For most retirees, Social Security provides an indispensable source of income. Over the previous 23 years, national pollster Gallup surveyed retirees to gauge how important their Social Security income was to their financial stability. Between 80% and 90% of respondents have consistently noted their payout is needed, in some capacity, to cover their expenses. However, this all-important social program isn't static. Changes are implemented every year that can impact everything from how current and future beneficiaries update their information to what they'll receive each month from the Social Security Administration (SSA). Five notable changes to Social Security have been made under Donald Trump's watch Since President Donald Trump took office for his second term 100 days ago (as of April 29), a flurry of Social Security changes has been implemented. Here's a brief rundown of the five biggest changes Trump has overseen, as well as the one powerful Social Security change he still wants to see put into effect. 1. Administrative cost-cutting results in staff reductions and office closures for the SSA One of the president's first actions upon taking office for his second term was to create the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) via executive order. The purpose of DOGE, which has been assisted by "special government employee" and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, is to find ways to reduce government spending and make the federal government more efficient. In the wake of DOGE's cost-reduction recommendations for a variety of federal agencies, the SSA is reducing its staff by 7,000 to 50,000, as well as closing some of its physical offices. Though the SSA expects to save more than $800 million in 2025, this is a drop in the bucket compared to the $1.392 trillion doled out by the SSA via benefits and (to a far lesser degree) administrative expenses in 2023. 2. Trump signed an executive order to end paper Social Security checks A second notable Social Security change undertaken during Trump's first 100 days in office is the upcoming elimination of paper checks. Close to 486,000 Social Security beneficiaries are currently receiving a paper check each month. On March 25, the president signed an executive order that mandates the end to paper check issuance for things like Social Security payments and tax refunds. It requires all executive agencies (and Social Security beneficiaries) to transition to electronic funds transfers, which includes direct deposit, by Sept. 30, 2025. Trump's justification for putting the kibosh on paper checks is that check fraud has become more common over time, and that "digital payments are more efficient, less costly, and less vulnerable to fraud." 3. Personal identification methods have been beefed up Rules regarding identity verification are also being significantly altered under Trump's watch. As of April 14, an overwhelming majority of beneficiaries will no longer be allowed to change their direct deposit information or apply for retirement/survivor benefits over the phone. Rather, these changes can only be made through an online "my Social Security" account with two-factor authentication or in person at an SSA office. This online and in-person verification rule doesn't apply to people with terminal illnesses or persons set to be released from prison. This change is another example of the SSA and Trump administration attempting to crack down on perceived fraud. 4. Biden-era overpayment and recovery rules have been reversed The fourth big adjustment made by Trump in his first 100 days in the Oval Office is the reversal of former President Joe Biden's overpayment and recovery rules. On occasion (and by mistake), the SSA sends beneficiaries more money than they're entitled to. During Biden's presidency, he reduced the clawback rate for the SSA to 10% of a beneficiaries' monthly check until the overpayment is recovered. However, Presidents Barack Obama and Trump (during his first term) had a 100% clawback rate in place prior to Biden taking office. This Biden-era policy has been rescinded, with a 50% withholding rate of a person's monthly benefit implemented until the overpayment is recovered. Full recovery of overpayments is projected to save the federal government roughly $7 billion over 10 years. 5. Trump nominated Fiserv CEO Frank Bisignano as the next SSA commissioner The fifth Social Security change implemented by Trump in just over three months' time is the nomination of Frank Bisignano to become the new SSA commissioner. Bisignano is currently the CEO of financial services technology company Fiserv, but has plans to step down from his post when confirmed, or by June 30 (whichever comes first). Bisignano's nearly five years as CEO of Fiserv gives him a unique understanding of digital payments technology and consumer needs, which is important as the SSA transitions to a paperless future. On April 2, the U.S. Senate Finance Committee voted along party lines (14-13) to advance Bisignano's nomination. If confirmed by a full Senate vote, Bisignano will replace acting SSA commissioner Leland Dudek. One mammoth Social Security change still on Donald Trump's docket But arguably none of these five Social Security changes holds a candle to what then-candidate Trump proposed doing to the program while on the campaign trail. In a social media post on Truth Social in late July, Trump noted, "Seniors should not pay tax on Social Security." The implication of the president's post is that he aims to put an end to the taxation of Social Security benefits. If this tax were eliminated, approximately half of all retired-worker beneficiaries would see an increase in their monthly payout. While Trump's attempt to beef up Social Security checks for around half of all retirees might be well intentioned, it comes with an undeniably big drawback. In 1983, Social Security's asset reserves were running on fumes and reforms were needed to shore things up. The Social Security Amendments of 1983, which represent the last bipartisan overhaul of the program, gradually increased the payroll tax on workers and the full retirement age, as well as introduced the now-hated tax on benefits. The tax on Social Security benefits has become a more important source of income for the program over time. US Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance Trust Fund Income from Taxation of Benefits Receipts data by YCharts. Beginning in 1984, up to 50% of benefits became taxable at the federal rate if provisional income (defined as adjusted gross income + tax-free interest + one-half of benefits) surpassed $25,000 for a single filer or $32,000 for a couple filing jointly. A second tier was added a decade later that allowed up to 85% of Social Security benefits to be taxed at the federal rate when provisional income topped $34,000 for single filers and $44,000 for jointly filing couples. The reason beneficiaries despise this tax so much -- aside from misconstruing it as a form of double taxation -- is because these provisional income thresholds have never been adjusted for inflation. Higher wages and annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) over time have exposed an increasingly larger number of senior households to this tax. Despite beneficiaries' hatred for the tax on benefits, and Trump's desire to get rid of it, it plays too important of a role to be removed or adjusted. According to the 2024 Social Security Board of Trustees Report, taxing benefits was projected to bring in $943.9 billion from 2024 through 2033. Eliminating this tax would remove one of the SSA's three forms of funding. This would be a huge problem considering the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund (OASI) is projected to exhaust its asset reserves in just eight years. Without taxing benefits, the OASI's asset reserves would drain faster, which may lead to potentially steeper benefit cuts than the 21% reduction currently forecast by 2033 for retired workers and survivor beneficiaries. In other words, there's no scenario where ending the tax on Social Security benefits makes financial sense for America's leading retirement program.