Provisions Affecting Level of Monthly Benefits

These provisions modify the formula used for calculating the basic Social Security monthly benefit called the Primary Insurance Amount (PIA). We provide a summary list of all options (printer-friendly PDF version) in this category. For each provision listed below, we provide an estimate of the financial effect on the OASDI program over the long-range period (the next 75 years) and for the 75th year. In addition, we provide graphs and detailed single year tables. We base all estimates on the intermediate assumptions described in the 2026 Trustees Report.

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We group these provisions as follows:
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B1.1 Price indexing of PIA factors beginning with those newly eligible for OASDI benefits in 2033: Reduce factors so that initial benefits grow by inflation rather than by the SSA average wage index.
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B1.2 Progressive price indexing (30th percentile) of PIA factors beginning with individuals newly eligible for OASDI benefits in 2033: Create a new bend point at the 30th percentile of the AIME distribution of newly retired workers. Maintain current-law benefits for earners at the 30th percentile and below. Reduce the 32 and 15 percent factors above the 30th percentile such that the initial benefit for a worker with AIME equal to the taxable maximum grows by inflation rather than the growth in the SSA average wage index.
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B1.3 Progressive price indexing (40th percentile) of PIA factors beginning with individuals newly eligible for OASDI benefits in 2033: Create a new bend point at the 40th percentile of the AIME distribution of newly retired workers. Maintain current-law benefits for earners at the 40th percentile and below. Reduce the 32 and 15 percent factors above the 40th percentile such that the initial benefit for a worker with AIME equal to the taxable maximum grows by inflation rather than the growth in the SSA average wage index.
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B1.4 Progressive price indexing (50th percentile) of PIA factors beginning with individuals newly eligible for OASDI benefits in 2033: Create a new bend point at the 50th percentile of the AIME distribution of newly retired workers. Maintain current-law benefits for earners at the 50th percentile and below. Reduce the 32 and 15 percent factors above the 50th percentile such that the initial benefit for a worker with AIME equal to the taxable maximum grows by inflation rather than the growth in the SSA average wage index.
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B1.5 Progressive price indexing (60th percentile) of PIA factors beginning with individuals newly eligible for OASDI benefits in 2033: Create a new bend point at the 60th percentile of the AIME distribution of newly retired workers. Maintain current-law benefits for earners at the 60th percentile and below. Reduce the 32 and 15 percent factors above the 60th percentile such that the initial benefit for a worker with AIME equal to the taxable maximum grows by inflation rather than the growth in the SSA average wage index.
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Memorandum containing this or a similar provision:
B2.1 Beginning with those newly eligible for OASI benefits in 2036, multiply the PIA factors by the ratio of life expectancy at 67 for 2031 to the life expectancy at age 67 for the 4th year prior to the year of benefit eligibility. Unisex life expectancies, based on period life tables as computed by SSA's Actuarial Services, are used to determine the ratio. Disabled workers are: (a) not affected prior to normal retirement age; and (b) subject to a proportional reduction in benefits, based on the worker's years of disability, upon conversion to retired-worker beneficiary status.
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B3.8 Beginning with those newly eligible for OASDI benefits in 2033, create a new bend point at the 50th percentile of the AIME distribution of newly retired workers and gradually reduce all PIA factors except for the 90 percent factor. By 2066: a) the 32 percent PIA factor below the new bend point reduces to 30 percent; b) the 32 percent PIA factor above the new bend point reduces to 10 percent; and c) the 15 percent PIA factor reduces to 5 percent.
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B3.9 Beginning with those newly eligible for OASDI benefits in 2039, gradually reduce the 15 percent PIA factor in each year so that it reaches 10 percent for those newly eligible in 2068 and later.
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B3.10 Beginning with those newly eligible for OASDI benefits in 2033, gradually increase the first PIA bend point in each year so that it is 15 percent higher for those newly eligible in 2047 and later.
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B3.11 Increase the first PIA factor from 90 percent to 93 percent for all beneficiaries eligible as of January 2028 and for those newly eligible for benefits after 2027.
