This bill would add a new Social Security provision that gives unpaid family caregivers "deemed wages" for up to five years (60 months) of caregiving. A "qualifying month" is any month the caregiver spends at least 80 hours providing unpaid care to a defined dependent relative, except months after the caregiver reaches Social Security retirement age. Deemed wages for each qualifying month are generally set at 50 percent of the national average wage index for the second calendar year before the month. If the caregiver had some actual wages in a qualifying month, the deemed amount is the difference between that 50 percent figure and half of the actual wages for the month. If a person has more than 60 qualifying months, only the last 60 count. The rule does not apply if ignoring it would produce a larger benefit. The change applies to benefits for months after December 2026 and to lump-sum death payments for deaths after such months. The bill requires the Social Security Commissioner to write regulations within one year to carry out the program and to prevent fraud. Caregivers must apply and provide identifying information about the dependent relative; for dependent relatives who are not children under 12, a physician’s documentation is required. Help paid under 38 U.S.C. 1720G for eligible veterans is explicitly not treated as monetary compensation that would disqualify a qualifying month.
No publicly available information.
The bill’s findings say caregiving is essential and that giving caregiver credits would improve the economic prospects and retirement security of unpaid caregivers. The sponsors frame the change as correcting an unfair exclusion of some home care providers who currently do not get Social Security credits.
No publicly available information.