I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 6234 
To establish a baby bonus program. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 20, 2025 
Ms. TLAIB (for herself, Ms. NORTON, Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania, Mrs. MCIVER, 
Ms. OMAR, Mr. THANEDAR, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Ms. PRESSLEY, 
and Mr. KENNEDY of New York) introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on Ways and Means 
A BILL 
To establish a baby bonus program. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Baby Bonus Act’’. 
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE OFFICE OF BABY ASSIST-
ANCE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—There is established within the 
Social Security Administration an office to be known as 
the Office of Baby Assistance. The Office shall be headed 
by a Deputy Commissioner appointed by the Commis-
sioner of Social Security. 
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(b) 
RESPONSIBILITIES
OF
DEPUTY
COMMIS-
SIONER.—The Commissioner, acting through the Deputy 
Commissioner, shall— 
(1) hire such personnel as are necessary for the 
Office of Baby Assistance and make employment de-
cisions with regard to such personnel; 
(2) have the authority to enter into contracts or 
cooperative agreements with other agencies and de-
partments as are necessary to ensure the efficiency 
of the program; 
(3) make baby bonus payments to eligible par-
ents pursuant to section 3; 
(4) review applications for baby bonus pay-
ments; 
(5) establish and maintain a system of records 
relating to the administration of this Act; 
(6) prevent fraud and abuse relating to baby 
bonus payments; 
(7) provide information to the public in relation 
to baby bonus payments, including eligibility require-
ments, the application process, payment amounts, 
and limitations on payments; 
(8) tailor culturally and linguistically competent 
education and outreach toward increasing utilization 
rates of baby bonus payments; 
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(9) issue an annual report to Congress detailing 
the effect of baby bonus payments, including— 
(A) the number of individuals receiving 
payments; 
(B) the total amount of funds disbursed; 
(C) demographic data of individuals receiv-
ing payments; and 
(D) such other information as the Deputy 
Commissioner determines is necessary; and 
(10) issue such regulations as are necessary to 
carry out this Act. 
(c) AVAILABILITY
OF DATA.—The Commissioner 
shall make available to the Deputy Commissioner such 
data as the Commissioner determines necessary to enable 
the Deputy Commissioner to effectively carry out the re-
sponsibilities described in subsection (b). 
SEC. 3. BABY BONUS PAYMENTS. 
(a) BABY BONUS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Beginning January 1st, 
2026, and subject to paragraph (2), the Commis-
sioner shall pay, in relation to each qualifying child, 
a baby bonus to one or more eligible parents of such 
child in accordance with this section. In the case of 
multiple qualifying children from a single pregnancy, 
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a separate payment shall be made for each quali-
fying child. 
(2) APPLICATION REQUIRED.—In order to re-
ceive a payment under this section, an eligible par-
ent (or an authorized representative described in 
subsection (c)(5)) of a qualifying child shall submit 
an application in accordance with subsection (c). 
Such application shall be submitted not later than 1 
year after— 
(A) the birth of the qualifying child in re-
lation to which such application is submitted; or 
(B) in the case of the death of a fetus or 
qualifying child as described in subsection (e), 
the date of such death. 
(3) AMOUNT.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The amount of a baby 
bonus shall be— 
(i) for calendar year 2026, $2,000; 
and 
(ii) for any calendar year after such 
year— 
(I) the amount in clause (i), mul-
tiplied by 
(II) the cost-of-living adjustment 
determined under section 1(f)(3) of 
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the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 
for the calendar year in which the tax-
able year begins, determined by sub-
stituting ‘‘2026’’ for ‘‘2016’’ in sub-
paragraph (A)(ii) thereof. 
(B) ROUNDING.—If any amount deter-
mined under subparagraph (A) is not a multiple 
of $1, such increase shall be rounded to the 
next lower multiple of $1. 
(b) PAYMENT.— 
(1) DATE
OF
PAYMENT.—Payment shall be 
made— 
(A) if no objection is made as described in 
paragraph (3)(A), during the 6-business day pe-
riod immediately following the 21-day period 
beginning on the date on which notice is pro-
vided pursuant to such paragraph; 
(B) if such an objection is raised, during 
the 6-business day period following the date on 
which the Commissioner determines which eligi-
ble parent is entitled to such money; or 
(C) if the Commissioner determines pursu-
ant to paragraph (3)(A) that notice is not nec-
essary, during the 10-business day period be-
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ginning on the date on which the application is 
approved under subsection (c)(1). 
