Social Security benefits usually only change en masse in January when the new cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) takes effect. But if you're one of the 3.2 million Americans affected by the Social Security Fairness Act's recent passage, next month's benefit check could look different than you're used to.
You may get more than $1,000 additional per month. However, the vast majority of retirees won't get anything extra, and even some of those entitled to a benefit bump may have to wait a while.
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What the Social Security Fairness Act did
The Social Security Fairness Act eliminated the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO). The WEP applied to retirement benefits while the GPO applied to spousal benefits, but they did pretty much the same thing. They reduced Social Security benefits if the worker received a pension from an employer Social Security didn't cover.
This includes many police officers, firefighters, teachers, and other public employees. However, not everyone in one of these professions will see a change.
Now that the WEP and GPO are history, these workers are entitled to larger checks. The Social Security Administration (SSA) initially said it could take up to one year to make the payment adjustments, but it automated the process for most affected seniors.
If you're among this group, you'll see your benefits increase with your April 2025 payment. How much more you'll get depends on your work history and the type of benefit you receive. The average increase for those affected by the WEP is expected to be about $360 per month, while the average increase for spouses affected by the GPO will be around $700 per month. Widow(ers) who had benefits reduced due to the GPO will see the largest average increase at $1,190 per month.
You may also be entitled to retroactive benefits going back as far as your January 2024 payment. The Social Security Fairness Act applies to all benefits paid after December 2023. If you've been claiming benefits for a while, you may get a one-time retroactive payment as early as this month for the amount you had withheld under the WEP or GPO going back to the beginning of last year.
The Social Security Administration will deposit any retroactive benefits and your new, larger benefit amount in the bank account it has on file for you. If this isn't where you want the money sent, reach out to the SSA as soon as possible to correct this. You can update your payment information yourself by creating a my Social Security account. You can also call the SSA or visit your local Social Security office.
You may not get your extra money right away
The SSA expects most affected Social Security beneficiaries to receive their retroactive payments before the end of the month and their new monthly benefit amount beginning in April. But there are complex cases it couldn't automate.
If yours is among them, you may still have to wait up to one year for the SSA to manually process your payment adjustment. While this is frustrating, it ultimately will not change the amount of money you'll get. You'll just be entitled to a larger, one-time retroactive payment for those months in which your checks were smaller than they're supposed to be.
The SSA asks that you don't reach out regarding your retroactive payment until April and that you wait until you've received your April payment before contacting it about increases to your checks. If you haven't noticed a change by then, check with the SSA to learn the status of your benefit increase.
