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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Pam C.
What is the contact info if an individual was not included in Wep in error? No help from calling SS
SB
I did not get a letter but did get a deposit into my account. I use to work under PERS in CA. How do I get a copy of the letter please?
“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.
NOTE: A beneficiary may receive two mailed notices, the first when WEP or GPO is removed from their record, and a second when their monthly benefit amount is adjusted for their new monthly payment amount. They may receive the retroactive payment before receiving the mailed notice.
Brian R.
Ive been struggling.for.sometime now with the money i live on dont make i can live right i just go mote in the hole till theres nothing left for me i hafr to pay car insurance bills rent they in crease me alittle but doing so it had lowerd my food amount where its even worse off they still owe me over $14000 dallors when double charge me for heath insurance i try to tell them but dont seem to know or look into it when i go to office they print my income statment out i ask for one time emergency help say i have a right to this one time but when i ask about it they say i dont get any of when they just gave menthe print out saying what i get then they put it of where i dont get. The real fact and my things should of been redone when my dad had passed away because i was on his case now there confuses and dont know whats what i want answers because ive had been screwed out of alot i know when something is wrong i just get brushed off i want answers how do i get when i keep trying no one listening to me like iam a dumb ass or something ive had been fucked long enough i want to be heard iam some i should get what i should wear not all treated equally i cant even get heard to have this looked at for something i know for sure while i get brush off i want what i should of gotten but got fucked out of and this is something that will never go away to herd and listen to. Iam a person that needs to be herd its big problem and had effected me put me in debt and should be i had to go with out things made my life be more depressed then sll ready heres my # 330-815-3112 if any one can get me the justice i deserve i want to be heard this is not made up its fact and with know one knowing whats going on just keeps making more problems where i cant live for what iam in tittle for iam sick of not being heard and had lots of bad times because of wheres my equal rights at there isnt none in my case still never been heard is that even posible.
Nancy C.
My husband died in 1986. Because I was working under CSRS at the P.O. and am now retired I was not eligible for survivor benefits until the WEP/GPO this January was reversed. I did apply and received 6 months of back pay from July 2024 to Feb. 2025 but I thought the retroactive date for back payments was supposed to be January 2024. Is there a limit with survivor benefits of only 6 months in this case or is the rest of the benefits going back to Jan. 2024 will come later???
Bob M.
The bill was wrote with mention only of a January 2024 retroactive date. Since then the
S.S.A. has found a way around that by saying if you were not already signed up then you were not eligible. Personally I was told by S.S.A employees not to bother until if ever there was a bill passed and signed by a President back in 2021 and again in 2024. There are some congressmen from both parties working to get this corrected. It is happening to me as we speak. The agent on my case called and asked if I wanted retro pay back to July ’24 or just January ’25. I told her July of course but January ’24 was what I had expected. Still waiting on any thing Easter Sunday eve.
Roquieta V.
I retired at the aged of 65 year August 2022 at Napa State Hospital but not contributing SSS for 15 years at Napa State Hospital but I am receiving SSS because I retired with completed quarter time in my previous job at Sonoma State Hospital before transferring to Napa State Hospital. I am just wondering some of my co-workers were retired year 2023 they received their retroactive earlier in March 2025 and I don not have mine yet. It was middle already of April how can I claim my retroactive I am depressed and wondering what is the reason of mine not having it. 4/18/25
Roquieta V.
Please how can I claim my retroactive I am affected with WEP & GOP just wondering some of my co-workers we both have the same case they got their retroactive and I did not get mine.
Coleen W.
Does it apply to veterans?
Betty S.
Does it apply to Railroaders?
Stephen A.
Verification process.
How fo I verify my Identity with the Social Security Administration on line?
Christie R.
MY HUSBAND DIED LAST YEAR, DO I GET SURVIVORS BENEFITS
RACHEL M.
How long y’all been Married?
Christopher A.
Well this is how I look at the whole thing the people that are on a fix income and living in trashy places needs more help and also needs help getting a car but can’t afford one bc of paying all their bills and broke on the same day they get paid if it’s more money out there to get and help out on transportation then they are doing something but all I see the rich getting Richer and the ones that are trying to make it is losing everything and more people on the street than ever before
Rosetta
My late husband was federal employee and left survivor benefits for me. Am I included in these kickbacks
Michael W.
I havent received my check for the Social Security Fairness Act from January of last year.
Karin M.
We haven’t either Michael & my husband is eligible.
Linda H.
Neither has my hubby. We’ve seen nothing… He worked 28 years paying into SS and 23 years paying into Opers. I hope we are both on the tail end of the receiving…. They say they will have it all completed by November. It’s like a kid waiting for Christmas ha ha ha.