Social Security 2100 Act 2027: Representative John Larson reintroduced the Social Security 2100 Act in the House on June 29, 2026, as H.R. 9519, followed by Senator Richard Blumenthal’s Senate companion bill, S. 5042, on July 21, 2026. The legislation proposes one of the most talked-about Social Security changes in years: calculating future cost-of-living adjustments using whichever inflation measure produces the bigger increase, the standard CPI-W or a senior-specific index called CPI-E, starting with the COLA that would take effect in January 2027.
The timing matters because it lands right as the 2027 COLA forecast is already being closely watched, with independent estimates from The Senior Citizens League and analyst Mary Johnson currently projecting an increase in the 3.7 to 3.8 percent range, well above the 2.8 percent COLA that applied in 2026. But there is an important distinction beneficiaries need to understand right away: this bill has not passed, it is not law, and it does not change your current 2026 benefit or the upcoming 2027 COLA announcement in any way unless Congress actually approves it. This article breaks down exactly what the Social Security 2100 Act proposes, how the CPI-E provision would work if enacted, and where the bill actually stands in Congress right now. We’ll be updating this article monthly as the bill moves, or fails to move, through committee.
What Is the Social Security 2100 Act 2027 Cola?
The Social Security 2100 Act is not a new idea. Representative Larson has introduced versions of this legislation more than half a dozen times since 2017, and none have become law. The current version, H.R. 9519, was formally introduced in the House on June 29, 2026, and referred to the Committee on Ways and Means along with the Committees on Education and Workforce and Energy and Commerce. As of its introduction, GovTrack listed the bill with no cosponsors, though cosponsor counts typically grow in the weeks after introduction as more members sign on.
According to Larson, the goal of the bill is to protect Social Security benefits from future cuts while making higher earners contribute more to the program’s finances. The legislation directly responds to warnings in the 2026 Trustees Report, which projects that the retirement and survivor trust fund could run out of reserves in the fourth quarter of 2032, at which point incoming payroll tax revenue would only cover about 78 percent of scheduled benefits unless Congress intervenes.
The CPI-E COLA Provision: How It Would Change Your Increase
The centerpiece of the bill for most current beneficiaries is Section 102, which would change how the annual cost-of-living adjustment is calculated. Under current law, the Social Security Administration compares the average Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, or CPI-W, across the third quarter of the current year against the third quarter of the prior COLA year. H.R. 9519 would instead require the government to use whichever produces a larger increase: the existing CPI-W, or the Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers, known as CPI-E, which reflects the spending patterns of Americans aged 62 and older.
This is a temporary provision rather than a permanent one. According to the published bill text, the CPI-E comparison would apply to COLA computation quarters ending in calendar years 2027 through 2036, after which the current CPI-W-only formula would resume unless Congress extended it. The bill also directs the Bureau of Labor Statistics to begin publishing an official monthly CPI-E measure; until that official index exists, the legislation would rely on the agency’s existing experimental CPI-E research series.
It is worth noting that CPI-E and CPI-W have not historically diverged by a large margin. A recent analysis comparing the first six months of 2026 found the two measures differed by half a percentage point or less in any given month, meaning the practical dollar impact on any single year’s COLA would likely be modest rather than dramatic, even though the provision could still meaningfully add up over the proposed ten-year window.
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Across-the-Board Benefit Increase
Beyond the COLA formula change, the bill includes a separate, direct increase to how benefits themselves are calculated. Section 101 would raise the first percentage used in the Social Security benefit formula from 90 percent to 93 percent, producing a modest across-the-board increase for both current and new beneficiaries from 2027 through 2036. The Senior Citizens League has described this provision as roughly equivalent to a 2 percent benefit increase for most recipients, layered on top of whatever the annual COLA turns out to be.
A Higher Minimum Benefit for Long-Term Low Earners
Section 103 would raise Social Security’s minimum benefit for workers with a long career history of low earnings, setting the new floor at 125 percent of the federal poverty line. Using the 2026 poverty guideline, that works out to roughly $1,663 per month for a single individual, a meaningful increase for career low-wage workers who currently receive a minimum benefit well below that level despite decades of contributing to the system.
