Working Papers

Partial Retirement and The Earnings Test

Abstract

This paper studies the effects of the earnings test on retirement behavior. The earnings tests of most social security systems tax post-retirement earnings at a relatively high level and do not lead to actuarially fair increases in future benefits. This results in discouragement of partial retirement. The paper shows that a reduction in the earnings test’s tax rate is likely to increase part-time work; and that in special cases the increase in work effort may even lead to a reduction in the net transfer from social security to the individual.