Social Security to enroll newborns in Trump Accounts at registration
Newborns will now be funneled from birth paperwork into Trump Accounts, with eligible babies getting a $1,000 Treasury seed and parents managing the funds.
The Social Security Administration is adding Trump Accounts to the same birth-registration process that already assigns a newborn’s Social Security number, putting hospital paperwork, identity registration and investment enrollment on the same track. Parents can already request an SSN at hospitals, birthing centers or through licensed midwives, and when they do, the state vital records agency sends the birth information electronically to SSA, which assigns the number and mails the card. Those Enumeration at Birth cases take about two weeks on average nationwide, though some states move more slowly.
Trump Accounts are open only to children under 18 with a valid Social Security number. Regular contributions are not allowed until July 4, 2026, when Treasury and the administration plan to launch the program on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Under Treasury and IRS guidance, eligible U.S. citizen children born between Jan. 1, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2028, can receive a one-time $1,000 pilot contribution if an account is opened and an election is made.
The accounts are tax-advantaged investment vehicles, not general savings wallets. Money can go only into low-cost mutual funds or exchange-traded funds tracking broad U.S. equity indices, including benchmarks such as the S&P 500. Annual contributions are capped at $5,000, and employers may also add as much as $2,500 pre-tax through cafeteria plans. Millions of American families will be able to activate accounts through the Trump Accounts app ahead of the official launch.
Individuals and corporations will also be able to donate shares of stock, widening the pool of contributors beyond family members. The accounts differ from 529 plans, which families typically open on their own for education savings, rather than through the federal birth-registration process.
The White House projects that a baby born in 2026 could reach $303,800 by age 18 and $1,091,900 by age 28 if maximum contributions are made and average market returns hold; with no contributions, the projection falls to $5,800 by age 18 and $18,100 by age 28. The SSA says six million children have already been enrolled.
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