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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Donald M.
I am a retired DoD Civil Servant and when I am entitled to this payment. My ex wife who also is a retired Civil Servant has already received her one time check and her new monthly Social Security amount as of today I am not received anything from the Social Security as to where my one time payment is and what my new monthly Social Security payment will be. What can I do to find out why.
Jane S.
I have filed for my ex-spouses benefits and they only went back 6 months. The intent of the fairness act was to go back to 1/2024. I saw a 2023 form about the act that states an application should be filed before 1/31/2025. I checked on entitlment several times and was not allowed to file and get a denial notice. My es-spouse filed and showed my name and they did not contact me. I asked for an appointment 1/7/2025 and had the appointment 2/4/2025. It seems that SSA is using standard Reto laws and not fairness act regulations in paying back pay.
Pen
I’m tired of Social Security disability with 3/4 pension from my civil service job as a corrections officer in 2000 am I entitled to the fairness act
Charlotte R.
HOW ABOUT SOC SEC. DISABILITY PERSONS WILL THERE BE A INCREASE AND BUYOUT PROGRAMS WHO THEY TAKE OUT MEDICARE PAYMENTS OUT OF THEIR CKS WILL THEY NOW GET THEIR MONIES BACK RETROACTIVE AS OF NOW AND GET MORE MONIES STARTING IN APRIL AS OTHERS DO? CHARLOTTE E MONTAGNO I AM CONFUSED OF THIS>
C.B.
Hi, Pen. 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.
Robert W.
I worked in the Fire Dept as a civilian for the navy at Naval Air Station Lemoore @ Lemoore, Ca from Sept 1977 to Sept 1984. Am entitled to this new adjustment through Social Security?
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.
Patricia M.
I have received my husbands social security in a lump sum in March, 2024, as a result of the Social Security Fairness Act. I am ready to do my 2024 taxes and do not know how to handle the $33,059.70. I do not know if any Federal Taxes were taken out. Not sure if maybe I should include this on my 2025 taxes instead of 2024.
Gigi
No taxes were taken out you’ll have to claim this on your 2025 taxes because that’s when it was disbursed to you it will be on your 1099
Rob
I believe Retroactive back is not subject to “back taxes”. SSI payments moving forward will be taxable.
Tara
My application started being reviewed Jan. 6th 2025 I have not received any correspondence of acceptance or if more information is needed. I worked as a teacher for many years after completing the required amount of SS credits yet have not received one cent.
Shirley A.
March 26, 2025
I learned today about the Fairness Act. I taught for 13 years and did not retire, but resigned. My brother drove a bus for a school district after he retired from a different job. He quit that district & took his money out, like I did. He received retro-active money, but I didn’t, so far. Why wasn’t I entitled to some retroactive social security payments? This doesn’t make sense, since many friends worked in the schools but were not teachers & received retroactive checks. Please let me know the reason I have not received money. This is most unfair.
Lucy J.
I worked at a College from 1989-1998. I paid into a private retired acct when I resigned I withdrew it, not much. I am 71 am semi retired and a widow. I draw my husbands SS, called widows pension I was told since they us higher I cannot withdraw my SS . How do I get compensated for those 9 years that I worked at the College?
Gigi
It could be because you never paid FICA taxes, you were strictly pension. You didn’t pay taxes most teachers do not that’s a possibility you would have to call Social Security. They are still working on some people‘s records honestly, I think it’s ridiculous that they changed that that was put into place for a reason they’re going to bankrupt Social Security. The federal government is already in a deficit did wasn’t very smart over $2 billion is being sent out to people for retroactive payments people get a pension and then they expect to get more money.
If you did an earn 40 credits and pay into Social Security, you had no government pension offset so you won’t get retroactive payments
Bonnie L.
As I am one who paid in to SS for 15 years and then could not draw a cent of it, I disagree. Why should I not receive the second pension? Some are allowed in the Civilian Arena to draw three full pensions. Only federal employees were penalized and in my case, penalized on twenty years of my second pension. A year of back payments does not make me whole as I have lost 19 years of payments.
C.B.
Hi, Shirley Ann. 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.
Yolanda
When will the rest of us receive the WEP retractive payments? It’s March 26th and I thought they were supposed to be mailed out by the end of the month?
John
Yeah, my question, too. A coincidence that Elon Musk laid off SSA workers to delay the pay increases? (hmmm!)
C.B.
Hi, Yolanda. Thanks for using our blog. Most people who are eligible received their one-time retroactive payment already. If you are entitled to the benefit but have not received it, you can call us at 1-800-772-1213. For the many complex cases that cannot be processed automatically, additional time is required to manually update the records and pay both retroactive benefits and the new benefits amount. For more information, visit our Social Security Fairness Act webpage. We hope this helps.
M.G. B.
I read the Comment Policy and think I concurred.
Martha B.
I am a healthy 87 year old widow basically supporting two sons at home. My husband was in the Korean war and EPA and I have Fed. Blue Cross and Medicare a small SS payment. I make some money from teaching music but no money anymore from performing or teaching workshops. We live in a 75+ year-old house in need of repairs. We are trying to make ends meet without going into savings as long as we can. Am I entitled to any SS benefits?
Annie
I myself depending in my small Ssi I’m sad to know that we have to pay taxes on it. I’m 72 + years old I’ve worked for 40 years as a therapist. I stopped filling taxes due to the IRS garnishing my Ssi I have to depend on my family to help me financially. Why do we have to pay taxes even people with retirement income they have to pay. We’ve worked for it and payed taxes while working. We are getting poorer and poorer while the rich is getting richer. What’s wrong with the system.