Even former presidents and senators are entitled to Social Security, a reality that some may find hard to believe. Like every other hard-working American who contributes to Social Security Insurance via taxes, they’re eligible to receive benefits upon retirement. Joe Biden has spent 36 years in the Senate, eight as vice president, and four as the commander-in-chief, making Social Security benefits part of his portfolio.
It’s revealing that Biden nets substantially more from Social Security than the average recipient does. Unlike Donald Trump who hasn’t freely shared his tax records, Biden has been releasing his annual tax returns since 1998. The amount the Bidens pocket from Social Security alone is a matter of public record.
From his 2023 joint federal tax statement with his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, we learn that he rakes in $42,842 annually from Social Security. This translates to around $3,570 each month. Evidently, he profits significantly from a program that most Americans rely on for stability in their golden years.
Dr. Jill Biden garners $21,412 in yearly Social Security income. Her monthly share amounts to about $1,784. Since her income is roughly half of her husband’s, it connotes that she’s drawing primarily from spousal benefits, which the Social Security Administration limits to 50%.
A question that surfaces is why does Joe Biden’s Social Security income tower above the rest? The straightforward explanation is that he paid into and earned a relatively high rate due to his salary as a senator.
Biden was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1972, drawing a salary of $42,500 per year according to the U.S. Senate website. Chances are these figures may be more than what many Americans earn in the present day.
Throughout the ensuing decades, his senatorial earnings gradually swelled to $89,500 by 1987. Biden returned to the Senate again from 1990 to 2007, with his salary finally stopping at a whopping $165,200.
Presumably, this upward trajectory meant that he was at the top of the income bracket, translating to a heftier Social Security benefit. In essence, the system seems to favor those who were already enjoying substantial incomes, like Biden.
He first dipped into his Social Security benefits in 2008, drawing a comparatively modest $6,534. He swapped to full benefits the following year, netting $27,923. It seems retirement suits him well, as he’s taken full advantage of the system.
To condense this into perspective, Biden is comfortably above the mean when you assess his Social Security income against the average American retiree. The Social Security Administration’s (SSA) statistics for June 2025 reveals the average benefit for retired workers to be $2,005.05.
Bottom line, the former president is using the Social Security system to his advantage, receiving far more than the average citizen. It raises a question: is it fair for the wealthy to reap such benefits while so many are struggling?
It’s worth acknowledging that Biden did contribute to Social Security during his tenure as a senator. However, the disparity in benefits raises questions about whether more should be done to level the playing field and ensure equity.
In a fair world, one might argue that benefits should reflect need, not how well-off someone previously was. Still, regardless of the sentiment, it’s clear that the current Social Security system continues to perpetuate wealth disparities.
The post Joe Biden: Profiting Substantially from Social Security appeared first on Real News Now.
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