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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JLDR
I want to say thanks to those of you who run this blog. I’ve read all of the questions and concerns posted on here, and I know understand what the WEP is all about. As a surviving spouse, I was confused and didn’t know if I would benefit from this. I do receive my late husband’s pension (because he had it set up that way before he passed) and I receive his SS (because his was higher than mine would have been). After reading through these posts, I understand better. I have not received a retroactive deposit, yet. I have a phone appointment with my local SS office on April 3 to see if I’m eligible. But, from what I’ve learned on here I feel I could answer a lot of questions that have been asked. Thanks for your help!
Wanda H.
I retired under the Civil service retirement system. However, I paid into Social Security 1966-2006, 2011 and 2013. Am I eligible for a refund under the Fairness Act? Do I qualify for the additional pay?? I do not get any social security payments now.
C.B.
Hi, Wanda. Thanks for reading our blog and for your question. Only people who receive a pension based on work not covered by Social Security may see benefit increases. Most state and local public employees – about 72% – work in Social Security-covered employment where they pay Social Security taxes. Therefore, their benefits have not been reduced by the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO). These individuals will not receive a benefit increase due to the new law. If you had a non-covered pension from work, you may receive back benefits and an increase on your own Social Security benefit. For more information, visit our Social Security Fairness Act webpage. We hope this helps.
David P.
I’m an ex-government employee. Social security sent me a check going back to July 2024, not Jan 2024 because they stated that the retroactive payment only goes back 6 months. If this is the case you should apply online now.
Norman P.
Rusty P.
They make it sound like it’s the fairness act but didn’t begin to make up for the 30+ years we paid the maximum and did not receive credit for.
Jd
Nothing fair about this act there jobs are no more important than my job was criminals is what our government is I paid what I was suppose to do ya are not fair not erican thieves is facts of what this act is
Ivory S.
ivoryshehee@att.net
John M.
Q: HOW FAR BACK DO RETROACTIVE PAYMENTS GO BACK???
Dave P.
I’m an ex-government employee. Social security sent me a check going back to July 2024, not Jan 2024 because they stated that the retroactive payment only goes back 6 months. If this is the case you should apply online now.
T.Y.
Thanks for reading our blog and for your question, John. December 2023 is the last month that WEP and GPO will apply. This means that those rules no longer apply to benefits payable for January 2024 and later. Social Security benefits payable for January 2024 would generally have been received in February 2024. Learn more about the steps the Social Security Administration (SSA) is taking on our Social Security Fairness Act webpage. We hope this information helps.
Patricia B.
If I withdrew my money early from PERS and am now only receiving SSI would I still be entitled to the Fairness Act funds,?
C.B.
Hi, Patricia. Thanks for reading our blog and for your question. Only people who receive a pension based on work not covered by Social Security may see benefit increases. Most state and local public employees – about 72% – work in Social Security-covered employment where they pay Social Security taxes. Therefore, their benefits have not been reduced by the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO). These individuals will not receive a benefit increase due to the new law. If you had a non-covered pension from work, you may receive back benefits and an increase on your own Social Security benefit. For more information, visit our Social Security Fairness Act webpage. We hope this helps.
Eloise P.
When will my Spousal SSA benefits be issued based on the Social Security Fairness act.
Robert L.
I retired under the Civil service retirement system. Do I qualify for the additional pay??
Tom P.
Yes, my wife who is a CSRS recipient’s social security payment increased from $420 a month to $1,042.00 a month.
Gladys L.
You should qualify CS employees didn’t pay into Social Security like the new plans FERS/ FERS RAE/ FERS FRAE
Deborah L.
Yes
C.B.
Hi, Robert. Thanks for reading our blog and for your question. Only people who receive a pension based on work not covered by Social Security may see benefit increases. Most state and local public employees – about 72% – work in Social Security-covered employment where they pay Social Security taxes. Therefore, their benefits have not been reduced by the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO). These individuals will not receive a benefit increase due to the new law. If you had a non-covered pension from work, you may receive back benefits and an increase on your own Social Security benefit. For more information, visit our Social Security Fairness Act webpage. We hope this helps.
Dave P.
I’m an ex-government employee. Social security sent me a check going back to July 2024, not Jan 2024 because they stated that the retroactive payment only goes back 6 months. If this is the case you should apply online now.
Carla M.
I worked for the school system I retired out on disability retirement also I’m receiving my social security disability retirement am I eligible for the social security fairness act?
C.B.
Hi, Carla. Thanks for reading our blog and for your question. Only people who receive a pension based on work not covered by Social Security may see benefit increases. Most state and local public employees – about 72% – work in Social Security-covered employment where they pay Social Security taxes. Therefore, their benefits have not been reduced by the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO). These individuals will not receive a benefit increase due to the new law. If you had a non-covered pension from work, you may receive back benefits and an increase on your own Social Security benefit. For more information, visit our Social Security Fairness Act webpage. We hope this helps.
Anthony w.
I retired in 2009 from New Jersey I receive a non covered state police pension in 2020 I had a major stoke and subsequent to that got ssdi directed does the social security fairness act raise my Ssdi amount ?
C.B.
Hi, Anthony. Thank you for reading our blog and for your question. The Social Security Fairness Act ends the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO). Before the law was passed, WEP reduced Social Security retirement or disability benefits for many people who receive a pension based on work that was not covered by Social Security (a “non-covered pension”). For more information, visit our Frequently Asked Questions.
If you receive civil service disability benefits, state temporary disability benefits, or state or local government retirement benefits that are based on disability, they may continue to reduce your Social Security benefits. To learn more, read How Workers’ Compensation and Other Disability Payments May Affect Your Benefits. We hope this helps.