Caregiver Credits for Unpaid Family Caregivers
One of the newer additions to this version of the bill addresses a gap that has affected unpaid family caregivers for years. Under the proposal, someone who leaves the workforce, or reduces their hours, to provide at least 960 hours of care annually, roughly 18.5 hours per week, to a family member could receive deemed wage credits toward their own future Social Security benefit for up to five qualifying years. This is designed to prevent caregivers, disproportionately women, from seeing permanently reduced retirement benefits simply because they stepped away from paid work to care for a child, spouse, or aging parent.
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Improved Survivor and Child Benefits
The bill also proposes an improved formula for surviving spouses in two-income households, which could allow some survivors to receive up to 75 percent of the couple’s combined benefits, an increase from current survivor benefit calculations in many cases. Child benefits would also expand under the bill, including improved support for children living with relatives rather than a parent, and an extension of benefits for dependent students in postsecondary education up to age 26, up from the current cutoff.
Reducing Taxes on Social Security Benefits for Many Recipients
Section 104 would raise the income thresholds that determine how much of a beneficiary’s Social Security income is subject to federal taxation. These thresholds have not been adjusted for inflation since they were first set decades ago, meaning a growing share of middle-income beneficiaries have been pulled into paying taxes on their benefits over time simply due to normal wage growth. Raising these thresholds would reduce or eliminate federal taxes on benefits for a meaningful number of recipients, though it stops short of a full repeal of benefit taxation.
How the Bill Would Pay for These Changes
To fund these increases and extend the program’s solvency, the bill would apply the Social Security payroll tax to wages and self-employment income above $400,000 annually, a bracket of earnings that currently falls outside payroll tax collection once a worker’s income exceeds the annual taxable maximum. According to The Senior Citizens League’s analysis, this expanded payroll tax on high earners could extend the trust fund’s solvency by roughly an additional 32 years beyond current projections, directly addressing the 2032 depletion date identified in the most recent Trustees Report.
Key Provisions of the Social Security 2100 Act at a Glance
| Provision | What It Would Do | Proposed Timeframe |
|---|---|---|
| CPI-E COLA calculation | Uses CPI-E or CPI-W, whichever is higher, for the annual COLA | 2027 through 2036 |
| Across-the-board benefit increase | Raises first benefit formula percentage from 90% to 93% | 2027 through 2036 |
| Higher minimum benefit | Sets minimum benefit at 125% of the federal poverty line | Upon enactment |
| Caregiver credits | Deemed earnings for unpaid caregivers providing 960+ hours per year | Up to 5 qualifying years |
| Improved survivor benefits | Up to 75% of a couple’s combined benefit in certain cases | Upon enactment |
| Extended student benefits | Extends dependent student benefits to age 26 | Upon enactment |
| Higher benefit taxation thresholds | Reduces the number of beneficiaries taxed on their benefits | Upon enactment |
| Payroll tax on high earners | Applies Social Security payroll tax to wages above $400,000 | Upon enactment |
Where the Bill Currently Stands in Congress
As of early August 2026, H.R. 9519 remains in committee and has not received a floor vote in the House. Its Senate companion, S. 5042, was introduced more recently, on July 21, 2026, and is similarly early in the legislative process. GovTrack’s own predictive model currently gives the bill essentially no realistic chance of passage in this form, consistent with the outcome of every previous version Larson has introduced since 2017, none of which have become law. This does not mean individual provisions could never be adopted through a different vehicle, such as a broader bipartisan Social Security solvency package, but as written, H.R. 9519 faces the same steep legislative odds that have stopped its predecessors.
Does This Affect Your 2026 Benefits or the 2027 COLA Announcement?
