Republican lawmakers in both the House and Senate have reintroduced legislation to support President Donald Trump’s pledge of stopping seniors from being taxed on Social Security benefits.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., announced Thursday he has reintroduced H.R.1040, the Senior Citizens Tax Elimination Act. This bill, which Massie previously introduced in May 2023, eliminates the tax on Social Security benefits created from previously taxed funds.
Sens. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., and Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., announced they’ve introduced similar legislation in the Senate.
The Senior Citizens Tax Elimination Act will amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to terminate the inclusion of Tier I railroad retirement benefits and Social Security benefits in an individual’s gross income. As the legislation takes effect, seniors will notice their tax liability is significantly reduced and will no longer deal with the “double tax” on their federally earned benefits.
“Although seniors have already paid tax on their Social Security contributions via the payroll tax, they are still required to list these benefits as taxable income on their tax returns,” Massie said in a release on his website.
“This is simply a way for Congress to obtain more revenue for the federal government at the expense of seniors who have already paid into Social Security. My bill would exempt Social Security retirement benefits from taxation and boost the retirement income of millions of older Americans.”
Tuberville said his bill is aimed to help seniors who “work the majority of their adult lives so that they can spend their retirement comfortably.”
“In a day and age where the cost of living has skyrocketed, our seniors should not experience a second tax on their Social Security when they’ve already paid income tax on their paychecks,” Tuberville said in a release on his website.
“As Alabama’s voice on the Senate Aging Committee, I’ll continue to fight for our seniors to enjoy their hard-earned Social Security benefits.”
Andy Mangione, senior vice president of the Association of Mature American Citizens Action, said he supports the legislation.
“Every year, millions of seniors become eligible for either Social Security or Tier I railroad retirement benefits. After working for decades, paying taxes on their hard-earned income to fund these federal programs, some seniors are forced to pay income tax on the benefits they receive from the federal government,” Mangione said.
“Taxing benefits which were created from already taxed funds is nonsensical and curtails retirement benefits seniors have been promised. Seniors deserve to reap the full benefits of their hard work from career-long contributions to Social Security and the Railroad Retirement Plan.”
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