Proposed Provision: 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.