No. The Social Security 2100 Act has not been signed into law, and current benefit amounts, the 2026 COLA of 2.8 percent, and the standard CPI-W methodology used to calculate the 2027 COLA remain unchanged and unaffected by this bill. The official 2027 COLA will still be calculated and announced by the Social Security Administration using existing law, expected in mid-October 2026 based on July, August, and September inflation data. Any claims suggesting a new, larger COLA has already been approved because of this bill are inaccurate, since a bill still needs to clear committee, pass the House, pass the Senate in identical form, and be signed by the president before any of its provisions could take effect.
What Beneficiaries Should Actually Do Right Now
Since none of this bill’s provisions are in effect, beneficiaries should continue planning around the actual, confirmed 2026 COLA and their current benefit amount rather than a hypothetical future increase. The most reliable way to track your own benefit details is through your personal My Social Security account, which shows your current monthly amount, earnings record, and any official updates the Social Security Administration issues. For tracking the bill itself, the official congress.gov page for H.R. 9519 shows real-time status, cosponsor counts, and committee activity, which is a more reliable source than social media posts or unofficial summaries.
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Official Resources and Verification Links
| Resource | Purpose | Link |
|---|---|---|
| H.R. 9519 official bill page | Track real-time status, text, and cosponsors | congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/9519 |
| S. 5042 official bill page | Track the Senate companion bill | congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5042 |
| My Social Security account login | Check your current benefit amount and COLA updates | ssa.gov/myaccount |
| Social Security Administration COLA information | Official confirmed COLA announcements | ssa.gov/cola |
| SSA Trustees Report | Official trust fund solvency projections | ssa.gov/oact/tr |
| GovTrack bill tracker | Independent legislative status and passage odds | govtrack.us |
FAQs
Has the Social Security 2100 Act become law?
No. As of early August 2026, H.R. 9519 remains in committee in the House, and its Senate companion, S. 5042, was only introduced on July 21, 2026. It would need to pass both chambers in identical form and be signed by the president to take effect.
How would the Social Security 2100 Act change my COLA?
If enacted, starting with the COLA calculated for 2027, the Social Security Administration would use whichever produces a larger increase between the current CPI-W measure and a new CPI-E measure based on the spending patterns of Americans 62 and older, through 2036.
Will this bill increase my 2027 Social Security payment?
Only if it passes Congress and is signed into law before the 2027 COLA is calculated in October 2026. As of now, the 2027 COLA will be determined using the existing CPI-W-only formula under current law.
What is CPI-E and how is it different from CPI-W?
CPI-E, the Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers, measures price changes based on spending patterns typical of people aged 62 and older, including higher weighting for healthcare costs. CPI-W measures spending patterns of urban wage earners and clerical workers generally, which is the index currently used for Social Security COLA calculations.
Who would pay for the benefit increases in this bill?
The bill proposes applying the Social Security payroll tax to wages and self-employment income above $400,000 per year, a bracket that currently sits above the taxable maximum and is not subject to Social Security payroll taxes.
Has a version of this bill ever passed before?
No. Representative Larson has introduced similar versions of the Social Security 2100 Act repeatedly since 2017, and none have passed both chambers of Congress or been signed into law.
What are the chances the Social Security 2100 Act passes this time?
Independent legislative trackers currently give the bill very low odds of passage in its current form, consistent with the outcome of every prior version. That said, individual elements of the bill could still influence future bipartisan Social Security solvency negotiations even if the full bill does not advance.
Conclusion
The Social Security 2100 Act, reintroduced as H.R. 9519 in June 2026 with a Senate companion following in July, proposes real and specific changes that could meaningfully affect future COLAs, minimum benefits, caregiver credits, and survivor benefits if it becomes law, funded largely by extending payroll taxes to earnings above $400,000. But the honest, current answer for anyone asking whether this will boost their 2027 check is that nothing has changed yet, the bill faces long odds based on the fate of its many predecessors, and the 2027 COLA will still be calculated under existing rules unless Congress acts before October 2026. The most useful thing beneficiaries can do right now is track the bill’s actual progress through official channels like congress.gov, rather than planning finances around a benefit increase that has not been approved.
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