Washington, D.C. — Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D. (NC-03), introduced the Senior Citizens’ Freedom to Work Act. This legislation repeals the retirement earnings test (RET), which reduces benefits for Social Security beneficiaries who claim early retirement but choose to continue working and make above a certain threshold.

"American seniors' ability to earn income and enjoy the dignity of work should not be penalized by arbitrary parameters to receive Social Security benefits,” said Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D. "Current law unnecessarily complicates seniors' right to access the benefits they paid into for the entirety of their careers and must be done away with."

"While certain guardrails are in place to ensure the viability of Social Security and incentivize participation in the workforce, the Retirement Earnings Test does neither and is a bureaucratic hurdle that does more harm than good."

“Senior citizens should be free to work without fear of their retirement benefits being penalized,” said Congressman Tom Tiffany (WI-07). “This commonsense legislation ensures seniors who want to work before reaching retirement age can do so without having their hard-earned retirement benefits cut.”

“After a lifetime of contributions, seniors have earned the right to their Social Security retirement benefits. The government has no business withholding benefits from seniors and discriminating against those who choose to work beyond a certain age,” said Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger (TN-01). “I’m proud to join Rep. Greg Murphy in introducing the Senior Citizens’ Freedom to Work Act, which will keep seniors’ retirement benefits whole if they choose to continue working. This important legislation will simplify retirement planning, boost needed workforce participation among older Americans, and improve the livelihoods of seniors throughout the country.”

Additional Cosponsors:

Rep. Beth Van Duyne (TX-24), Rep. Claudia Tenney (NY-24)

Background

The Retirement Earnings Test (RET) reduces Social Security benefits early retirees are eligible to receive by nearly fifty percent for earning more than $21,240 annually. Although the reduction in benefits is returned to seniors upon reaching Full Retirement Age (FRA), many seniors are unaware of this and choose to earn below the income threshold.