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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M. K.
Thank you former President Jie Biden for signing the Fairness Act into law. Thank you any former and current members of Congress whi vited to pass this bill. Thank you Mr. Dudeck and employees for your promo action on assuring thT the laws of the US are faithfully followed.
Tracy M.
President Biden,
This is so very helpful to me.
Bless you and miss you.
April C.
Still not fair to actual tax payers who have retired. How is a government funded pension plus full social security for non tax payers. I believe we deserve help as much or more than them. 😞
Frank H.
Non tax payers don’t get SS. This about not having the benefits you have already earned reduced.. Remember their benefits are already reduced because they have paid less into the system than you have.. But then they would have those benefits reduced again. Getting out what you paid in is fair to everyone.
Government workers earn lower salaries in exchange for Government pensions.
George S.
I am a retired school teacher with a teacher pension and reduced SS. How do I find out if I am covered under the SS Fairness Act?
S.S.
Hi, George. 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 as a teacher, 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.
John J.
Will I owe income tax on this retroactive payment ?
Linda H.
My widows benifits were denied due to the GPO. Will I now be able to draw my widows benifits?
Do I have to do anything to draw them or will it be automatic?
Nathaniel C.
Does it include state workers as well
S.S.
Hi, Nathaniel. 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.
Tony B.
I would like to thank congress and the senate for voting for this. It has been a long time coming. I have been retired for 24 years and been receiving $222.00 a month for that long.
Norma J.
Hello,
Please provide me with an answer that I will receive an extra amount of money being a SS recipient! Or if I will not get the help I desperately need to help pay rent, etc.
Thank You
Ms. Norma Klingler
CS
Trump is your new President, not Biden!
Frank H.
But this law was signed by Biden before he left office, so I’m not sure of the relevance of your comment?