Nelson bill would eliminate tax on Social Security benefits

In the early days of the 2023 legislative session, Minnesota State Senator Carla Nelson (R-Rochester) introduced a bill to fully and immediately repeal the state’s outdated double tax on Social Security benefits, allowing Minnesota’s retirees to deduct all Social Security income on their state income taxes beginning next year. The bill has bipartisan support.

“It is a sad reality that Minnesota continues to be one of only 12 states to tax Social Security benefits,” Nelson said. “This lack of foresight is truly disappointing – the taxation of Social Security benefits has serious, long-term effects, on seniors and on our state. It causes individuals to leave Minnesota and take their economic activity, community contributions, and volunteerism with them. It is clear to see why the majority of states no longer have this tax in place. It is well past time for Minnesota to follow suit.”

As chair of the Tax Committee in 2022, Nelson and her House counterpart, Rep. Paul Marquart (DFL-Dilworth), reached a bipartisan agreement on a landmark tax bill, containing nearly $4 Billion of tax cuts. That bill included a full elimination of the Social Security benefit tax. However, in the final days of the session, House Democrat leadership refused to bring it up for a vote.

By taxing Social Security income, the state is taxing benefits that retirees already paid for during a lifetime of hard work. Eliminating this tax will help ease the burden for retired Minnesotans fighting inflationary costs as well as deter the flight of retired Minnesotans to states who do not tax Social Security benefits. This is one of the most popular and frequent requests made by Sen. Nelson’s constituents at town halls, via social media, and through emails and phone calls. 

Facts about Social Security income taxes:

  • Minnesota is one of only 12 states that tax Social Security benefits.
  • Kiplinger Magazine notes that Minnesota is “not tax-friendly” for retirees.
  • None of the states that border us — Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, and South Dakota — tax Social Security benefits.