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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blondee028
I retired 20 years ago from the state but since my late husband work for the railroad I am under railroad retirement board. Even though I have been remarried my social security checks still come from the railroad. I know many people who have received their social security backpay but I haven’t .. I was just wondering if it is coming from RRRB and when are they sending money out
Vanessa p.
Will I get the increase in my ssi even if I work, and I pay taxes on it.
Rich R.
How do I pay taxes on the retro check?
Connie J.
My husband’s ss account shows the retroactive amount being paid but it’s not in his bank account. His usual monthly amount arrived in bank account on time. Is there a delay processing the retroactive amount even though it says paid?
James G.
Will Federal Income Tax be withheld from the lump sum back payment as elected for my monthly payment?
EDWARD A.
I worked for a local Govt. Agency for 20 years that did not participate in Social Security, In the ensuing years my employmnet was covered by SSA. I retired in 2018 and am recieving a pension form the California Public Employees fund. Am I elidgible for funds from the SSA Fairness act?
S.S.
Hi, Edward. Thanks for reading our blog. 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. We hope this helps.
Deborah W.
I had to start collecting SS at 62 due to a decline in my health and couldn’t work anymore. When I called to sign up I told them I was a widow and asked about the widow insurance benefit and was told I didn’t get the benefit. I had to struggle and not only get state assistance I had to get assistance from a family member just to keep my rent paid and here I am 4 years later and the state of Florida caught the fact that I should have been receiving it all along. Should’t I get retroactive benefits all the way back to the year I signed up for SS than only a couple of months in which I received since it was THEIR error?
T.Y.
Thank you for reading our blog, Deborah. Unfortunately, but for your safety, we do not have access to personal information in this venue. Through our blog page, we respond to questions and provide general information on our Retirement, Survivors, Disability, Medicare and SSI programs. If you have a general question, we encourage you to ask here. But remember, never post personal information on social media. We do ask that members in our blog community contact their local Social Security office with questions about their specific case. To find the contact information of your local office, visit our Office Locator page. We hope this helps.
Timothy J.
PLEASE HELP! My SSDI claim was approved in July 2024 retroactively to the date of my disability onset in June 2020. However I have NOT received my FOUR YEARS of back pay or even a letter regarding the status of it! I have called SSA every month for the last 8 months, only to be told to try again in 30 days! My disability attorney was paid immediately, but WHERE IS MY BACK PAY?!!
T.Y.
Hi, Timothy. Unfortunately, but for your safety, we do not have access to personal information in this venue. Through our blog page, we respond to questions and provide general information on our Retirement, Survivors, Disability, Medicare and SSI programs. If you have a general question, we encourage you to ask here. We do ask that members in our blog community to continue to work with their local Social Security office with questions about their specific case. To find the contact information of your local office, visit our Office Locator page. We hope this helps.
Karen J.
What system is being used in the distribution of Fairness Act retroactive payments? Does birthdate go by the individual’s birthdate as do regular Social Security payments?
william p.
I received a deposit for what i figured is for last year. Will they add for january and february on my next ss check?