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B3.12 Use an annualized "mini-PIA" formula beginning with retired workers newly eligible in 2033. For each indexed earnings year, compute an individual AIME and an individual PIA. Sum these individual PIAs for the 40 highest years of indexed earnings and divide that total amount by 37 to get the PIA for this provision. Phase-in over five years, meaning that in 2033, 80 percent of the benefit would be based on the old 35-year average PIA formula and 20 percent on the new mini-PIA formula, shifting by 20 percentage points each year until 100 percent is based on the new mini-PIA formula for those attaining age 62 in 2037. Disabled worker benefits are unchanged under this provision.
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B3.13 For retired worker beneficiaries newly eligible in 2033 (excluding disabled workers), add a new bend point at the wage-indexed equivalent of the 50th percentile of the AIME distribution minus $100 (for 2015 eligibility) and change the PIA factors to 95/32/15/5. Also move the current-law first bend point from the wage-indexed equivalent of $1,286 in 2026 to $1,634 in 2026. Phase this provision in over 10 years (2033-2042). The phase-in would work on a weighted-average basis: 90% of CL formula + 10% of proposal formula for 2033, 80% of CL formula + 20% of proposal formula for 2034, and so on.
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B3.14 Beginning with those newly eligible for OASDI benefits in 2028, reduce the 15 percent PIA factor by 2 percentage points per year so that it reaches 5 percent for those newly eligible in 2032 and later.
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B3.15 Increase the 90 percent PIA formula factor to 91 percent for beneficiaries newly eligible in 2031, 92 percent for those newly eligible in 2032, ..., reaching 95 percent for those newly eligible in 2035 and later.
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B3.16 For retired worker and disabled worker beneficiaries becoming initially eligible in January 2033 or later, phase in a new benefit formula (from 2033 to 2042). Replace the existing two primary insurance amount (PIA) bend points with three new bend points as follows: (1) 25% AWI/12 from 2 years prior to initial eligibility; (2) 100% AWI/12 from 2 years prior to initial eligibility; and (3) 125% AWI/12 from 2 years prior to initial eligibility. The new PIA factors are 95%, 27.5%, 5% and 2%. During the phase in, those becoming newly eligible for benefits will receive an increasing portion of their benefits based on the new formula, reaching 100% of the new formula in 2042.
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B3.17 Increase the current-law first bend point by 22 percent and increase the 90 percent PIA factor to 95 percent for all beneficiaries eligible for benefits as of January 2027 and for those newly eligible for benefits after 2026. This provision will result in an approximate $250 increase in PIA for most workers newly eligible for retirement or disability benefits in 2027.
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B4.1 Increase the number of years used to calculate benefits for retirees and survivors (but not for disabled workers) from 35 to 38, phased in over the years 2027-2031.
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B4.2 Increase the number of years used to calculate benefits for retirees and survivors (but not for disabled workers) from 35 to 40, phased in over the years 2027-2035.
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B4.3 For the OASI and DI computation of the PIA, gradually reduce the maximum number of drop-out years from 5 to 0, phased in over the years 2028-2036.
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B4.4 Reduce the number of computation years (increase dropout years) for parents having a child in care under the age of 6. The parent must have no earnings (covered or non-covered) for the year to be eligible for the credit. Only one parent can claim the childcare added dropout year for a given earnings year. Each parent can earn at most 2 dropout years per child, and a maximum of 5 dropout years in total. The years designated as childcare years do not have to be the years that could otherwise be included in the computation of the average indexed monthly earnings (AIME). The provision would be effective for all benefits payable for entitlement in January 2028 and later (without regard for when the beneficiary became initially eligible).
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B4.5 For retired and disabled workers, reduce the maximum number of dropout years to 4 for workers newly eligible in 2028, to 3 for workers newly eligible in 2029, and to 2 for workers newly eligible in 2030 and later.
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B5.2 Beginning for those newly eligible in 2027, reconfigure the special minimum benefit: (a) A year of coverage is defined as a year in which 4 quarters of coverage are earned. (b) At implementation, set the PIA for 30 years of coverage equal to 125 percent of the monthly poverty level (about $1,630 in 2025). For those with under 30 years of coverage, the PIA per year of coverage over 10 years is $1,630/20 = $81.51. (c) Index the initial PIA per year of coverage by wage growth for successive cohorts.
