Social Security is an earned benefit. You become eligible by paying the payroll tax during your working years, and the amount you get is geared to your wage history - with a glaring exception.

Social Security has a big birthday coming up next year -- it's turning 90! It's kept many millions of people out of poverty for decades and was recently supporting more than 71 million people with around $1.5 trillion in benefits for the year.

GOBankingRates reported on the 41 states in America that won’t tax Social Security benefits in 2025. Missouri and Kansas elected to stop taxing Social Security benefits in 2024, as did Kansas shortly thereafter,