Social Security Pays Billions of Dollars in Retroactive Payments
Reading Time: 1 MinuteLast Updated: March 5, 2025
The Social Security Administration (SSA) today shared its significant progress to quickly implement the Social Security Fairness Act. Through March 4, 2025, SSA has already paid 1,127,723 people more than $7.5 billion in retroactive payments. The retroactive payments are the result of the repeal of the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO). The average retroactive payment so far is $6,710.
“President Trump made it very clear he wanted the Social Security Fairness Act to be implemented as quickly as possible,” said Lee Dudek, Acting Commissioner of Social Security. “We met that challenge head on and are proudly delivering for the American people.”
The WEP and GPO 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 agency continues to pay remaining retroactive payments and is ready to begin paying higher monthly benefit payments beginning in April for people’s March benefit.
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Becky D.
I am inquiring for my 101 year old mother as to whether or not she is eligible for monies from the Social Security Fairness Act as my father was a Postal Employee (now deceased) and my mother is receiving his survivors pension.
FRANK C.
I retired in 1996 from the Federal Government i was under the CSRS I have not seen a letter or retro pay yet also.I am77 will i get before its to late .
Gloria C.
Why can’t we change the date we get social security. I really need my social security on them first of the months..l have bills that are due on them first and there’s three of them that will not change the date I always receive my Social Security on the second Wednesday but I have a difficult time paying the other bills I have that are due on the 1st can this be changed I would appreciate your answer thank you Gloria from California
CRedmon
Gloria C, The receipt date cannot be changed as your date of receipt of Soc Sec is determined by the date of your birth; ie., my birthdate is the 27th so I receive my check the 4th Wednesday of the month for the previous month.
Gloria, you need to do a little crunching and pay next month’s bill with the monies you receive on the 2nd Wednesday of this month.
C.B.
Hi, Frank. Thanks for using our blog. Most people who are eligible received their one-time retroactive payment already. If you are entitled to the benefit but have not received it, you can call us at 1-800-772-1213. For the many complex cases that cannot be processed automatically, additional time is required to manually update the records and pay both retroactive benefits and the new benefits amount. For more information, visit our Social Security Fairness Act webpage. We hope this helps.
David N.
How does a person find out if WEP affects their social security payment amount their receiving
C.B.
Hi, David. 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.
Walton R.
I retired CSRS in 1997 and also qualified for SS monthly retirement payments 11 years later. As of 25 March, 2025 I also have not received a retroactive payment, an adjustment to monthly benefits notification, or a letter of explanation from SS.
Karrie J.
I called and they won’t even address it until April so I will take another 3 hours out of my life. When they pulled my Social Security number up, it says WEP eligible. Then she started looking in it, and she said it doesn’t show I have a retirement. I told her I have two. Then she said well the money you’re getting right now is a full benefit. Now mind you I started drawing on it 7 1/2 years ago when I was 62 1/2. I said when I first started drying on it, it was $300 a month so that’s what I was supposed to get. She goes no you’re getting your full amount now which is $500 a month. So I said all the years I worked a side job and after I retired, went back to work to add to my Social Security. The only benefit I get is $500 a month I said no she then put me on hold for several minutes. He came back and said hopefully this will correct itself before April 1. If not, you have to call back and explain all this and go through it again and hopefully they will be able to help you then. So here I sit.
Noreen L.
Hi there, I am expecting retroactive SS money & an increased monthly check beginning in April, as my recent phone conversations with my local office about WEP have indicated I am due. I see that the chart created 3/14/25 on this site is showing 75% of these have been paid out, but there’s no update since. Are you working on it this week?
Ronald C.
I’m at full retirement age and worked for 32 years for a municipality and receive a pension not covered by social security and also collect a minimal social security check monthly for quarters worked years ago and don’t understand why I’m not in titled to fairness act retroactive
Annie F.
Please call me. Need to create an account , how much is my increase? How does the fair security act affect me?