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B5.4 Beginning for those newly eligible in 2033, reconfigure the special minimum benefit: (a) A year of coverage is defined as a year in which 4 quarters of coverage are earned. (b) At implementation, set the PIA for 30 years of coverage equal to 125 percent of the monthly poverty level (about $1,630 in 2025). For those with under 30 years of coverage, the PIA per year of coverage over 10 years is $1,630/20 = $81.51. (c) From 2024 to the year of implementation, 2033, index the PIA per year of coverage using the chain-CPI index. Then, for later years, index the PIA per year of coverage by wage growth for successive cohorts. (d) Scale work requirements for disabled workers, based on the number of years of non-disabled potential work.
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B5.8 Beginning in 2031, create a Basic Minimum Benefit (BMB) within Social Security (i.e., the cost of the BMB would be charged as a cost to the OASI Trust Fund), with the following specifications: (1) Eligibility for the BMB would be limited to OASI beneficiaries who have attained normal retirement age (NRA) or above. OASI beneficiaries under NRA would not be eligible for the BMB. (2) The BMB would be calculated on a household basis and split equally between members of the household. In the case of a married couple, both spouses would need to claim any Social Security benefits for which they are eligible before they could receive the BMB. If both spouses have claimed and one is NRA or above and the other has not yet attained NRA, only the half of the BMB for the spouse over NRA would be payable. (3) The BMB amount for single beneficiaries would be equal to either: 1) the BMB base ($604 in 2015) - 0.70 * current monthly OASI benefit (not including any BMB), if positive; or 2) zero. (4) The BMB amount for married beneficiaries would be equal to either: 1) the BMB base ($906 in 2015) - 0.70 * total household monthly OASI benefits (not including any BMB), if positive; or 2) zero. (5) The BMB bases for singles and couples would be updated annually for changes in the average wage index (AWI). (6) Single filers with Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) over $30,000 and joint filers with AGI (including taxable SS benefits) over $45,000 would be subject to clawback of the BMB through the income tax system. Any BMB would be reduced by one dollar for every dollar of income above the thresholds. (Thresholds, in 2015 dollars, would be indexed to chained CPI-U.) Clawbacks would be credited back to the OASI Trust Fund.
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B5.11 Beginning for those newly eligible in 2027, reconfigure the special minimum benefit: (a) The number of years of work (YOWs) is determined as total quarters of coverage divided by 4, ignoring any fraction. Childcare years are granted to parents who have a child under 6, with a limit of 5 such years. (b) For beneficiaries becoming newly eligible in 2027, set the initial special minimum benefit for 30+ YOWs equal to 100 percent of the monthly HHS poverty level for 2026. For beneficiaries becoming newly eligible after 2027, the initial special minimum benefit is indexed by the AWI. For workers between 11 and 29 YOWs, reduce the special minimum by 3 1/3 percentage points per YOW so that at 29 YOWs the minimum would be 96 2/3% of poverty, ..., down to 11 YOWs at 36 2/3% of poverty. No minimum for 10 or fewer YOWs.
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B6.1 Provide a 5 percent increase to the monthly benefit amount (MBA) of any beneficiary who is 85 or older at the beginning of 2027 or who reaches their 85th birthday after the beginning of 2027.
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B6.2 Provide the same dollar amount increase to the monthly benefit amount (MBA) of any beneficiary who is 85 or older at the beginning of 2027 or who reaches their 85th birthday after the beginning of 2027. The dollar amount of increase equals 5 percent of the average retired-worker MBA in the prior year.
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B6.3 Provide an increase in the benefit level of any beneficiary who is 85 or older at the beginning of 2028 or who reaches their 85th birthday after the beginning of 2028. Increase the beneficiary's PIA based on an amount equal to the average retired-worker PIA at the end of 2027, or at the end of the year age 80 if later. Increase the beneficiary's PIA by 5 percent of this amount for those older than 85 at the beginning of 2028 and by 5 percent of this amount at age 85 for others, phased in at 1 percent per year for ages 81-85.
