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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Ludie J.
Sounds to me like those that paid in SSI will not benefit from this at all and those that didn’t will get lots more than those struggling with baring getting by checks that haven’t even got a good cost of living yearly. Seem little for those that need it the most…interest that our pay was invested in, those that paid yearly will be given to those that didn’t contribute but had a good take home pay????
DAVID L.
I was under civil service I did work 40 quarters under S. S. they told me I do not qualify for the payment but it does not state you need 40 quarters to collect in the law that is written
Pamela G.
Re: Required income Reporting
I have been trying to call both local and 800 # with no success. I have held as long as an hour and a half, then cut off.
I have received no extra income, but I’m concerned I’m not able to report this.
I have tried downloading the.pdf but I think is too busy, as it just keeps spinning. How can I email tech support and/or report my status?
Shirley S.
I can’t understand why all social security recipients are not getting any additional money with all the taxes they paid in while working 30-40 yrs. With our economy being so bad, I am paying 2 times as much for groceries, gas, meds and rent is constantly going up. I have to decide each month what I can pay or go without meds, bills , food etc. My check doesn’t cover everything. I am barely surviving like millions of other social security recipients. Please if you are reading this have some compassion and help the seniors. Please
Dee
My husband did not apply for ss benefits in the past because he it was clear that he was not eligible pursuant to WEP/GPO. He applied right away in January 2025 once these laws were repealed and he became eligible to collect benefits and he has since begun receiving his monthly benefit. But he should have become eligible in September 2024 when he turned 62. Will he receive retroactive benefits under these circumstances of now being retroactively eligible for the 4 additional months (Sept-Jan) but didn’t apply earlier because he clearly wasn’t eligible then and it just would have been denied at the time, plus there was no guidance ever to apply even though not eligible to preserve possible benefits in the future should the 40 year old laws ever be repealed which was not possible for so many decades?
S.S.
Hi, Dee. For security reasons, we do not have access to personal information in this venue. Please call our toll-free number at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) to discuss your situation. Our National 800 number is available Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Keep in mind, wait times to speak to a representative are typically shorter in the morning, later in the week, and later in the month. For information about the Fairness Act, visit our Social Security Fairness Act webpage. We hope this helps.
Brenda N.
Somehow I feel that Elon Musk have something to do with this . They don’t have enough people working to handle this rush , there will be a stampede of people t in line thinking there checkes will be cut off but here’s when you see your real friends if your homeless . Lord help us all from these two vengeful men . And why does Musk have so much authority? He’s not even a Senator .
Velma R.
I agree, who’s the president here Elon or that man they voted in trump.? Elon is with Trump more than his vice president what ever his name is. I’m just l keeping it real.
Archie
Because a majority of the American people think that a successful business man in government is better than a bunch of lawyers possibly.
Michelle
Amen!
Susan R.
I’m worried myself. My husband’s SSA had a random $15. Direct deposit amount then we got a notification saying will get paid the regular adjusted payment in April. Where’s our March $$$.
MS. L.
REPUBLICANS ARE FOR THE PEOPLE, DEMOCRATS WANT TO FIGHT. SOCIAL SECURITY NOT BEING CUT. FOOD AND GAS GOING DOWN.
YOUR IN OFFICE TO HELP THE PEOPLE NOT YOURSELF. WORK TOGETHER.
Ann
Currently homeless, not a friend in sight :-{
jarruiz@att.net
This has nothing to do with Elon.
US Senator Cassidy, M.D.(R-LA) celebrated the passing of his bill to fully repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Penson Offset (GPO) following his months-long effort
to secure a vote. The Social Security Fairness Act passed 76-20. President Biden signed approval January 5th, 2025 before he left office. This was long overdue!
Debbie
I agree! I am so scared for my mother’s social security! He seems to have control of most everything and that makes me very scared!
Cher H.
You and others needs to trust President Trump to know what he is doing. He is HELPING us and by helping he needs to trust SOMEBODY like Musk. God is aware that he cannot trust government people in general and NOBODY WHO IS DEMOCRAT!!!!!
Maybe you haven’t had enough of stealing and pocketing any money the dems can get their hands on but some of us need Social Security to continue at a higher disbursement to the PEOPLE WHO NEED IT!!!!!
Vicky S.
The writer of the article does not give Pres. Trump credit for the Act. The article only states that Pres. Trump wants to get it expedited. It was signed in January of 2024, but stated it would take a year or more to implement. Obviously, Pres. Trump feels it’s taking too long, and needs to finally be taken care of. Some more complex cases may still take longer, but he wants it to move along.
BEATRICE L.
NOT SO!
President Biden put the SS FAIRNESS ACT INTO LAW! CHECK YOUR FACTS!!!
Trump had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with this increase. DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH!!!
Rosa L.
President Trump had nothing to do with this and why should he credit? He and Elon Musk are trying to get rid of social security!
dave s.
NO … it was signed in December by Joe Biden … it was something that couldn’t be undone so when it had to go out Trump put his name in there … No way would Trump and Musk sent out to the everyday workers all this money … look it up.
Mark
That’s because at the end of Bidens term Congress passed the fairness act and President Joe Biden signed it into law! Dump had nothing to do with it except to slow things down with his department of inefficiency!
Denise G.
Biden probably didn’t know what his auto-pen signed. Lol. If he did know, why didn’t he initiate sending me mg check? Trump did it within a month of being in office and it was “discovered” under loads of SS fraud. If was not scheduled under Biden to reach my bank.
Darby O.
Biden certainly knew what he was signing. But the benefits were scheduled to begin after his term was over, so they began under Trump. Thank you Biden!!
jarruiz@att.net
Very True!
Terri C.
What about my recently deceased husband who was grossly underpaid and denied SSD and the reason they denied him. They told me because my husband wasn’t able to walk or talk was because during our lifetime we used our deductions. Well I thought that’s what deductions were for. We were in business. They were legitimate deductions and I don’t understand why you know he or I were punished for it and as soon as he died, I was of course they removed his his payments his monthly payment and denied me death benefits $255 that if in all reality when someone dies, they know when they die, they stopped their checks. The last check should be the $255. That’s not much of a death benefit, but I didn’t get it and I was told to apply for it. It’s ridiculous. I have to go and apply for it. I lost my daughter two months before my husband I didn’t care about applying for anything and I’m still not willing to go beg Social Security for what should’ve been my husband‘s to begin with his $700 a month was really pitiful. I had to quit work to take care of him as well and got nothing for that so you know I mean, I really didn’t feel like I deserve payment for taking care of him. I took care of him because I loved him but both of us having to stop work was a huge deal and then this year they gave me $24 increase for cost of living myself. I only get $1069 a month and because I was late in applying for Medicare I was punished $10.60 a year for the rest of my life well when they gave me a $24 cost-of-living raise they also came back the next day and took $10.60 a month again on top of the first $10.60 to pay for the rest of my life for basically not applying for Medicare and I didn’t apply because I didn’t know that you know I would be punished and I was still working and I thought you know I was being a good citizen because I didn’t ask for something while I had income
Debbie
I am so sorry…..my prayers for you!