(2) ADVANCED PAYMENT.—An eligible parent 
who has an approved application under subsection 
(c)(2) is eligible to receive a baby bonus up to 60 
days before the expected due date. 
(3) CONSIDERATION OF CUSTODY.— 
(A) NOTICE
REQUIREMENT.—The Com-
missioner shall provide notice to all known eligi-
ble parents when an application for child pay-
ments is approved under subsection (c)(1) pro-
viding 21 days for any objections before pay-
ment is made. Notwithstanding the prior sen-
tence, the Commissioner may elect not to pro-
vide such notice if the Commissioner determines 
that the applicant has produced clear evidence 
that providing such notice will not result in an 
individual other than the eligible parent receiv-
ing the baby bonus payment. 
(B) CHILD
PAYMENTS.—Where multiple 
eligible parents submit applications for the 
same qualifying child, payment shall be made to 
the eligible parent who— 
(i) has primary or sole physical cus-
tody, as evidenced by a court order; 
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(ii) the child primarily resides with, in 
the absence of such a court order; or 
(iii) if neither clause (i) or (ii) can be 
determined, the first approved applicant. 
(C) JOINT
CUSTODY
EXCEPTION.—Not-
withstanding subparagraph (B), where parents 
have a court order establishing equal shared 
physical custody, either parent may request 
that the payment be divided equally. The Com-
missioner shall so divide the payment unless the 
other parent declines, in writing, their share of 
the payment within 21 days of notification. 
(D) DISPUTE
RESOLUTION.—In cases in 
which a dispute exists as to which eligible par-
ent should receive the payment pursuant to 
subparagraph (B) and there is no applicable 
court order, the Commissioner may require sub-
mission of such additional documentation as the 
Commissioner determines appropriate before 
making payment. 
(E) CHANGED CIRCUMSTANCES.—Notwith-
standing subsection (a)(1), the Commissioner 
may transfer payment to a different eligible 
parent (or if payment has already been made, 
may issue payment to a different eligible parent 
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and attempt to recover the original payment in 
accordance with subsection (e)) upon receiving 
documentation showing that— 
(i) during the 1-year period beginning 
on the date on which the child is born— 
(I) custody arrangements were 
modified by court order subsequent to 
the initial application; or 
(II) the original recipient died or 
became legally incapacitated; 
(ii) the original application contained 
fraudulent information; and 
(iii) in the case of payment made to a 
prospective adoptive parent described in 
section 4(4)(C)(ii)(II), the adoption is not 
completed within 60 days of the birth of 
the qualifying child. 
(c) APPLICATION.— 
(1) APPROVAL
PROCESS.—Not later than 14 
days after the receipt of an application, the Commis-
sioner shall verify that the applicant meets the re-
quirements established under this section. The appli-
cation of any applicant so verified shall be consid-
ered approved. 
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(2) APPLICATION.—Subject to paragraph (3), 
an eligible parent (or an authorized representative 
described in paragraph (5)) applying for a baby 
bonus payment shall provide the Commissioner with 
an application in such form and manner as the Com-
missioner may require. The application shall in-
clude— 
(A) the name and social security account 
number or taxpayer identification number of 
the eligible parent; 
(B)(i) if the eligible parent is applying be-
fore birth of the child, verification of gestational 
age obtained under paragraph (4); or 
(ii) if the eligible parent is applying 
after the birth of the child, documentation 
determined appropriate by the Commis-
sioner to prove the age and identity of the 
child; 
(C) a written statement from the gesta-
tional parent stating, under penalty of perjury 
pursuant to section 1746 of title 28, United 
States Code— 
(i) whether such person is the biologi-
cal parent of such fetus; and 
(ii) whether such person— 
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(I) intends to retain custody of 
and parental rights to such child once 
born; 
(II) is acting as a gestational 
surrogate pursuant to a written 
surrogacy agreement and consents to 
the intended parent receiving the baby 
bonus payment; or 
(III) has entered into a pre-birth 
adoption agreement and consents to 
the prospective adoptive parent receiv-
ing the baby bonus payment; 
(D) the contact information of any other 
eligible parent known to the applicant; and 
(E) such other information as the Commis-
sioner determines necessary. 
