Sponsors (2)
The bill improves retirement security and recognition for unpaid and some paid caregivers by granting Social Security credits, but it raises federal costs, administrative burdens, and leaves coverage limits and veteran interactions that could reduce net benefits or stress trust funds.
Family and unpaid caregivers (parents, family members caring for children, disabled people, or elders) would receive up to 60 months of caregiving counted toward Social Security earnings via a caregiver credit, raising future retirement/spousal benefits and potentially increasing lump‑sum death payments.
Professional home‑care providers currently excluded from Social Security/Medicare could gain eligibility, increasing access to retirement and Medicare coverage for paid caregivers.
The bill formally recognizes caregiving as essential federal policy priority, which could catalyze further policies and supports for children, people with disabilities, and older adults.
Taxpayers and current/future beneficiaries face increased federal Social Security program costs and a risk of accelerating trust fund depletion, which could create pressure for higher taxes, benefit reductions, or other offsets.
State and local governments, payroll systems, and benefit administrators would face added administrative complexity, implementation costs, and potential delays to integrate new eligibility rules.
Individual caregivers must submit applications, physician documentation, and periodic certifications, creating additional paperwork and potential barriers to claiming credits.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Treats certain months of unpaid care for dependent relatives as 'deemed wages' for Social Security, crediting up to 60 months based on 50% of the national average wage index.
Introduced April 27, 2026 by Christopher Murphy · Last progress April 27, 2026
Creates a Social Security “caregiver credit” that treats months spent providing unpaid care to certain dependent relatives as "deemed wages" for Social Security benefit calculations starting for months after December 2026. Caregivers who meet hour, relationship, and dependency tests can receive credit for up to the most recent 60 qualifying months, boosting their future retirement, disability, or survivor benefits without reducing existing benefits. The bill defines qualifying months (at least 80 unpaid care hours per month), who counts as a dependent relative and a chronically dependent individual (dependence in at least two activities of daily living or instrumental activities), and how monthly deemed wages are calculated (a monthly amount equal to 50% of the national average wage index for a given year, applied in certain ways when actual wages exist). It requires applications, physician documentation for non-child dependents, regular recertification, and SSA regulations within one year of enactment; it does not appropriate new funds in the text provided.