Millions of retirees are beginning to see higher Social Security payments this April following the implementation of the Social Security Fairness Act, which was signed into law earlier this year.
The legislation repeals two long-criticized provisions that previously reduced benefits for public-sector workers.
What changed under the Social Security Fairness Act?
The new law eliminates the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO).
These rules had a major impact on individuals who worked in public-sector roles-such as teachers, police officers, and postal workers-who were part of pension systems that did not require contributions to Social Security.
Even if these workers had paid into Social Security through other jobs, WEP and GPO significantly cut their benefits.
Now, with these provisions removed, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has started issuing recalculated payments to more than 3.2 million beneficiaries.
This includes not only retirees themselves but also spouses and surviving spouses who were previously affected by the GPO.
Who qualifies for the increase?
The groups most likely to benefit include:
- Retired public-sector workers in states without Social Security coverage.
- Federal employees under the older Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS).
- U.S. retirees receiving foreign government pensions.
By early April, the SSA had completed 81% of the necessary adjustments, with 2.3 million people receiving updated benefits or backpay. Remaining cases are still being processed manually.
How much will payments increase?
On average, monthly checks are increasing by $360, although some recipients could receive up to $1,000 more per month depending on their work history. In addition, retroactive payments back to January 2023 have already been issued to many-averaging $6,710 per person, totaling $7.5 billion in backpay so far.
When will you receive your payment?
For April 2025, payment dates are as follows:
- April 3: For beneficiaries who started before May 1997 or receive SSI.
- April 9: For those born between the 1st and 10th.
- April 16: For those born between the 11th and 20th.
- April 23: For those born after the 20th.
No action is needed for most recipients, provided their mailing address and direct deposit details are current. Anyone unsure of their status should visit ssa.gov/myaccount or call 1-800-772-1213.
This policy marks a major shift for millions of Americans who were previously disadvantaged under the old system. The SSA expects to finalize all remaining adjustments by November 2025.