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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Michael A.
Will ssi recipients get any extra money?
Mary J.
I worked for IHS from 1996 to 2002 will I get something from that?
C.B.
Hi, Mary Jo. 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 your work at IHS, 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.
Armandina V.
If I started receiving reduced Social Security benefits on 2020 will the Social Security Fairness Act.
T.Y.
Thanks for reading our blog and for your question, Armandina. The Social Security Fairness Act ends the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO). These provisions reduced or eliminated the Social Security benefits of people who receive a pension based on work that was not covered by Social Security because they did not pay Social Security taxes. This law increases Social Security benefits for some workers 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. Learn more about the steps the Social Security Administration (SSA) is taking on our Social Security Fairness Act webpage. We hope this helps.
Kenneth K.
My comment is a question!
Was Tax taken from the backpay amount I received?
Was the amount I received net or Gross owed as backpay?
Patrick C.
this a scam because SS doesn’t post stuff on line they will send you a letter in the mail …… so people not fall for this because it a dcam
Kenneth B.
I got my lump sum payment at the end of February. In March I got the same monthly payment as January. If the payment calculation was adjusted to the new normal, why wasn’t my March monthly payment adjusted upward to reflect that? Will this difference for March be added to my new payment in April?
Dave C.
Having a very hard time figuring out exactly how many months were covered in the retroactive check for 2024. can anybody answer this.
C.B.
Hi, Dave. Thanks for reading our blog and for your question. 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. We hope this information helps.
Carrol
Thank you thank you? Because of this retroactive check I think maybe I can quit work! I am 87 years old and still working 3 days a week and with that extra I barely make ends meet! This will be a tremendous help!!!
Rachel C.
First thank God; next thanks to President Joe Biden for his hard work in looking out for “We The People.” “Donny”Trump didn’t do a blame thing for the people.
James A.
Thank you President Joe Biden and my Union Brothers and Sisters for taking care of us!