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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Macie H.
If a person died last year will family get his back ss, monies,because of double dipping
Lillian H.
Will widows of deceased spouses receive the benefits that was denied them at the death of their spouses?
KD
Please lift the wages limitations for people 62-just before full retirement age. There is no reason to limit their earning power because they actuarially have their monthly benefits reduced for the rest of their life. Penalize the fully retired people, if anything, who wait to take out benefits at the fully retired age with wage limitations (currently they get maximum monthly Soc. Sec benefits and no limitations to how much they earn in wages for the rest of their life). Wage limitations, if beneficiaries follow and report, yield less payroll taxes paid (Medicare, Social Sec. tax) and less federal income taxes paid into the system.
Opal V.
The Medical Obama Act caused my SS to be decreased . I had Tri Care for Life and was very healthy so did not need a $1,000 per mo medical insurance . Will these deductions be returned ? 20 Year husband Veteran’s SS not able to be received because as a 50 yr working spouse , my SS benefit was higher . Will this be reviewed ?
Belinda C.
The City of Santa Paula where I worked from 1988 to 2000 did not pay into Social Security, I was a Santa Paula Police Department Public Safety Dispatcher but had to medically retire in 2000. Will I get retroactive Social Security payments and when?
S.D.
Hi, Belinda. Thanks for reading our blog and for your question. People who receive both a pension based on work not covered by Social Security and a Social Security benefit (retirement, spouse, disability, or survivor) may receive an increase. Please visit our Social Security Fairness Act webpage to learn when you can expect retroactive benefits and an increase in your monthly benefit amount. We hope this helps.
Iamtrux@hotmail.com
What about not taxing the SS check
James c.
I only get 220 a month because I’m married
Rich k.
I find it strange that they never paid into the system, yet they are going to help bring social security to its knees if Congress dosen’t find funds from Doge to pay for it. Most police pensions are far greater than my measly as check
Joyce
I agree and they signed a contract knowing full well they weren’t paying any into the brokren system. If you didn’t pay anything and agreed whilst working for the government having nothing taken out of your paycheck why do you feel entitled now. Also not saving a penny for retirement and old age creeping up. Should have taken the money that should have been paid into SS and stashed it for the golden days.
Linda M.
I worked 50 years and now I live on $1191.00 a month can barely make ends meet. Would love to be able to eat better and not live in poverty.
Bobby
Trump can’t do one thing to help anyone without
Somebody is going to badmouth him, he is doing more for this country than any other person has done, he has done more for this country in 1 month than all the US president’s have done in 50 years
And dumb ass gullible citizens still cry and complain over his policies. Wow!!