You Earned It, You Keep It Act
Sponsored By: Representative Craig
Introduced
Summary
Exempting Social Security benefits from federal income tax would be the bill's central change. It would also rewrite payroll tax wage-base rules and add a new benefit component for earnings above $250,000.
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- Retirees and current beneficiaries would stop paying federal income tax on Social Security benefits for taxable years after enactment. The bill would appropriate funds to make up any reduction in transfers to Social Security and Railroad Retirement trust funds and would protect SSI, Medicaid, and CHIP eligibility and benefits.
- Workers and employers would face new payroll tax wage-base rules when the contribution and benefit base is below $250,000. The bill includes a special rule so wages earned from multiple employers are taxed as if from a single employer.
- High earners and the self-employed would have earnings above $250,000 counted differently for Social Security benefits and receive a new 2% benefit credit on excess average indexed monthly earnings. Self-employment tax rules would be recast and capped to align with the new wage thresholds.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
6 provisions identified: 5 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
Extra Social Security credit for high earners
If enacted, people who first qualify for Social Security after 2025 could get extra benefits for earnings above the higher of $250,000 or the wage base. A new “excess AIME” amount would be added to the formula. The bill would add 2% of that excess amount to the primary benefit, plus 1% in a related step. This could raise future monthly checks for very high earners.
End taxes on Social Security checks
If enacted, Social Security benefits would no longer be counted as taxable income for federal tax. This would apply to tax years that begin after the bill becomes law. Many retirees and people with disabilities would likely owe less income tax.
Cap Social Security tax for self-employed
If enacted, the bill would change how much of your self‑employment earnings are taxed for Social Security. Your counted income would be limited to: up to the annual Social Security wage base (reduced by any W‑2 wages), plus total compensation above the greater of $250,000 or your W‑2 wages. Net earnings under $400 would still not count. These limits would apply in years when the Social Security wage base is below $250,000, and special rules would address certain nonresident and church‑employee cases.
Keep Social Security and Medicare funded
If enacted, the Treasury would send yearly payments to Social Security, Medicare’s Hospital Insurance Trust Fund, and Railroad Retirement funds. The payment each year would match the lost transfers caused by ending the tax on benefits. This would keep those trust funds whole.
Medicaid, CHIP, SSI protected from Social Security
If enacted, when agencies check income for SSI, Medicaid, or CHIP, they would treat your Social Security benefit as no higher than it would have been under prior law. This would help keep people eligible and keep benefit amounts from dropping because of Social Security rule changes.
New payroll tax rules for workers
If enacted, in years when the Social Security wage base is under $250,000, some pay from an employer after it hits that base would not face Social Security payroll tax. But this exclusion would not apply to your pay after you earn $250,000 in that year. If you have more than one employer, you could owe an extra end‑of‑year tax to match what would be due if one employer paid all wages; refunds and credits would be limited. Certain unwithheld employment taxes would count in estimated‑tax rules, which could change your quarterly payments and penalties. Similar rules would apply to the Tier I part of railroad retirement taxes.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Craig
MN • D
Cosponsors
Khanna
CA • D
Sponsored 4/14/2025
Pettersen
CO • D
Sponsored 4/14/2025
Casten
IL • D
Sponsored 4/14/2025
Riley (NY)
NY • D
Sponsored 4/14/2025
McGovern
MA • D
Sponsored 4/21/2025
McDonald Rivet
MI • D
Sponsored 5/7/2025
Salinas
OR • D
Sponsored 6/9/2025
Sorensen
IL • D
Sponsored 6/10/2025
Krishnamoorthi
IL • D
Sponsored 9/16/2025
Magaziner
RI • D
Sponsored 10/8/2025
Landsman
OH • D
Sponsored 4/30/2025
Escobar
TX • D
Sponsored 10/24/2025
Latimer
NY • D
Sponsored 3/20/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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