(3) SIMULTANEOUS APPLICATION.—If an eligi-
ble parent has not received a baby bonus and does 
not have an application under paragraph (2), the 
Commissioner shall treat an application for a social 
security account number for a qualifying child as an 
application for a baby bonus payment under this 
section unless the eligible parent affirmatively indi-
cates on such social security account number appli-
cation an intent to opt out of receiving a baby 
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bonus. The Commissioner may require, as a condi-
tion of receiving a payment under subsection (a), 
that the eligible parent submit information required 
under paragraph (2) in addition to the application 
for a social security account number. 
(4) VERIFICATION OF GESTATIONAL AGE.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Upon the request of a 
gestational parent, a physician may make a de-
termination with respect to the gestational age 
and expected due date of the fetus. Any deter-
mination made under this paragraph shall be 
based on the reasonable medical judgment of 
the physician following such inquiries, examina-
tions, and tests as a reasonably prudent physi-
cian would deem necessary for purposes of mak-
ing such determination. 
(B) FORM.—If the physician has made a 
determination pursuant to subparagraph (A) 
that the gestational age of the fetus is 20 weeks 
or greater and the expected due date is on or 
after January 1st, 2026, such physician shall, 
upon the request of the gestational parent, pro-
vide the gestational parent with a form which 
includes the following: 
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(i) The gestational age and the ex-
pected due date of the fetus. 
(ii) The name and social security ac-
count number or taxpayer identification 
number of the gestational parent. 
(iii) If the application is being sub-
mitted by a spouse or domestic partner of 
a gestational parent, the name and social 
security account number or taxpayer iden-
tification number of such spouse or domes-
tic partner. 
(iv) The name and contact informa-
tion of the physician. 
(v) A written documentation from 
such physician stating, under penalty of 
perjury pursuant to section 1746 of title 
28, United States Code, that— 
(I) the gestational parent was de-
termined to be pregnant with the 
fetus, according to standard medical 
practice, by such physician; and 
(II) such physician has deter-
mined that, in their reasonable med-
ical judgment, the gestational age of 
the fetus is 20 weeks or greater and 
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the expected due date is on or after 
January 1st, 2026. 
(5) AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVES.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—An application may be 
submitted on behalf of an eligible parent by— 
(i) a spouse or domestic partner; 
(ii) a legal representative; 
(iii) a healthcare provider involved in 
providing prenatal or postnatal care to the 
eligible parent; or 
(iv) an social service agency deter-
mined appropriate by the Commissioner to 
submit such applications. 
(B) DOCUMENTATION.—The Commissioner 
may require that a person submitting a request 
in accordance with subparagraph (A) provide 
such documentation as the Commissioner deter-
mines appropriate to prevent fraud or abuse. 
(d) EFFECT OF DEATH OR LOSS OF QUALIFYING 
CHILD.—In the case of the involuntary death of a fetus 
or qualifying child, or the death of a fetus or qualifying 
child as a result of any treatment intended to save the 
life of the gestational parent or any treatment of an ec-
topic pregnancy, occurring after 20 weeks gestation, such 
death shall have no effect with respect to whether the pay-
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ment is allowed under this section to an eligible parent, 
provided that such person otherwise satisfies the applica-
ble requirements under this section. 
(e) PAYMENT RECOVERY; PENALTIES.— 
(1) OVERPAYMENTS AND UNDERPAYMENT.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Whenever the Commis-
sioner determines that more or less than the 
correct amount of payment has been made to a 
person, proper adjustment or recovery shall be 
made in the same manner as adjustment or re-
covery is made under section 204 of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 404) with respect to 
overpayments or underpayments under title II 
of such Act. Notwithstanding the previous sen-
tence, payments under such title may not be 
adjusted for the purpose of recovering a pay-
ment under this section. 
