WASHINGTON — Because of religious principles, a young clergyman or woman wants to follow an age-old tradition of not relying on public insurance as they age. So they take the very common step of opting out of Social Security and Medicare.

Once they do that, they can’t reverse the decision. But as they grow older, they come to realize they may need the system’s benefits.

Congress is trying to help.

Legislation with strong bipartisan support would allow certain clergy to opt back in during 2029 and 2030.

Doing so is a way of “empowering them to take greater control of their financial future,” said Rep. Vince Fong, R-Bakersfield, one of the bill’s chief sponsors, along with Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena.

Fong said he found local pastors needing help.

“A lot of pastors decades ago often got inaccurate advice. They opted out of Social Security,” the congressman said. “Years later as they’re planning retirement they realized that they did not have financial security that they would have had if they were participating.”

In and out of Social Security

Congress has allowed opt-in periods three times in the last 48 years, most recently in 1999.

The form that clergy use to opt out of Social Security and Medicare requires them to certify that they are “conscientiously opposed to,” or because of religious principles are opposed to ... “any public insurance that makes payments in the event of death, disability, old age, or retirement; or that makes payments toward the cost of, or provides services for, medical care.”

Clergy who opt out do not pay Social Security and Medicare taxes. If they opt in, they would have to meet the usual 10-year contribution requirement to get full retired worker benefits.

The Internal Revenue Service and Social Security Administration would have to give Congress a plan showing how they would inform clergy about their eligibility.

Chris Wells, executive director of the Church Alliance, which advocates for employee benefits for clergy and their families, said specific numbers as to how many clergy would opt back into Social Security are “nearly impossible to find.”

A 2023 analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that based on the 1999 experience with opting in, about 4,000 people would choose the retirement programs.

Bipartisan support

The Fong-Thompson bill was approved by the House Ways and Means Committee, often the scene of bitter partisan fights over tax policy, by a 40 to 0 vote. The House is expected to consider the bill when it returns in January.

Wells saw the support resulting from broader themes that didn’t involve politics.

Such legislation “asks us a question about what kind of world we want to build. Do we want to build a world where we have clergy in these roles, with retirement benefits so they can stay in these jobs?”

Allowing them to get Social Security and Medicare helps keep them in their jobs. While people can start receiving reduced Social Security benefits at 62, knowing that benefits would be available can give clergy comfort at any age, Wells said. Generally, people 65 and older can be eligible for Medicare.

“Any step we can take to help them in these jobs is not only going to benefit clergy but all Americans who need the lights to stay on” at religious institutions across the country, Wells said.

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