Social Security Retroactive Payments: What You Need To Know
Mar 07, 2025
In January, President Biden signed into law the Social Security Fairness Act, significantly increasing benefits for nearly 3 million former public employees in the United States through Social Security retroactive payments.
This week the Social Security Administration (SSA) announced that back payments have been sent to over 1.1 million beneficiaries. These payments reflect the retroactive benefits owed to retirees, spouses, and surviving spouses due to the elimination of the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP).
How This May Impact You:
- Retroactive Payments: As of March 4, over $7.5 billion in retroactive payments have been distributed to 1,127,723 individuals.
- Monthly Increases: Starting in April, beneficiaries will notice an increase in their monthly payments, corresponding to higher benefits for March.
Next Steps:
Beneficiaries can visit SSA’s dedicated website to learn more about the Fairness Act and see updates on the agency’s progress. The SSA is expected to release more details soon.
For any assistance or further inquiries regarding the Social Security retroactive payments, please do not hesitate to contact our team. We are here to help you navigate these changes and understand how they impact your benefits.
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President Biden Signs Into Law the Social Security Fairness Act
Jan 06, 2025
Law to boost social security payments for millions of public workers
On Sunday, President Biden signed the Social Security Fairness Act into law, significantly increasing Social Security benefits for nearly 3 million former public employees in the United States. This landmark legislation repeals two significant federal policies—the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO).
These policies previously prevented teachers, firefighters, police officers, and other government workers with pensions from jobs that didn’t contribute to Social Security from receiving full Social Security benefits. They also reduced benefits for those workers’ spouses and surviving family members. The repeal marks a meaningful step toward greater financial security for these individuals and their families.
What does this mean for you?
If you worked in a public sector position, you might qualify for higher Social Security benefits based on your work and pension history. Additionally, if you’re a spouse or survivor, your benefits could increase.
The enhanced benefits introduced by the Social Security Fairness Act would apply retroactively to December 2023. This means that payments for eligible individuals are expected to be backdated to January 2024.
Next steps?
The Social Security Administration is expected to release additional details about the implementation soon. We encourage you to stay informed by visiting their official page: https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/social-security-fairness-act.html
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