Social Security Announces Expedited Retroactive Payments and Higher Monthly Benefits for Millions – Actions Support the Social Security Fairness Act
Reading Time: 2 MinutesLast Updated: February 25, 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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T.D.
Hooray for the SSA
WeHoldTheseTruths
Oh so I mention the truth about the 2 million plus terminated benifits during covid and it deletes my comment and blocks me from commenting?
Gwendolyn S.
Thank You I have been waiting since 11/20/2021
Carol J.
I wanted to known if my monthly payments will be adjusted because I added extra income earned in 2024…I really need a raise in order to continue to survive in this economy…I really think that people who gets disability should also qualify for food help…
Bob S.
Your Social Security benefit is computed on your 35 highest (inflation adjusted) years with earned income on which you paid the SS FICA tax. So, your current work year can cause your benefit to slightly increase if you had 34 or less years of credits or if your current year earnings was higher than your lowest of your top-35 years.
SSA-437-BK
What about those of us who had our benifits wrongfully terminated back in 2021, became homeless because of SSA’s major management misconduct and negligence during the Lockdown Pandemic? What about those who have waited 3 years for a hearing with an ALJ ? What about those of us whom received a fully favored decision from that hearing over a year ago and are still waiting for 4 years of retroactive backpay? Seems like, the SSA is doing everything for those they haven’t Detrimentally harmed as it must be that the SSA either; forgot about the 2 million beneficiaries they did this to or they haven’t forgotten a thing and they are intentionally ignoring this major crisis?
This agency had done NOTHING for the countless lives they have hurt and destroyed.
Thanks SSA. Can really count on you to do the ethically sound moral thing.
This actually not unbelievable anymore. It’s become the standard.
Yours Truly
SSA-437-BK
linda c.
my husband died and I am his wife and do not get any benefits from his years of work..because I receive a pension from being a fed….civil service employee……will this change?
D R.
Yes
linda c.
Do I receive my dead husbands husbands past social security even though I was a civil servant with the p o …I have never received his s s wife benefits
Sharon R.
It’s about time..it took me 5 yrs..I lost everything I had to exist..My case even closed due to time and had to be reopened..Law firm were crooks .I didn’t get a lump sum because I needed help with rent and they took all that money back before I even saw if..was like $46,000 . I guess because I had no kids and wasn’t welfare..
Even had to sell my car and all my Jewelry from the 1980’s on up.. And yes I’m united States Citizen . I never got married until the year 2000.
Tired o.
How about reinstating those you removed from disability so you could have room for illegals? Why not get them back on disability? SSA/SSI is a scam ripping off real Americans to give to illegals!
Antisocial I.
Bingo!???
Seems as though they are doing absolutely nothing for the people they harmed and deprived of constitutional rights!
Pat W.
I am glad to see some of these changes are being made. One thing I would like to know is if you are going to increase, or do away with the maximum amount of income you could make personally working while you are receiving Social Security. It’s very hard to live on just that amount With prices these days. Will that amount be increasing? Please do an article on this subject.
Ronald W.
I worked for several years for a public power electric utility in Nebraska in the 1970s that did not withhold Social Security. Does the Social Security Fairness Act pertain to my situation? It was a long time ago and I am concerned whether you will go that far back to calculate my adjustment if I should be receiving one. Assuming I should receive an adjustment and I do not by April who should I contact.
T.Y.
Thanks for reading our blog and for your question, Ronald. People who receive a pension based on work not covered by Social Security may receive an increase. Please visit our Social Security Fairness Act webpage to learn when you can expect retroactive benefits and an increase in your monthly benefit amount. We hope this helps.
Bob S.
Only if your got a pension that was based on that non-SS earned income.