STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A new bill supported by Staten Island’s congressional representative would provide thousands of dollars in federal tax relief to those caring for a loved one.
On Tuesday, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis joined a telephone town hall hosted by AARP New York to discuss various recent efforts to aid seniors and the family members who help care for them.
Malliotakis began the town hall by speaking about various provisions that benefit seniors that she helped secure in the negotiation of President Donald Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill, including a bonus deduction for seniors and increased State and Local Tax, or SALT, deduction.
“We couldn’t change Social Security law directly in this bill, because there are certain rules surrounding the reconciliation process that we used. But what we were able to do is provide a new tax deduction so that when seniors do their taxes in 2026 for this year, 2025, 88% of the seniors across America, which is 51 million people, will receive the money that they paid in Social Security taxes back,” said Malliotakis, a Republican who represents Staten Island and parts of South Brooklyn.
“We delivered targeted relief by quadrupling the SALT deduction,” she added. “So really, the seniors who are the homeowners or seniors that are still working, they’re the biggest winners in this middle class tax cut package that we passed earlier this year.”
Later in the town hall, Malliotakis voiced support for the Credit for Caring Act, which would provide eligible caregivers with a non-refundable tax credit of up to $5,000 for caregiving expenses like in-home aides, assistive devices, home modifications and transportation costs.
The full $5,000 credit would be available to caregivers earning $75,000 or less, $150,000 or less for those filing joint returns.
For those that exceed the earnings threshold, the credit would begin to phase out and be reduced by $100 for each additional $1,000 they earn beyond the set threshold.
“I’m very hopeful. I think we made a lot of progress this year. I have consistently been advocating for seniors and trying to bring their issues to the forefront. We have a vast number of members who are co-sponsoring this legislation, both Republicans and Democrats. So it is bipartisan, and I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to do it,” Malliotakis said.