Workers apply roofing material to a home under construction at the Lilac Ridge community by Lennar Homes in Vacaville, California, US, on Tuesday, July 14, 2026. <\/p>\n
David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., on Wednesday introduced a new bill that would lower Social Security<\/a>‘s full retirement age for workers in physically demanding jobs.<\/p>\n The bill, called the Blue Collar Social Security Fairness Act<\/a>, would make it so eligible individuals would be able to claim full Social Security retirement benefits starting at age 60. <\/p>\n Currently, the earliest Social Security retirement age is 62, though beneficiaries receive reduced monthly checks for starting that soon. By waiting until full retirement age<\/a> \u2014 that’s 67 for individuals born in 1960 or later \u2014 they may receive 100% of the benefits they’ve earned. For each year an individual delays beyond full retirement age up to age 70, they stand to get an 8% benefit boost.<\/p>\n Yet for blue-collar workers, staying longer in physically demanding jobs in order to reach those age milestones may be difficult, according to Stevens’ proposal.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Representative Haley Stevens, a Democrat from Michigan and US Senate candidate, arrives to speak during a primary election night watch party in Detroit, Michigan, US, early on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026. <\/p>\n Emily Elconin | Bloomberg | Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n “Michiganders who work with their hands shouldn’t be forced to wait until their bodies give out to retire,” Stevens said in a statement.\u00a0“If we want to honor the dignity of work in this country, we need to lower the retirement age for physical laborers.”<\/p>\n The lower eligibility age would apply to workers in jobs like construction, roofing, nursing and manufacturing. <\/strong>Under the terms of the bill, the Social Security Administration would be tasked with coming up with a full list of qualifying physically demanding occupations, which would be updated every three years.<\/p>\n The Bureau of Labor Statistics defines<\/a> physically demanding jobs as those that require certain levels and durations of physical exertion, such as climbing, heavy lifting, pushing, pulling, standing or walking. The agency has reported<\/a> that 39.1% of the civilian workforce work in physically demanding jobs.<\/p>\n Under the terms of the bill, workers would not need to work their entire careers in physically demanding jobs to earn credit towards early claiming. A weighted points system would give beneficiaries credit for the years they worked in qualifying jobs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Individuals in physically demanding jobs would earn 0.5 points for each year worked from the ages of 18 to 34; one point for each year worked from the ages of 35 to 44; 1.5 points for years worked from the ages of 45 to 54; and two points for years worked above the age of 55 until an individual passes away. <\/p>\n To qualify for early retirement benefits at age 60, workers would need to have earned a total of 15 points or have 20 total years of physically demanding work throughout their careers.<\/p>\n The proposal comes as Social Security faces imminent depletion dates<\/a> for the trust funds it relies on to help pay benefits. To prevent across-the-board benefit cuts, lawmakers may opt to shore up the program by increasing taxes, cutting benefits or a combination of both. Advocates have called for targeted benefit increases for vulnerable beneficiaries, particularly low-income Americans.<\/p>\n Individuals who have physically demanding jobs are at risk of exiting the workforce earlier than planned, which can interfere with their ability to have a secure retirement, according to 2022 research<\/a> from the Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis at The New School. <\/p>\n![\"More](\"https:\/\/image.cnbcfm.com\/api\/v1\/image\/108338191-17846712411784671238-47308092925-1080pnbcnews.jpg?v=1784671240&w=750&h=422&vtcrop=y\")