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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Theodore K.
If Widows benefit was higher than my benefit without WEP/GPO . Should I claim her bennefit?
Edie S.
Thank you President Biden and Congress for passing the Act, and thank you for the Trump Administration for following up as quickly as possible. It makes a lot of difference for many of us. I’ve been waiting for over a decade for this.
STEVEN L.
THIS IS MORE OF A PAYBACK TO UNION TEACHERS, FIREFIGHTERS AND POLICE.
Patricia J.
How are you paying the fair act out
Mary C.
I don’t care what the Dems say about Biden signing this into law & not Trump, if Kamala became president, there’s no doubt in my mind that we wouldn’t get it ! Thank you President Trump. I have gotten so many letters from SSA that make no sense at all. A Harris administration would never be able to carry this out. SSA. Also needs an overhaul.
Kathy L.
I worked for SSA for 23 years and totally agree that the generated letters generally left much to be desired. That said, the letters had to satisfy both legal requirements for language used, as well as be understandable to a reader on the level of a 3rd grader. As you might imagine, meeting both requirements in a single letter was almost impossible. It was left up to the staff in more local SSA offices to fill in the gaps in understanding. Now that Trump is firing people and closing local SSA offices, I know you will either stop complaining or you will join the opposition chorus of we citizens who are tired of being pawns in the games of millionaires.
HF
Typical grifter Dump taking credit for the Act (SS Fairness Act) Joe Biden signed into law in January before the inauguration.
Jane
He’s not taking credit…learn to read …He supports Social Security implementing the act as quickly as possible… Idiot
Judy S.
Yup! And the little comments that praise Trump for nothing he did, “payments beginning in April supports President Trump’s priority to implement the Social Security Fairness Act as quickly as possible”. And
“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.” That last line is a joke.
Trump would sign contracts to have work done, and when completed not pay or not pay all. Trump’s comment “”’Let them sue me, they’ll get nickels on the dollar’. Many small businesses failed because they believed him!
L
The ss fairness act was Joe Biden
stacy j.
ive been on disability for over 20 yrs i did work after 24 months my ssi status never changed now im told i dont have enough work credits that io need to work just enough to get work credits if im able to work i wouldnt be on disability i know people who have done this i feel they are taking from everyone and to have a representive tell you how and tell you to work if you want better benefits ??????????
RICHARD
my wife was handicapped since birth, but went to work anyway at 17.. up until she was injured in an accident, not her fault, she was rear ended an little past an intersection. the driver claimed thet were rear ended and knocked into her, thenthe car sped past us….I never saw a car speeding past us…the police officer who didn’t see it didnt give them a ticket. We got talked to an attorney but no good. My wifes back started to bother he a lot after this and so she filed for disability…after going to several doctors ..on even twice (2 different towns 2 offices) her case worker, to me was a joke turned her down.. even the doctors couldn’t understand why she wasn’t approved ..We went before a judge who first approved her then 18 days later she got a letter denying her..the judge never answered why. She later mentioned it to her case worker who said..he called her and she told him my wife didn’t have enough points.. crippled from birth, her right side is shorter than her left…she walks on the ball (bunion) of her right foot. she had a mini stroke where he had a memory loss as well as vision in the middle of each eye to the right..addee to the back pain she has to use a cane and even with that cant stand very long or walk very far….my opinion about the situation is that her case worker got her promotion for rejecting her quota of applicants,,just my opinion which I pray is wrong…
Venita M.
I would truly like to Thank President Biden for his last act of caring about Senior Citizens and other vulnerable citizens right before he left office. You have absolutely helped a lot of Americans to make their lives a lot better. And Thank You SSA for your expedient delivery. What A Surprise Blessing!
Dorit
Indeed! tRump trying to take credit is a farce
Drug
He didn’t do anything except sleep. He had no clue. Whatever improvement came from the Trump administration.
Vicki L.
Yes, i agree! Thank you! What a shock!!! Thank you.
Hannah
It was President Biden, not Trump.
Mary A.
As usual..
Trump.takes credit for which he had nothing to do! And denying his awful deeds!!
Dutch
Mary Go cry you blue tears elsewhere!! You FRAGILE SNOWFLAKE. TRUMP not taking credit for it!! He just said he wanted it delivered as soon as possible! oh just FYI Sleepy Joe was the worst President EVER and quite frankly a JOKE. The Democratic party Is so out of touch it’s laughable all y’all care about is WOKE DEI Transgender Alphabet Soup loving IDEOLOGY! NEVER AGAIN!! MAGA FOREVER ✌️
Sandy
Thank you President Biden. You care so much about us. I will forever be grateful.