Social Security Fairness Act benefit increases Millions of Americans have now started receiving extra Social Security money that they were supposed to get earlier but didn’t because of old rules. The Social Security Administration (SSA) recently said that it has sent out retroactive payments to about 2.5 million people. These folks were affected by rules that made their monthly benefits smaller if they had public pensions, like those for teachers, police officers, or firefighters.
The new law that fixed this problem is called the Social Security Fairness Act. President Biden signed it in January 2025. This law removed two things that used to hurt public workers’ retirement money the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO).
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These two rules often reduced or even blocked Social Security payments for people who also got a pension from a job where they didn’t pay into Social Security. But now, those rules are gone, and people can finally get the full benefits they deserve.
Payments Already Sent
Most of the people who qualified for these payments already got their money. The SSA says they’ve finished adjusting benefits for about 91% of those affected. Some people even got back pay starting from January 2024, since that’s when the old rules were officially gone. The first payments went out in February 2025, and the monthly benefit changes showed up in April checks.
But around 900,000 cases are still waiting to be fixed. These are mostly complicated cases that need someone to look through them manually. Some of the files are incomplete, or the pension details don’t match, so it takes more time. The SSA says it might take until November 2025 to go through all of these.
If you’re still waiting for your money, SSA says it’s very important to check your contact details and bank info. You can do this by logging into your account at ssa.gov/myaccount or by calling their number 1-800-772-1213. This way, you can get your back pay and updated benefits faster.
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How Much More Money Will You Get?
Not everyone will get the same amount. The SSA explained that it depends on each person’s situation. Some people will only see a small change, but others might get more than $1,000 extra every month. Anyone who qualifies will get a letter in the mail explaining how much money they’re getting, both the new monthly amount and any back payments.
Since this law changed who can get Social Security, new people have started applying. Over 200,000 people who didn’t qualify before are now sending in applications. So far, the SSA has gone through 87% of those new applications. If you didn’t apply earlier because the old rules meant you’d get nothing or very little, now is the time to apply. You can visit ssa.gov/apply to send in your form.