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B6.4 Starting in 2027, provide a 5 percent uniform benefit increase 24 years after initial benefit eligibility. Phase in the benefit increase at 1 percent per year from the 20th through 24th years after eligibility. For disabled workers, the eligibility age is the initial entitlement year to the benefit. The benefit increase is equal to 5 percent of the PIA of a worker assumed to have career-average earnings equal to SSA's average wage index. Auxiliary beneficiaries receive benefit enhancement based on the PIA of the governing worker.
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B6.5 Starting in 2029, provide a 5 percent uniform PIA increase 20 years after benefit eligibility. Phase in the PIA increase at 1 percent per year from the 16th through 20th years after eligibility. The full PIA increase is equal to 5 percent of the PIA of a worker assumed to have career-average earnings equal to the SSA average wage index. Auxiliary beneficiaries receive benefit enhancement based on the PIA of the governing worker.
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B6.8 Starting in 2028, provide an additional monthly benefit equal to 1/12th of 2 percent of the AWI for the second prior year. This additional benefit would be available to those meeting any of the following four requirements: (a) Social Security beneficiaries who have attained age 82; (b) Social Security beneficiaries who have attained NRA and have both AIME at or below the first PIA bend point ($1,286 for 2026 initial eligibility) and at least 11 "years of coverage" as used for the former Windfall Elimination Provision purposes (earnings above $34,275 for 2026); (c) Individuals who have received Social Security benefits and/or SSI payments for at least 240 distinct months after attaining age 19; or (d) SSI recipients who have attained the Social Security NRA. This additional benefit would be paid out of the applicable Social Security OASI or DI Trust Fund for any month in which the individual is in receipt of a Social Security benefit; it would be paid out of the General Fund of the Treasury for any month in which the individual is in receipt of an SSI monthly payment but not a Social Security monthly benefit.
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B7.2 Reduce benefits by 5 percent for those newly eligible for benefits in 2027 and later.
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B7.3 Give credit to parents with a child under 6 for earnings for up to five years. The earnings credited for a childcare year equal one half of the SSA average wage index (about $37,623 in 2026). The credits are available for all past years to newly eligible retired-worker and disabled-worker beneficiaries starting in 2027. The 5 years are chosen to yield the largest increase in AIME.
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B7.5 Increase benefits by 5 percent for all beneficiaries as of the beginning of 2027 and for those newly eligible for benefits after the beginning of 2027.
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B7.7 Reduce individual Social Security benefits if modified adjusted gross income, or MAGI (AGI less taxable Social Security benefits plus nontaxable interest income) is above $60,000 for single taxpayers or $120,000 for taxpayers filing jointly. This provision is effective for individuals newly eligible for benefits in 2031 or later. The percentage reduction increases linearly up to 50 percent for single/joint filers with MAGI of $180,000/$360,000 or above. Index the MAGI thresholds for years after 2031, based on changes in the SSA average wage index.
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B7.9 Beginning for newly eligible retired workers and spouses in 2033, all claimants who are married would receive a specified joint-and-survivor annuity benefit (i.e., surviving spouses would receive 75 percent of the decedents' benefits, in addition to their own) that would be payable if both were still alive. Initial benefits would be actuarially adjusted to keep the expected value of benefits equivalent to what would otherwise be current law.
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B7.11 Beginning in January 2029, eliminate the retirement earnings test for all beneficiaries under normal retirement age, including retired workers, aged spouses, aged widow(er)s, young spouses with a child in care, young surviving spouses with a child in care, and children.
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B7.12 Provide an option to split the 8-percent delayed retirement credit (DRC) to offer a lump sum benefit at initial entitlement equal to 2 percent of the 8 percent DRC earned, and a 6 percent DRC on subsequent monthly benefits, effective for workers newly entitled to retired worker benefits in 2029 and later. Widows are held harmless from the lump-sum decision.
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B7.13 Eliminate the DI 5-month waiting period for disabled workers and disabled surviving spouses, and eliminate the 24-month Medicare (HI) waiting period for individuals who have become entitled to Social Security disability benefits. Effective with 2027 applications.
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