Social Security could pay full benefits until 2059 if taxable payroll kept pace with GDP: AARP report

What happened: AARP Public Policy Institute research says Social Security could pay full benefits until 2059 if taxable payroll kept pace with GDP, and that an aging work force is not the only reason for the trust funds' shortfall. Key numbers: Full benefits could last until 2059 under that condition. Why it matters: The report points to taxable payroll growth, beyond demographics, as a factor in the program's financing shortfall.

AARP Public Policy Institute research says Social Security could pay full benefits until 2059 if taxable payroll kept pace with GDP, and that an aging work force is not the only reason for the trust funds' shortfall.

The report points to taxable payroll growth, beyond demographics, as a factor in the program's financing shortfall.