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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Brekke T.
Jan is correct! Biden signed into law, the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO). Trump deserves no credit or accolades for these laws.
Richard L.
I worked for the Omaha Pubic Power District for almost 40 years which had a pension plan, i have payed a Prim. since retiring [28years ago ] to social security because of the pension plan, I’m I going to be impacted by that social security fairness act ? i had worked other jobs to make up my quarters that i lacked and still had to pay a prim. to S.S. ANY HELP WILL BE APPRECATED
S.S.
Hi, Richard. 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 work, 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.
Don C.
I’m confused: FERS retirees received a much lower civil service retirement pay than their CSRS counterparts because FERS are authorized social security. Now the CSRS will receive SS back-pay?
Forever T.
The perfect saying ” Lefties Loosing it”
Nicole
TDS’ers having their meltdowns. LOL nowhere here does it say Trump signed it into law. It says he’s implementing it lolol… TDS’ers can’t read from the weed they smoke.
Seneca A.
I collect ssdi and have worked a union job and then a non union job in the past. Does the ss fairness act affect people like me?
S.S.
Hi, Seneca. 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 work, 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.
Robert M.
My spouse retired from State Troopers but then worked 17 years in private sector. He died 8/2/24. Should he not receive something for the 7 months he lived and received SS in 2024 and will it not affect what I now receive?
T.K. V.
I am a retired university faculty member who is affected by WEP/GPO and one who chose to delay receiving my SS till it maxed out in a couple of years. With the Fairness Act in place I have now applied for my SS last week. My question is, will people like me who were not yet on the SS payment roll when the law went into effect on Jan 5, 25, but who are affected by the WEP/GPO eligible for the retroactive lump-sum payment from Jan 24?
S.S.
Hi, T.K. 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.
Gaius G.
BIDEN signed this into law, NOT TRUMP!
Author is showing a bizarre bias against reality.
J
I think it’s because Biden didn’t actually go forward with it?? Idk
Ann M.
I don’t care who signed it! It’s long overdue so be grateful. I paid into SS 27 years before being a teacher. I’m owed tons as are millions of other professionals.
Let go of your political mentality for once.
Sally A.
Thank you for making it clear that President Biden signed this into law, not Trump.
Thank you, President Biden
Deb
They credit Trump with expediting the process and not dragging it out for a year, like Biden claimed. You just need to read the facts. So yes Trump is doing it faster and does deserve credit for putting Americans first. Same for Astronauts, Trump got it done, they were stranded by Joe Joe.
CATHY
Go back and REREAD the article. It NEVER states that TRUMP SIGNED the bill. It says TRUMP wants to IMPLEMENT it ASAP. We ALL know that this bill came from Biden.. But because HE signed it right BEFORE HE LEFT OFFICE, OBVIOUSLY he couldn’t IMPLEMENT IT. The article simply states that Trump wants to get the money in the hands of Americans ASAP.
Does your hate for Trump cloud every thought and decision you make or do? Can we all just want Americans to be safe and successful and leave politics out of EVERYTHING???
Jan
Trump did not sign this act Biden did.
Keep your info straight !
Gaius G.
So true!
Biden signed it but the author gives credit to Trump?
What is up with that!!!!????
Sky
SSA will not be sending checks to those that SSA had mistakenly overpaid, 72 billions dollars by SSA human error.
The collection claw back has gone back to 100% instead of 10%. Which means under poverty American seniors that worked 45 years paying taxes, into SS will not be receiving a check until what they were overpaid is collected.
They should be forgiven. DOGE just removed 7,000 employees from SSA. They are short staffed. Many offices are gone entirely. Republicans are most likely going to shutdown SSA entirely and whatever the seniors paid into is going to be used to give tax cuts to the rich.
That is thieving. That is stealing from seniors.Hard working honest middle class taxpayers that worked 45 years.
Concerned
You are so right! I’m glad you are speaking out Jan!
Sharon
Auto pen signed by biden who doesn’t know what day of the week it is!
Mary
Does EVERYTHING have to be a political issue? There have been both Republican and Democrat presidents in office during the decades this has been an issue. The facts show it took Biden’s administration 3 years to approve it. Maybe due to bring an election year decision, maybe not. A year went by without us seeking a dime. A Republican administration enters the White House and probably could have rescinded it or delayed it, but didn’t. Less than 3 months into Trump’s term the money is in my account and yours too. He did not attempt to overturn it with 3.75 years left in his term. Both administrations played a role in your first check.
I worked 31 years asking for a change and
another 15 years in retirement contacting legislators. You may have done the same. I’ll not live long enough to see great benefit from this change, but I’m thankful for all those who worked to get it passed and to both administrations for getting us to the day money is in our retirement funds. Can’t we just be thankful and avoid making it a political issue?
Diane M.
WAAAA !