Try the political quiz
@ISIDEWITHQuestionsthe Economy2yrs ago

Should Social Security benefits be tax-free?

In 2024 Donald Trump proposed that the government should remove taxes on social security. Opponents argue that removing the tax would cause a massive budget deficit and deplete the Social Security trust fund. Currently, individuals making between $25,000 and $34,000 must pay income taxes on up to 50% of their Social Security benefits, People making more than $34,000 must pay taxes on up to 85% of benefits. For joint filers, those thresholds are $32,000 and $44,000.  Rep. Thomas Massie (R., Ky.), who sponsored a House bill last year that would exclude Social Security benefits from taxes…  

Read more
+
Expand
+ Settings

Toggle voterbase

Statistics are shown for this demographic

Answer Overview

Response rates from 21k America voters.

85%
Yes
15%
No

Historical Support

Trend of support over time for each answer from 21k America voters.

Loading data...

Loading chart... 

Historical Importance

Trend of how important this issue is for 21k America voters.

Loading data...

Loading chart... 

Other Popular Answers

Unique answers from America voters whose views went beyond the provided options.

 @9SBYW42 from Illinois  answered…2yrs2Y

Yes, there are many that depend on income from these benefits and said taxes make already struggling members struggle further, so hence we need to find another thing to tax to replenish the loss of money. If tax is to be on it, however then it should remove the money prior to making it to the recipient so they don't have to adjust with the newfound amount

 @9SBJQJB from Texas  answered…2yrs2Y

Social Security needs to be majorly overhauled or completely done away with. It's a failed system that cannot be sustained as it stands today. If someone can save for retirement - great. If not, and they are still mentally and physically capable of working, then they should. An entire sector of society is being dismissed as useless due to their age, despite what many of them can still offer. A better solution all around would be to create jobs that are tailored to suit individuals who are advanced in age. We would have a healthier elderly population, more economic growth, and less economic drain from an outdated government program that doesn't work well.

 @9ZQX942 from Florida  answered…2yrs2Y

The tax should remain however lower income people should be taxed far less then 50% wealthy people can keep the 85% tax

 @B6K5MMX from California  answered…11mos11MO

No, it shouldn't be tax-free, but neither should it be expensive, and sit hould be determined based on annual income

 @9MGKS4X  from Nevada  answered…2yrs2Y

Yes, up to a certain income level compared to the cost of living. The current policy to tax social security if you have other income sources penalizes citizens for being smart savers and investors, instead of rewarding them for not relying on additional government-subsidized programs

 @BDZ98MFfrom Northern Mariana Islands  answered…2wks2W

Yes but Social Security benefits should be offered with a stricter standard

 @B2QX97G  from California  answered…1mo1MO

Yes for low income people.

 @BDN7M4B from New Jersey  answered…1mo1MO

I don't think that would be possible - would cost too much money.

Popular Conversations

Join in on the most popular conversations.

 @ISIDEWITH submitted…2yrs2Y

Elizabeth Warren Walks Back Murder Comments

Congressional Democrats broadly denounced the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson Friday morning, after Republicans started accusing Sen. Elizabeth Warren of excusing violence.“No one's condoning this,” said Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.). “Violence never is the right answer for anything. And it was a horrible murder, a tragic loss for his family.” Warren this week condemned the shooting, but added that people “can be pushed only so far.”"We'll say it over and over," Warren said on MSNBC’S “The ReidOut.” " Violence is never the answer. This guy [Luigi Mangione] gets a trial who's allegedly killed the CEO of UnitedHealth, but you can only push people so far, and then they start to take matters into their own hands."In a statement to POLITICO, Warren said, “Violence is never the answer. Period. I should have been much clearer that there is never a justification for murder.” Top Republicans denounced Warren's comments and the walked-back rhetoric, with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) calling it “inappropriate and dangerous.”Some House Democrats asked about the incident on Thursday pivoted the conversation to discuss policy options on health care or gun safety.“I don't really know that this is really a space that Congress normally weighs in on,” said Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas). “But at the end of the day, I think it’s an opportunity, because now people are talking about health care and to talk about the fact that this industry has honestly not been as helpful as it could be.”“Violence is never the answer,” said Rep. Troy Carter (D-La.). “We know that there are people suffering, there’s great challenges in healthcare. There's great challenges, and people have, in fact, been wronged, but a process of governance is the way to address that, not violence.”And Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) who denounced the murder, said the killer should be prosecuted and that “I do know that allegedly a ghost gun was used, and we should also ban ghost guns. There's no reason for them beyond the streets.”

▲  1614 replies

About This Data

Based on 21k responses to this question.

These results come from iSideWith's ongoing political issues survey. We collect over a million responses per day, filter out duplicate and multiple submissions, and break the results down by political party, ideology, age, state, and census demographics (income, race, education, household).

iSideWith is non-partisan — we don't advocate for any party, candidate, or position. We report what the public tells us.

Read Our Full Methodology →

Cite Or Embed This Poll

Writing about this issue? Use the live data and link back to the full results.

Cite This Poll

iSideWith. (2026). “Should Social Security benefits be tax-free?” — Public Opinion Poll Results. Retrieved June 27, 2026, from https://www.isidewith.com/polls/5235735902

Embed The Live Result

Preview