A New Social Security Bill Would Let Some Workers Retire at 60 With Full Benefits

Waiting until 67 to collect your full Social Security retirement benefit can be difficult if your job involves years of lifting, standing, climbing, or other physical work.

A new bill from Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., would let some Americans in physically demanding careers collect their full Social Security retirement benefits starting at age 60. The proposal could be especially relevant if retirement savings are stretched thin, but one key requirement would determine who actually qualifies.

Some workers could get full Social Security at 60

Under current Social Security rules, people born in 1960 or later reach their full retirement age at 67. You can generally start collecting retirement benefits at 62, but claiming that early can permanently reduce your monthly benefit by as much as 30%.

Stevens' Blue Collar Social Security Fairness Act would create an exception for workers who spend enough of their careers in physically demanding jobs. Those who qualify could begin collecting their full retirement benefit at 60 rather than waiting until 67.

"Michiganders who work with their hands shouldn't be forced to wait until their bodies give out to retire," Stevens said when announcing the legislation. "If we want to honor the dignity of work in this country, we need to lower the retirement age for physical laborers."

The proposal mentions construction, roofing, nursing, and manufacturing as examples of physically demanding occupations.

You'd need enough years in a physically demanding job

Working in one of those fields for a few years wouldn't necessarily be enough to qualify. The bill creates two paths. A worker would need either at least 20 years in physically demanding jobs or 15 points based on the age at which they performed that work.

Qualifying work between ages 18 and 34 would earn 0.5 points per year. Work between 35 and 44 would earn one point, while ages 45 to 54 would earn 1.5 points. Each qualifying year at 55 or older would be worth two points.

You would generally need to spend at least eight months of the year in a qualifying occupation for that year to count. The system also gives greater weight to physical work performed later in life, when years of demanding work may become harder to sustain.

Social Security would decide which jobs qualify

Your job title alone wouldn't necessarily determine whether you could claim full benefits at 60. The bill directs the Social Security Administration to create a list of physically demanding occupations and update it every three years.

Under the bill, an occupation would qualify if it places substantial physical demands on workers that could reasonably be expected to make performing that job, or other physically demanding work, more difficult at an advanced age.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics measures physical job demands using factors such as how much workers have to lift, carry, push, pull, stand, walk, climb, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. Those kinds of demands could help inform which occupations SSA ultimately considers physically demanding under the bill. Being in a broad industry associated with physical work wouldn't automatically guarantee eligibility.

What full benefits at 60 could mean financially

The financial impact could be significant for someone who otherwise planned to claim Social Security early. Under current rules, someone born in 1960 or later who starts collecting at 62 receives 70% of the benefit they would receive by waiting until their full retirement age of 67.

Say your full benefit at 67 would be $2,000 a month. Claiming at 62 under current rules could reduce it to about $1,400 a month, a difference of roughly $600.

The proposal could give eligible workers another option: leaving a physically demanding career earlier without accepting the permanent reduction that normally comes with claiming Social Security before full retirement age.

Social Security faces a funding shortfall

Notably, expanding benefits would come as Social Security is already facing financial pressure. The 2026 Social Security Trustees Report projects that the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund will be able to pay full scheduled benefits until the fourth quarter of 2032. After that, continuing income would cover about 78% of scheduled benefits if Congress doesn't make changes.

The Blue Collar Social Security Fairness Act doesn't address that broader funding shortfall. Lawmakers would therefore still have to confront Social Security's finances separately even if they decided some physically demanding workers should receive full benefits earlier.

Your retirement age isn't changing yet

The Blue Collar Social Security Fairness Act is only a proposal. Stevens introduced H.R. 10608 in the House on September 24, and it was referred to the House Ways and Means Committee. It would have to pass Congress and be signed into law before anyone could claim benefits under the proposed rules.

Until then, existing Social Security retirement ages still apply. People born in 1960 or later generally reach full retirement age at 67 and can begin claiming reduced retirement benefits at 62.

So if you're approaching retirement, don't build your financial plan around receiving full Social Security at 60 just yet.

Bottom line

The Blue Collar Social Security Fairness Act could let some Americans who have spent much of their careers doing physically demanding work collect their full Social Security benefit at 60 instead of waiting until 67.

You'd need 20 qualifying years or 15 points under the bill's weighted system, and Social Security would determine which occupations count. The proposal could change your retirement plan if it becomes law, but today's claiming rules remain in place, so you should not assume you can claim full benefits at 60 unless the proposal becomes law.

You May Also Like

23 Ways To Get Money Without Getting A Second Job

By FinanceBuzz Editors

How To Save Money on Car Insurance: 12 Ways to Lower Rates

By Elyssa Kirkham

10 Things Seniors Born Between 1941-1969 Could Take Advantage Of

By FinanceBuzz Editors

19 Dumbest Things Smart People Waste Money On

By Team FBZ

7 Moves If You Want to Stop Living Paycheck to Paycheck

By FinanceBuzz Editors

7 Clever Ways to Crush Your Debt

By FinanceBuzz Editors

Save Money and Get Huge Discounts on Everyday Purchases

AARP Benefits

• Huge discounts on travel, groceries, prescriptions and more
• Access to financial planning resources and health tools
• Join AARP and get 25% off with automatic renewal

Become a member now!

---

Subscribe Today

Unlock the Best Banking Deals and Bonuses

From high-yield savings accounts to cashback checking and sign-up bonuses, we bring you the best banking offers to grow your money smarter.

or

SEE TOP BANKING OFFERS →

By submitting this form you agree to receive emails from FinanceBuzz and to the privacy policy and terms