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119-hr-8273119th CongressWALLET

Catching Up Family Caregivers Act of 2026

Sponsored By: Representative Pettersen, Brittany [D-CO-7]

Introduced

Summary

Creates a new IRA catch-up contribution for people who provide unpaid family care and treats those caregivers the same as adults age 50 for catch-up limits. This bill would let qualifying family caregivers make extra retirement contributions when they meet specified caregiving and work-hour tests.

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  • Families and caregivers: People who provide 500 or more hours of unpaid family care in a year, and who work fewer than 500 hours of paid employment that same year, could qualify for an extra IRA catch-up contribution. Care tasks counted include bathing, dressing, meal prep, medication management, transportation, and household chores.
  • Retirement savers: A qualified family caregiver would be treated like someone who has reached age 50 for purposes of catch-up and deductible IRA contribution rules, allowing the same additional contribution opportunity.
  • Plans and administration: Employer plans may rely on a caregiver's written self-certification to confirm eligibility.

This rule would apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2026.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.

Extra retirement catch-ups for caregivers

If enacted, you would be able to make extra retirement catch-up contributions if you are a "qualified family caregiver." You would qualify if you did 500 or more hours of unpaid caregiving in one year and worked fewer than 500 paid hours that same year. Employer plans would treat you like someone aged 60–63 for the higher plan catch-up amount, and IRAs would treat you the same as someone aged 50 for the IRA catch-up deduction. The rule would start for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2026, and plans could rely on your written statement that you met the caregiver rules.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Pettersen, Brittany [D-CO-7]

CO • D

Cosponsors

  • Rep. Salazar, Maria Elvira [R-FL-27]

    FL • R

    Sponsored 4/14/2026

  • Rep. Neguse, Joe [D-CO-2]

    CO • D

    Sponsored 6/24/2026

  • Rep. Davids, Sharice [D-KS-3]

    KS • D

    Sponsored 6/25/2026

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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