The Social Security Administration
Summary
Created by the Social Security Act of 1935 and made an independent agency in 1995, SSA ran on a $14.84 billion administrative budget and 51,205 full-time staff in FY2026 -- about $189.32 per beneficiary -- to pay monthly benefits to 78.4 million Americans, a program that supplies 90% or more of income for a meaningful share of the beneficiaries who depend on it.
The organization
Its mission
The charge is the founding statute's own: the Social Security Act of 1935⧉ opens "An act to provide for the general welfare by establishing a system of Federal old-age benefits" -- the authorizing language every benefit check still traces to.
Founded when, and why
The Social Security Act became law August 14, 1935⧉. For the program's first six decades the agency sat inside the Department of Health and Human Services and its predecessors; the Social Security Independence and Program Improvements Act of 1994 made SSA an independent agency⧉ effective March 31, 1995.
What it costs — money and people
Congress enacted $14,842,978,000 for SSA's Limitation on Administrative Expenses account in fiscal 2026⧉ -- the appropriation that funds 's own operations, distinct from the benefit checks -- supporting 51,205 full-time-equivalent staff⧉, down from 54,063 in fiscal 2025 (the FY2027 request asks for 51,820). Against 78.4 million beneficiaries and recipients⧉, that is $189.32 per beneficiary for the year.
View data as table
| Retirement & survivor claims completed | 6,702 | includes Medicare claims |
|---|---|---|
| Initial disability claims completed | 2,258 | |
| Hearings completed | 425 |
What it produces
The output is benefit checks and decisions: $1.6 trillion paid in fiscal 2025, an estimated $1.73 trillion in fiscal 2026⧉ across OASI, DI, and SSI. In fiscal 2026 is enacted to complete 6.702 million retirement and survivor claims, 2.258 million initial disability claims, and 425,000 hearings decisions⧉, while its national 800 number is enacted to handle 68 million calls⧉.
Value to society, by the numbers
The mechanism is direct income replacement: 's own figures show Social Security benefits make up about 31% of income for Americans over 65⧉, and among beneficiaries 65 and older, 12% of men and 15% of women rely on it for 90% or more of their income⧉, while nearly nine in ten people 65 and older receive a benefit at all⧉. For that reliant slice, the counterfactual isn't a smaller check -- it is close to no income.
- 's FY2026 administrative budget ($14.84B) and staffing (51,205 ) run separately from the $1.73 trillion in benefits it is estimated to pay out -- the agency's own operating cost is $189.32 per beneficiary, not the benefit check itself.
- 's count fell from 54,063 in FY2025 to 51,205 in FY2026, and the FY2027 request asks to add back only 615 , even as its workload moved unevenly: retirement and survivor claims completed dropped from 7.284 million to 6.702 million and initial disability claims from 2.361 million to 2.258 million, while hearings completed rose from 395,000 to 425,000.
Your handles.* Manage your own benefits, check an application, or request a replacement card through a my Social Security account. Find your nearest office with the field office locator. Reach directly at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), listed on its Contact Social Security page.
Sources(4) ▾
- Social Security Administration -- Historical Background and Development, The Social Security Act (Act of August 14, 1935) [H.R. 7260] (1935-08-14) — 's own archive reproducing the full text of the 1935 Act -- "An act to provide for the general welfare by establishing a system of Federal old-age benefits..." -- the founding statute. ssa.gov · original document
- Federal Register / govinfo.gov, Federal Register notice, Social Security Independence and Program Improvements Act of 1994 (establishing SSA as an independent agency) (1995-11-27) — Official Federal Register record documenting 's split from into an independent agency effective March 31, 1995 under the Social Security Independence and Program Improvements Act of 1994 (P.L. 103-296). govinfo.gov · original document
- Social Security Administration, Office of Budget, Limitation on Administrative Expenses, FY 2027 Congressional Justification (2026-05) — 's own congressional budget justification for its administrative account -- appropriation history, workyears (), beneficiary counts, benefit outlays, and the Key Performance Targets workload table (claims, hearings, 800-number calls) for FY2025 actual through FY2027 request. ssa.gov · original document
- Social Security Administration, Office of the Press Officer, Fact Sheet: Social Security (2025) — 's own press fact sheet on beneficiary counts, benefit levels, and the share of older Americans' income Social Security supplies -- the source for the mechanism/counterfactual in "Why is it good for society." ssa.gov · original document
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The Social Security Administration is the independent federal agency that runs the nation's largest income-support program, paying monthly Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income benefits to 78.4 million beneficiaries and recipients⧉ -- reporting directly to the President and Congress rather than through a cabinet department.