Church groups cheer bill to let clergy join Social Security

Members of the clergy would have a chance to join Social Security under a bill passed by the Senate this week. The bill, which is headed to President Trump’s desk for signing, creates a two-year window for clergy members to opt in to Social Security and Medicare benefits. Currently, clergy members can opt out of those programs to avoid associated taxes on ministerial earnings. Their decision to re-enroll is irrevocable. If signed into law, the window for re-enrollment would begin in 2029.

The Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, or ERLC, on Thursday said its members were thrilled that the Senate passed the Clergy Act this week. The ERLC said it had advocated for the change for months. The legislation would assist ministers and their families as they planned for retirement, the commission said. Southern Baptist financial organization GuideStone also lobbied for the bill alongside a wider coalition of Baptist organizations, according to The Baptist Press.

The Church Alliance, a group representing benefits organizations from 35 denominations and faiths, also cheered the bill’s passage after advocating for it last month. Walter Kim, President of the National Association of Evangelicals, has also been quoted in support of the legislation, saying it would “strengthen Social Security now while providing basic protection for faith leaders when they eventually retire.”

The bill directs the Internal Revenue Service to inform affected clergy members of their eligibility to opt in. The new opt-in window applies to any ordained, licensed, or commissioned ministers of churches. Members of religious orders and practitioners of the Christian Science sect are also eligible. The Congressional Budget Office estimated the bill could result in an additional $84 million in revenue for the United States by 2036.

Dig deeper: Read Daisy Sachoff’s report on a Senate bill aiming to keep ministry students from losing federal funding.