Norma. H.
I was a Bangor and/or Brewer teacher for 38 years..retiring in 2015. I took my state pension because it was more than my s.s. and was more than my divorced husband s.s…..we had been married for 37 years. With the Fairness Act, can I collect from my x’s ss now or does it have to be your own.
Karrie J.
Sounds great but I called and mine is messed up and they said nothing can be done until April at the earliest. When my SS# is input it says WEP eligible. When they go into my history they say I have been receiving my total amount all along. Not true I have not nor do I now receive my whole amount. I’m pretty upset.
HOANG D.
I wanted to point out that I didn’t get my retroactive payments and I read that alot of payments went out already. The social security department has been rude and disrespectful, and their employees don’t like people having more money than them. There is fraud in their department and the politicians don’t care. The old people are putting themselves up and increasing their paychecks. It is a political scam by them and it is taking money away from the states. The businessmen are embezzlers and they are connected to casinos with crooks inside companies. They are all crooks and terrorists trying to show they are better people by pretending the entire time.
Angela G.
I haven’t gotten mine either.
susan p.
this is exausting I have updated my information and I have been locked out of my account, I haven’t received a payment in months, how are we supposed to get by
when we are ignored.
C.B.
Thank you for reading our blog, Susan. We are sorry you are having difficulty accessing your account. You can call our “Help Desk” at 1-800-772-1213. After you hear “How can I help you today?” please say “Help Desk” for help to access my Social Security account. The help desk is available to callers between 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. You can also speak to a representative regarding your benefits. We hope this helps.
Regina W.
Statics og winfall payment
Regina W.
When will I receive winfall payment from ssa
Regina W.
When can I get the status of winfall social fairness act payment.
Diane B.
My name is Diane Buie and I am having a issue logging into my account.
I would like a copy of all of my earnings Record, ASP.
C.B.
Thank you for reading our blog, Diane. We are sorry you are having difficulty accessing your account. You can call our “Help Desk” at 1-800-772-1213. After you hear “How can I help you today?” please say “Help Desk” for help to access my Social Security account. The help desk is available to callers between 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. We hope this helps.
Todd O.
If we get SSDI will we get that same money because of the new rules.if so how far back will they go
T.Y.
Hi, Todd. 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. December 2023 is the last month that WEP and GPO will apply. This means that those rules no longer apply to benefits payable for January 2024 and later. Social Security benefits payable for January 2024 would generally have been received in February 2024. Please visit our Social Security Fairness Act webpage to learn more. We hope this helps.
Todd O.
If we get SSDI will we get that same money because of the new rules.if so how far back will they go . But you never gave me an answer
Steve S.
Why can’t I log into my SS account and find out what my new payment amount is going to be? I have received no notification of any kind.
Linda E.
I haven’t been able to sign in either! Now they’re going to send me a code for signing in?! I already have a my SS account. I have no clue what to do or even what is going on!
Linda C.
Hi Linda, there was a time when I had difficulty getting into my SS account – having to change the password multiple times because the system didn’t recognize my username and password, until I tried using Google Chrome to access mysocialsecurity account. I had previously been using Modzilla Firefox using Windows 7.
Linda C.
Hi Linda, there was a time when I had difficulty getting into my SS account – having to change the password multiple times because the system didn’t recognize my username and password, until I tried using Google Chrome to access mysocialsecurity account. I had previously been using Modzilla Firefox using Windows 7.
I hope this is helpful.
Sylvia T.
I have not received my retroactive check nor the letter stating how much my SS Che ck for April will be.
T.Y.
Hi, Steve. Thanks doe using our blog. We are sorry that you are having difficulty accessing your online account. We offer different ways to reset your password. You can call our “Help Desk” at 1-800-772-1213. After you hear “How can I help you today?” please say “Help Desk” for help to access my Social Security account. The help desk is available to callers between 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. We hope this helps.