New Bill Would Allow Some Americans to Opt Back Into Social Security

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Newsweek

Dec 23, 2025 at 03:53 PM EST


A recently proposed law would allow some Americans to opt back into Social Security after originally declining to take part in the social safety net program. Clergy members routinely choose not to take part in Social Security or Medicare programs and have historically been unable to undo this decision even years later. However, a new bill seeks to change this.

Why It Matters

More than 70 million Americans receive Social Security benefits monthly, and this often is a key source of income to help keep them afloat during retirement or as they face disability. Clergy members being able to opt back into the program could provide massive benefits to the group, but could also have ramifications for the impending funding gap the SSA will hit as early as the start of the 2030s.

What To Know

The Clergy Act, originally introduced in January of this year, would establish a two-year window for certain members of the clergy and Christian Science practitioners to revoke their exemption from Social Security and Medicare taxes on ministerial earnings.

Under the current law, those who object to participation in public insurance programs on religious grounds can apply to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for an irrevocable exemption and will not receive Social Security or Medicare benefits in retirement unless they have qualifying credits from other employment.

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/new-bill-would-allow-some-americans-to-opt-back-into-social-security-11263006

[Deminpenn]

1. Only if they pay in the total amount of FICA taxes they otherwise

didn't pay in, first.

[mdbl]

2. Very true

It did say they will have to have the qualifying credits which I hope means they have already paid into the system. Otherwise, their credits should start the day they sign back up again.

[rpannier]

3. I found this information about Catholic Priests and Nuns interesting

Per the IRS, they're covered under SECA (self-employed), and not FICA (all clergy are covered by SECA -- per IRS and CFR -- Clergy Financial Resources)
No clergy have to pay into SECA if they get an IRS exemption. Which is probably the group they are talking about in this article.
But, (per IRS) they are not covered under SECA as well.
The most nuns can received from Social Security is 277.75/mth (because of vow of poverty. source CRG Christian Faith Guide). This is because of their vow of poverty -- Not sure how that works. I'm guessing it is about how much they put in through SECA because they make little money themselves, especially if you're in one of those vow of silence abbeys.
Teaching order nuns and Nursing Order nuns make more money and so they pay more into SECA. I guess that means they may make more in social security
Priests are harder to gauge. They, like the nuns (and all Catholic clergy) pay into SECA, unless they get the exemption from the IRS, so they are eligible for Social Security. I'm guessing that if you are a priest that belongs to a 'vow of poverty' religious order, you get 277.75 a month.
If not, they probably qualify for more. Being a cardinal, the amount of money they get is probably fairly decent-to-quite grand; I don't know what a cardinal makes, but I'm guessing it's more $1000 a month.
I could not find any place that said that Catholic clergy take the SECA exemption, so I guess they are expected to pay into it.

If this law is for members of the clergy who took no exemption, and paid into it, but never applied for the social security money they paid into, then it doesn't seem unfair to give them the money they're entitled to under SECA.
If it's the freeloaders, who got the exemption and never paid into it -- too bad for them. Personal responsibility and all that.

The group I worry about, and if it covered them, I'd have no issue with any changes, are those classified as 'Religious Worker.'
They are not paying into SECA "if your employer elected to exclude you." (IRS).
I am curious why their employer gets to elect to exclude them? Why aren't they allowed to make this decision? And, is this explained in detail to them, so they don't get blindsided later in life?