(B) OTHER RECOVERY.—In the case of an 
overpayment to an individual who later becomes 
entitled to a benefit under this section, the 
Commissioner may decrease such benefit in 
order to recover such overpayment. 
(2) PENALTIES.—Section 208 of the Social Se-
curity Act (42 U.S.C. 408) shall apply with respect 
to baby bonus payments under this section in the 
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same manner as such section applies with respect to 
monthly insurance benefits under title II of such 
Act. 
(f) INCOME DISREGARD.—A baby bonus payment 
made under this section shall not be taken into account 
as income for purposes of the Internal Revenue Code of 
1986, and shall not be taken into account as income or 
resources for purposes of determining the eligibility of 
such individual or any other individual for benefits or as-
sistance, or the amount or extent of benefits or assistance, 
under any Federal program or under any State or local 
program financed in whole or in part with Federal funds. 
(g) PROHIBITION.—Notwithstanding any other provi-
sion of law, information submitted pursuant to subsection 
(c) may not be used for any purpose other than to deter-
mine eligibility for a baby bonus payment under this sec-
tion. 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
In this section: 
(1) BUSINESS DAY.—The term ‘‘business day’’ 
means any day other than Saturday, Sunday, or a 
legal public holiday described in section 6103 of title 
5, United States Code. 
(2) 
COMMISSIONER.—The 
term 
‘‘Commis-
sioner’’ means the Commissioner of Social Security. 
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(3) DEPUTY COMMISSIONER.—The term ‘‘Dep-
uty Commissioner’’ means the Deputy Commissioner 
of the Office of Baby Assistance established under 
section 2(a). 
(4) ELIGIBLE
PARENT.—The term ‘‘eligible 
parent’’ means an individual (other than an ineli-
gible person) who— 
(A) resides in the United States; 
(B) is— 
(i) a citizen or national of the United 
States; or 
(ii) a qualified alien (as defined in 
section 431 of the Personal Responsibility 
and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act 
of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 1641)); and 
(C) is— 
(i) the parent (other than an ineligible 
person) or legal guardian of a qualifying 
child; or 
(ii) if the parent is an ineligible per-
son— 
(I) an intended parent in a 
surrogacy arrangement; or 
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(II) a prospective adoptive parent 
with a court-approved pre-birth adop-
tion agreement 
(5) FETUS.—The term ‘‘fetus’’ means a human 
fetus and includes an embryo. 
(6) GESTATIONAL AGE.—The term ‘‘gestational 
age’’ means the age of a fetus, as calculated from 
the first day of the pregnant person’s last menstrual 
period. 
(7) GESTATIONAL PARENT.—The term ‘‘gesta-
tional parent’’ means an individual who is or was 
pregnant with a qualifying child, including an indi-
vidual who is an ineligible person. 
(8) INELIGIBLE PERSON.—The term ‘‘ineligible 
person’’ means— 
(A) a gestational parent who— 
(i) enters into a court-approved pre- 
birth adoption agreement with an adoptive 
parent; and 
(ii) completes the adoption process for 
the child within 60 days of birth; or 
(B) a surrogate who has a surrogacy ar-
rangement in a State that recognizes the in-
tended parent’s legal rights to the qualifying 
child upon birth. 
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(9) PHYSICIAN.—The term ‘‘physician’’ means 
an individual who is— 
(A) licensed by a State or territory of the 
United States to practice— 
(i) medicine and surgery; 
(ii) osteopathic medicine and surgery; 
or 
(iii) midwifery; or 
(B) otherwise legally authorized to— 
(i) perform births and to diagnose and 
attend miscarriages or stillbirths; and 
(ii) perform examinations to deter-
mine the gestational age of a fetus by the 
State in which such practice is performed. 
(10) QUALIFYING
CHILD.—The term ‘‘quali-
fying child’’ means— 
(A) a child born on or after January 1st, 
2026; or 
(B) a fetus with a gestational age of at 
least 20 weeks and an expected due date on or 
after January 1st, 2026, as certified by a physi-
cian. 
(11) 
SURROGATE.—The 
term 
‘‘surrogate’’ 
means an individual who carries a fetus conceived 
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