Social Security Announces Expedited Retroactive Payments and Higher Monthly Benefits for Millions – Actions Support the Social Security Fairness Act
Reading Time: 2 MinutesLast Updated: April 18, 2025
Today, the Social Security Administration announced it is immediately beginning to pay retroactive benefits and will increase monthly benefit payments to people whose benefits have been affected by the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO).
These provisions reduced or eliminated the Social Security benefits for over 3.2 million people who receive a pension based on work that was not covered by Social Security (a “non-covered pension”) because they did not pay Social Security taxes.
The Social Security Fairness Act ends WEP and GPO.
“Social Security’s aggressive schedule to start issuing retroactive payments in February and increase monthly benefit payments beginning in April supports President Trump’s priority to implement the Social Security Fairness Act as quickly as possible,” said Lee Dudek, Acting Commissioner of Social Security. “The agency’s original estimate of taking a year or more now will only apply to complex cases that cannot be processed by automation. The American people deserve to get their due benefits as quickly as possible.”
People who will benefit from the new law include some teachers, firefighters, and police officers in many states; federal employees covered by the Civil Service Retirement System; and people whose work had been covered by a foreign social security system.
Many beneficiaries will be due a retroactive payment because the WEP and GPO offset no longer apply as of January 2024. Most people will receive their one-time retroactive payment by the end of March, which will be deposited into their bank account on record with Social Security.
Many of these people will also receive higher monthly benefits, which will first be reflected in the benefit payment they receive in April. Depending on factors such as the type of Social Security benefit received and the amount of the person’s pension, the change in payment amount will vary from person to person.
Anyone whose monthly benefit is adjusted, or who will get a retroactive payment, will receive a mailed notice from Social Security explaining the benefit change or retroactive payment. Most people will receive their retroactive payment two to three weeks before they receive their notice in the mail, because the President understands how important it is to pay people what they are due right away. Social Security is expediting payments using automation and will continue to handle many complex cases that must be done manually, on an individual case-by-case basis. Those complex cases will take additional time to update the beneficiary record and pay the correct benefits.
Social Security urges beneficiaries to wait until April to ask about the status of their retroactive payment, since these payments will process incrementally into March. Since the new monthly payment amount will begin with the April payment, beneficiaries should wait until after receiving their April payment, before contacting Social Security with questions about their monthly benefit amount.
Visit the agency’s Social Security Fairness Act webpage to learn more and stay up to date on its progress. Visitors can subscribe to be alerted when the webpage is updated.
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Diana S.
My husband worked civil service for 9 years. He passed in 2016 would I be eligible for the retroactive pay? I started on disability ss then went to regular ss at 65. I am 79. I am in a wheelchair now.
Shellie
With an emphasis on online access as a priority and the way forward, it’s important to remember there are older seniors that don’t have internet service nor use a cell phone-only a landline. And in our neighbor’s case, has no family whatsoever. He lost his wife in May, and we’ve been helping him navigate his finances, health, etc. since his wife was his caregiver. Thankfully, and with no wait time, we were able to take him to a field office to set him up with her benefit. It went very smoothly.
camilla c.
This article clears up so much confusion around retroactive benefits, especially the difference between SSDI and SSI rules. I appreciate how you explain the “five-month waiting period” for disability—that’s a detail that many people, myself included, didn’t fully understand. Providing this kind of detailed information is a true public service. The smoother people can navigate these processes, the better. We need more systems that are designed with the user’s perspective in mind to reduce that kind of confusion from the start.
Sharon o.
My daughter was born with spinal Bera in 1978 and they denied her SSI for two years because they said my husband made too much money I wasn’t able to work and it was only one income and we had to buy diapers all kind of medication it was unbelievable. They should have to pay that back to me.
Sharon o.
Spinal bifida
Sharon o.
We had to buy catheter tubes. We had to rent a suction machine. We had to buy extremely expensive medication we couldn’t even buy groceries and I had two other children and he didn’t draw but 350 a week and that was with overtime. It took his whole check just to take care of my daughter. We had to pay for everything and she was totally bedridden and they denied her SSI to help with her meds and her doctor visits it was oh it was unbelievable. We had to live at a house that was about to cave in because we couldn’t afford the rent. We had to use a fan because we couldn’t afford to run the air conditioner And my daughter would lay without heat air air conditioner and burn up at her bed.
Terri k.
They kept every penny of my back pay that I worked so hard for and caused my disabilities. I do not have any respect for the judge that cheated me out of my money and Social Security for not accepting my permanently disabled letter from my Doctor.
Michael D.
Thru the Fairness Act my wife received a lump sum payment retroactive to November 2024. A friends was retroactive to January 2024.
Why the difference?
Nancy N.
I have several retired friends who were teachers like I am and never worked enough other jobs to qualify for ss. They received a large lump sum check in the mail in February or March and now also receive a monthly payment. They never applied for this. I did not receive a large check, but made an appointment with SS and now will receive a monthly payment. What is the difference between us? I do not understand why some retired teachers who receive a pension received this money without applying or asking and others, like me, have to apply and then do not receive the lump sum large payment. Thank you for any clarification you can provide.
Marcus C.
i filed reg s s in 2016,at 62…i went one yr.then filed disability due to my med back issues…was told by social security to file as payments could be reduced if i didnt file within first year…now its 2017.so i did…waited all of 18,19,got a lawyer in 20…due to two minor children in the house i was to get 16,000 retroactive back pay …in 21 i am told due to the kids getting a over payment,,,iam not getting the money…the amount on childern was 312 per mo…this was never increased,it stayed that…but…they said due to the over payments on the two kids…the lawyer showed me papers from s s as to my case…signed/approved and done…my check was to be 1995 a mo / kids 440 each…and get the 16 k back pay…as to 2022 iam dropped to 1312 kids are 305 per mo …ive been to all offices at all levals…they wont do a dam thing…dont trust what they tell you…they are false/fraud/foney and fake…and then medicare took it on them self to automaticly in roll me in medicare…i never signed up …i dont beleave in medicare….why….i paid in all my life….then when i need it…..they still wont pay anything without me paying them out of my social sec…no this is wrong….what did they do with the payments made/on gov cap investment out put /they pay out only 5 % social securty is only pying 80 % …thanks to rotten ronnie/movie star regan….add 20% TO YOUR CHECK that what you should be getting….who is realy paying for the new carpet in the white house…thank you.