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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Oscar v.
Thanks to president Biden for repealing wep and gpo God. Bless you sir 🙏
K.
Thank you to Former President Joe Biden for signing the Social Security Fairness Act before he left office. Because of this my father is able to get what he rightfully deserve!
Leslie
My mom is on Medicaid and is in a nursing home. This money just showed up unannounced in her checking account. I’m very concerned this lump sum retroactive payment is going to affect her medicaid eligibility. The ammount of the payout is enough to put her over the monthly income limit but would not cover one month in the nursing home. Anyone know how this affects people who are on medicaid in nursing homes?
vivian T.
How do I claim my deceased husband’s social security which is more than my own social security which is a lot less as a retired teacher? Will this be automatically done or do I have to register?
Jan
Thank you, I am so grateful for the gift! What a wonderful surprise!
Mike
We can all thank Joe Biden who signed the bill into law.
John C.
Still waiting to hear about my SS refund. I have 40 quarters and receive a reduced SS check monthly. I am a retired federal employee under the civic service retirement system . I have been retired since January, 2013. Will I receive funds retroactive from the first SS check I received after retirement?
T.Y.
Hi, John. Thanks for reading our blog and for your question. The Social Security Fairness Act ends the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO). These provisions reduced or eliminated the Social Security benefits of people who receive a pension based on work that was not covered by Social Security because they did not pay Social Security taxes. This law increases Social Security benefits for some workers 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. Learn more about the steps the Social Security Administration (SSA) is taking on our Social Security Fairness Act webpage. We hope this helps.
Joyce H.
What are they doing for people on Social security Disability. We need more
Jim N.
Is the retroactive payment taxable?
Phyllis F.
This talks vaguely as to WHO gets these increases.
Do the elderly get this increase?
Do the disabled get this increase?
Do the retired get this increase?
why just teachers, civil servants, firefighters…etc. Why not everyone?
Sandra
It is not an increase. It is money that was not paid to the people you mentioned, but was owed to them. It was not paid because of the WEP act.
Sue J.
I hope they Crack down on illegals getting payments/benefits they don’t deserve. Could never understand how or why a non citizen could collect benefits supposedly reserved for retired citizens and their spouses. SS isn’t a charity! I’m tired of people coming into this country and demanding things only meant for legal citizens. Stopping this robbery would put much back into the coffers!
Star
Illegals do not receive SS. Stop believing lies.