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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Ira B.
I was retired from federal civil service in 2005 I was 55 years old I applied for social security at 65 and they offset my social security payments based on my retirement pension. Will this be retroactive from 2015 until now 2025?
Bob
If they did not pay Sociality Security taxes then they should not be paid with a Social Security check. If they payed into SS for part of their career for the required 10 years they should get paid based on what they paid into SS. If you haven’t worked and paid Social Security taxes for 10 years or more, you could still be eligible for a monthly benefit based on a current or former spouse’s work.
Mary B.
Does this include those of us that are regular workers and draw our SSI. To accommodate or income?
Jane S.
I worked for the Social Security Admin. AND The Office of Hearings & Appeals (Social Security). Will I get this rebate?
Bob
During your career did you pay any Sociality Security taxes? If not I hope you would not get paid unless you’re eligible for a monthly benefit based on a current or former spouse’s work.
Anthony R.
I’m on disability I started November 2023 I’m a eligible
James S.
That’s all fine for those people but what about the poor people who only draw under a $1000 a month, we’re the ones struggling to eat and make ends meet.I would like to see how anyone else could live off of my check of a whole $960, think about who really needs the extra money.
Paul
I’m wondering if the CY2024 retroactive payments will count against CY2024 taxes, or will they count in the year they are paid, that is tax year CY2025???
Shari W.
When I see it. I’ll believe it. Shari Wesley. Ps. So much has been offered and not received. Hoe many lies are going to be told
M. P.
I have stage 3 colon cancer so I be a disabled in 2021. Does this mean I will receive this payment? I’m confused. And yes I worked up until I was diagnosed in 2020.
Francisco
Hello, will the back pay be subject to income tax? If so, will taxes be taken out or will recipients receive a 10-99 or something similar? Could this affect their 2024 tax returns?
Thank you