A bipartisan pair of senators recently introduced ECFA-supported legislation beneficial to pastors reconsidering previous choices affecting their retirement years. Sens. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) hope the Clergy Act will allow faith leaders a chance “to better their financial futures” by allowing them a window of opportunity to re-enter the Social Security system. 

Notably, many new pastors make a generally irreversible choice to apply for an exemption from the Social Security system. However, as they advance in their careers and look ahead to retirement, some come to wish they hadn’t.  

Applauding the bill’s introduction, Michael Martin, President & CEO of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA), said, “For pastors who may have mistakenly opted out of Social Security coverage early in their ministries, the Clergy Act’s reasonable window to fix that choice is a breath of fresh air.” 

“I am grateful to Senators Britt and Hassan for taking the lead on this important legislation, and I look forward to its continued bipartisan advance in both the Senate and the House,” he added. 

The Clergy Act would allow pastors a temporary window to revoke their exemption and re-enter the Social Security system beginning in 2026. It also requires the IRS to craft a plan delineating how it will notify clergy members of their eligibility for this opportunity.  

Appreciating ministers’ “years of dedicated service to their congregations and communities,” Sen. Britt called the legislation a “commonsense measure.” Hassan, too, welcomed the bill, declaring that “just as members of the clergy have supported our communities time and again, we must also support members of the clergy as they near retirement.” Their joint statement highlighted that, like other workers, clergy opting back in would need to pay into Social Security for the equivalent of 10 years (40 quarters) before being eligible to receive benefits. 

Significantly, the House Ways & Means Committee advanced the Clergy Act with a unanimous 41-0 vote last fall, and ECFA will continue to advocate for its final approval by Congress. 

For more background on social security considerations for pastors, see ECFA’s eBook – 10 Essentials of Social Security for Ministers.