Bill would let some demanding-job workers qualify for Social Security at 60

A fully insured covered worker who has reached age 60 could qualify for old-age Social Security benefits. The bill’s point rules cover workers in occupations that the Social Security Commissioner determines are physically demanding. The worker must meet the bill’s point rules: at least 20 base points or 15 adjusted points. Points count only for calendar years in which the worker did physically demanding work for at least eight months. The amendments would apply to benefits paid for months after 2026.

The Social Security Commissioner would publish a list of qualifying occupations and update it every three years. The list determines which occupations count as physically demanding for the bill’s worker point rules. The Commissioner would consult the Labor and Health and Human Services secretaries. An occupation qualifies if its substantial physical demands could reasonably be expected to reduce a worker’s ability to do that or other demanding work at an advanced age. Once an occupation is listed for a calendar year, the Commissioner could not reverse that decision for that year. The first list would be due within one year after enactment; updates would follow every three years.

Early-retirement benefit reductions would not apply to covered workers, and a monthly earnings amount would apply to them for a limited period. These rules apply to people who meet the bill’s covered-worker point rules. The monthly earnings amount would be $833.33⅓. The bill preserves an existing exception referenced in the earnings rule. The amendments would apply to benefits paid for months after 2026. The earnings amount applies for taxable years ending after 2026 and before 2028.