deceased worker would be receiving. For those widows and
widowers first entitled to benefits at age 62 or later, the benefit is limited (if
the worker had received benefits before normal retirement age) to the greater
of the amount the worker would be receiving if still living, or 82.5 percent of
the PIA.
Children of deceased workers are eligible to receive monthly benefits
equal to 75 percent of the worker’s PIA, as are mothers and fathers younger
than age 65 who are caring for at least one child younger than age 16 or a
disabled child. A dependent parent age 62 or older is eligible for monthly benefits
equal to 82.5 percent, and each of two dependent parents, for benefits
equal to 75 percent of the deceased worker’s PIA. For detailed information,
consult the Social Security Bulletin, Annual Statistical Supplement (1997), p. 59.
Series Bf464 and Bf472–473. For series Bf464, a wife’s entitlement is based
on her age. In the disabled-worker categories, a wife’s entitlement is based
on care of children.
Series Bf475. Assumes the workers began to work at age 22, retired at the
beginning of the year, and had no prior period of disability. The observation
in 1968 is effective in February of that year. In 1982, the figure was
derived from the transitional guarantee computation based on the 1978 PIA
table. The benefit for women was identical except for the period 1962 to
1977, when the male maximum was approximately 97 percent of the female
maximum.
TABLE Bf476–483 Old-Age, Survivors, Disability, and Health Insurance – average monthly benefit received by retired
workers, by sex: 1940–1998
Contributed by Price V. Fishback and Melissa A. Thomasson
Men
With reduction for
early retirement
Women
With reduction for
early retirement
Without
Without
reduction
reduction
for early Before After for early Before After
All benefits retirement reduction reduction All benefits retirement reduction reduction
Bf476 Bf477 Bf478 Bf479 Bf480 Bf481 Bf482 Bf483
Year Dollars Dollars Dollars Dollars Dollars Dollars Dollars Dollars
1940 23.17 23.17 — — 18.37 18.37 — —
1941 23.32 23.32 — — 18.48 18.48 — —
1942 23.71 23.71 — — 18.73 18.73 — —
1943 24.17 24.17 — — 19.06 19.06 — —
1944 24.48 24.48 — — 19.35 19.35 — —
1945 24.94 24.94 — — 19.51 19.51 — —
1946 25.30 25.30 — — 19.64 19.64 — —
1947 25.68 25.68 — — 19.91 19.91 — —
1948 26.21 26.21 — — 20.11 20.11 — —
1949 26.92 26.92 — — 20.58 20.58 — —
1950 45.67 45.67 — — 35.05 35.05 — —
1951 44.44 44.44 — — 33.03 33.03 — —
1952 52.16 52.16 — — 39.17 39.17 — —
1953 54.46 54.46 — — 40.66 40.66 — —
1954 63.34 63.34 — — 47.05 47.05 — —
1955 66.40 66.40 — — 49.93 49.93 — —
1956 68.23 68.23 — — 51.16 51.16 53.64 48.20
1957 70.47 70.47 — — 52.23 52.98 55.33 49.08
1958 72.74 72.74 — — 53.55 54.62 57.06 50.27
1959 80.11 80.11 — — 58.81 60.34 63.18 55.16
1960 81.90 81.90 — — 59.70 61.60 64.19 55.80
1961 83.13 83.84 76.94 69.01 62.00 64.87 65.84 57.20
1962 33.79 85.26 80.03 71.24 62.61 66.10 66.41 57.59
1963 84.69 36.81 81.63 72.21 63.42 67.48 67.11 58.23
1964 85.58 88.37 82.72 72.85 64.28 69.01 67.88 58.87
1965 92.60 96.10 90.14 79.40 70.10 75.40 73.82 64.50
1966 93.26 97.37 90.98 80.26 70.79 76.40 75.47 65.21
1967 94.49 99.33 92.53 81.53 71.92 78.28 76.46 66.01
1968 109.08 115.02 106.95 95.29 84.24 91.89 88.90 77.75
1969 110.96 117.78 109.16 97.06 85.71 94.51 90.13 78.99
Note appears at end of table
(continued)