What is the Social Security 2100 Act?

House Democrats' flagship Social Security bill (H.R. 9519), reintroduced by Rep. John Larson in June 2026. It would raise all benefits via a formula boost, use the higher of CPI-W or CPI-E for COLAs, create a minimum benefit at 125% of poverty, add caregiver credits, and cut taxes on benefits — funded by applying the payroll tax to income above $400,000.

How much would benefits go up under the 2100 Act?

Modestly and broadly: the benefit formula’s first factor would rise from 90% to 93% for 2027–2036, lifting every check, and COLAs could run higher by using the senior-focused CPI-E when it exceeds the standard measure. Low lifetime earners would gain the most, from a new minimum benefit of about $1,663 a month (at 2026 poverty guidelines) for those with 30 qualifying years.

Who would pay more under the 2100 Act?

People with income above $400,000 a year. Earnings between the current taxable cap ($184,500 in 2026) and $400,000 would stay untaxed — a donut hole — while wages and certain investment income above $400,000 would face the 12.4% tax.

Would the 2100 Act make Social Security solvent?

Largely, per available scoring: SSA's Chief Actuary estimated the 2023 version would eliminate nearly 90% of the 75-year deficit, and The Senior Citizens League estimates the current version would extend solvency by roughly three decades. An updated official score of the 2026 version has not yet been released.

What are the chances the 2100 Act becomes law?

Low in the current Congress — its tax increases face majority opposition, and no vote is scheduled. Its practical role is to define the Democratic negotiating position in the larger solvency debate ahead of the projected 2032 shortfall.

The Social Security 2100 Act: What It Would Change

House Democrats' flagship bill (H.R. 9519) would boost every check, tie COLAs to seniors' actual costs, create a $1,663 minimum benefit, and cut taxes on benefits — funded by taxing income above $400,000. It's a bill with long odds, not a coming raise. Here's what's actually in it.

The Social Security 2100 Act — House Democrats' flagship reform bill, reintroduced in June 2026 as H.R. 9519 — would modestly raise every benefit check, switch COLAs to a senior-focused inflation measure, and cut taxes on benefits for middle-income retirees, paid for by taxing income above $400,000. Rep. John Larson (D-CT) has championed versions of this bill for years, and Democratic colleagues are now promoting it as their answer to the 2032 trust-fund shortfall. It is a bill, not law — no floor vote is scheduled — but it's the most detailed benefits-expansion package in Congress. Here's what's in it.

What it would do for benefits (2027–2036)

Most of the bill's improvements run for a ten-year window:

An across-the-board boost — the benefit formula's first factor rises from 90% to 93%, nudging up every new and existing benefit.
A more generous COLA — each year's adjustment would use whichever is higher: the current CPI-W or the CPI-E, an index built on the spending patterns of Americans 62 and older (which weights health care and housing more heavily).
A real minimum benefit — workers with at least 30 qualifying years would get a floor of 125% of the federal poverty line, roughly $1,663 a month at 2026 guidelines. That directly targets the long-standing problem of career-long low earners retiring into poverty.
Caregiver credits — people who spend years out of the workforce providing at least 960 hours a year of unpaid care could apply to have earnings credited toward their benefit for up to five years, so caregiving stops hollowing out an earnings record.
Lower taxes on benefits — the income thresholds where benefits become taxable would rise to $35,000 (single) / $50,000 (joint), up from the $25,000/$32,000 levels frozen since the 1980s–90s (how benefit taxation works today).

Who would pay

The revenue side mirrors other Democratic proposals: the 12.4% payroll tax would apply to income above $400,000 (today it stops at $184,500), creating a "donut hole" in between, plus a parallel tax on high earners' net investment income. If that structure sounds familiar, it's the same family of ideas as Sen. Sanders' Social Security Expansion Act — the difference is mostly degree: Sanders' bill starts at $250,000 and adds a flat $200 monthly boost; the 2100 Act starts at $400,000 with a percentage-based boost and more targeted fixes (minimum benefit, caregiver credits, tax relief).

Would it actually fix the shortfall?

Mostly, by its sponsors' accounting — with caveats. SSA's Chief Actuary scored an earlier (2023) version as eliminating nearly 90% of the 75-year deficit; an updated official score of the 2026 version hasn't been released. The Senior Citizens League estimates the new version would keep the program solvent for roughly three more decades. Like every expansion bill, it faces the political reality that the current majority opposes large tax increases — which is why the near-term action in Congress remains the process-bill fight rather than any policy package.

Where it sits on the spectrum

Congress now has named proposals at every point of the debate: benefit expansion funded by high earners (this bill and Sanders'), benefit trims at the top (the $100,000 cap concept), investment-based ideas (the stock-market fund), and process bills that pick no policy at all. The eventual fix — whenever it comes — will likely borrow from more than one of these.

What it means for you

Nothing changes today: no vote is scheduled, and none of these increases exist yet. If a version eventually passed, the practical effects would be a slightly larger check, a COLA that tracks seniors' costs more closely, and — for middle-income retirees — less tax on benefits. For now, your benefits run under current law: check your numbers at different claiming ages with our free benefits calculator, and keep this year's real figures handy with our cheat sheet.

This article is general educational information, not financial or political advice. Provisions are from H.R. 9519 (119th Congress) as introduced June 29, 2026; the ~90% solvency figure is SSA's Office of the Chief Actuary scoring of the 2023 version, and updated official estimates are pending. SocialSecurityNews.com is independent and not affiliated with the SSA or any lawmaker, party, or advocacy organization.