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HR 1601 117th Congress House

Pandemic Relief for Working Seniors Act of 2021

Official title: To increase the exempt amount applicable for the retirement earnings test for months in 2020 and 2021, and for other purposes.

Introduced: April 14, 2021 See on congress.gov
Social Welfare Social security and elderly assistanceWages and earnings
This bill died when the 117th Congress ended
It never became law before the 117th Congress (2021–2022) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Mar 3, 2021
Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Mar 3, 2021
Introduced in House
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 Latest action March 3, 2021

Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Pandemic Relief for Working Seniors Act of 2021

This bill increases the amount of income that individuals who are younger than full retirement age may earn in taxable years 2020 and 2021 without reductions to their Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) benefits.

Under current law, these individuals are subject to the retirement earnings test, which reduces their OASDI benefits if their earnings exceed an annual limit. This limit is set at $18,240 for 2020 and $18,960 for 2021 for most individuals. However, the limit for individuals who reach full retirement age in 2020 or 2021 is $48,600 or $50,520, respectively.

This bill increases the applicable income limits to equal the amount of the contribution and benefit base. The contribution and benefit base serves as a cap on both the amount of earnings subject to the Social Security payroll tax and the amount of earnings used to calculate benefits. It is set at $137,700 for 2020 and $142,800 for 2021.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 1601: Pandemic Relief for Working Seniors Act of 2021. 117th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/117-HR-1601/
MLA
"H.R. 1601: Pandemic Relief for Working Seniors Act of 2021." 117th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/117-HR-1601/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 1601, 117th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/117-HR-1601/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 1601: Pandemic Relief for Working Seniors Act of 2021](https://openamerica.io/bill/117-HR-1601/)
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