A proposed change to Social Security could add $200 to the monthly benefits of eligible recipients, or $2,400 over a full year. The proposal comes from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and is part of the Social Security Expansion Act, introduced in February 2025.
The proposal has sometimes been described as the “Bernie Bump,” but the $200 increase would not be a new Social Security check or a replacement for the annual cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA.
Instead, it would represent an additional amount added to monthly benefits if Congress passed the legislation and it became law.
For retirees, people receiving Social Security Disability Insurance and families receiving survivor benefits, the distinction matters. The proposed increase would be a change to federal law, while the annual COLA is designed to adjust benefits based on inflation.
$200 Boost
The headline provision is straightforward. The proposal would increase Social Security benefits by $200 per month for eligible beneficiaries.
That works out to $2,400 over 12 months.
The figure does not mean beneficiaries would receive a separate $2,400 payment. Instead, if the legislation became law as proposed, the additional amount would be incorporated into monthly Social Security payments.
The increase would also be separate from the regular annual COLA. A beneficiary’s payment could therefore include the proposed additional $200 and any applicable COLA adjustment.
However, the proposal is not current law. Social Security beneficiaries should continue to calculate their payments using the rules that are actually in effect.
COLA Difference
The proposed $200 increase and the annual Social Security COLA serve different purposes.
The COLA is intended to help benefits keep pace with changes in consumer prices. It is calculated under a formula established by federal law and is adjusted annually.
The proposed $200 increase would work differently. It would require Congress to change federal law and would establish an additional benefit increase rather than simply applying the existing inflation formula.
That distinction is important because there is no separate $2,400 Social Security payment associated with the proposal.
For example, $200 multiplied by 12 months equals $2,400. The annual figure is simply a way of showing the value of the proposed monthly increase over a full year.
CPI-E Proposal
The legislation also proposes changing the inflation measure used to calculate future Social Security COLAs.
Social Security currently uses the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, commonly called CPI-W, for its annual COLA calculation.
Sanders’ proposal would instead use the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly, or CPI-E.
The difference is based partly on spending patterns. Older households can devote a larger share of their budgets to categories such as healthcare and prescription medicines. The CPI-E gives greater weight to certain expenses associated with older consumers.
Changing the index would not guarantee that Social Security recipients receive a larger COLA every year. Different inflation measures can produce different results depending on how prices change across categories.
Over time, however, using a different index could affect the pace at which Social Security benefits increase.
The Social Security Administration provides information about how the current COLA system works.
Tax Changes
The proposal also includes a revenue component. It would subject earnings above $250,000 to Social Security payroll taxes.
Under current rules, Social Security’s payroll tax applies only up to an annual taxable maximum. The limit is adjusted periodically.
The proposal is designed to generate additional revenue by requiring higher earners to contribute Social Security taxes on a larger share of their income.
According to Sanders’ office, 91% of households earning $250,000 or less would not face a tax increase under the proposal.
The tax provision is important because the proposed benefit increase would come as Social Security faces a long-term financing challenge.
Trust Funds
Social Security’s financial outlook is a major part of the debate surrounding any benefit expansion.
The latest annual report from the Social Security and Medicare trustees projects that the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance trust fund could be depleted in 2032. The combined Social Security trust funds, which include the retirement and disability programs, are projected to remain able to pay scheduled benefits until 2034.
Trust fund depletion would not mean Social Security checks automatically stop.
Payroll taxes and other program income would continue to come into the system. The issue would be that incoming revenue would not be sufficient to cover all benefits scheduled under current law.
The trustees project that, after combined trust fund reserves are depleted, continuing income would cover about 81% of scheduled benefits under the report’s intermediate assumptions.
The official projections are available in the 2025 Social Security Trustees Report.
Payment Date
There is currently no official payment date for the proposed $200 increase.
That is because the Social Security Expansion Act would need to pass Congress and be signed into law before its provisions could take effect.
Until that happens, Social Security beneficiaries remain subject to existing benefit rules and the regular COLA process.
The Social Security Administration continues to publish official information about benefit calculations and annual adjustments.
If lawmakers approve a version of the proposal in the future, the effective date and eligibility rules would depend on the final legislation. Congress could also amend the proposal before passage.
What It Means
The proposed $2,400 annual increase is therefore better understood as a proposed $200 monthly addition rather than a one-time payment.
It would be separate from the annual COLA and would be accompanied by other changes, including a proposed shift to CPI-E for future inflation adjustments and higher Social Security taxes on earnings above $250,000.
Those provisions are connected to the broader question of how Social Security can provide adequate benefits while remaining financially sustainable.
For now, there is no approved $200 monthly increase and no scheduled date for beneficiaries to begin receiving it. The proposal would need to become law before the additional payments could be made.
