Southland News

If you receive Social Security benefits you may be eligible for an increase in your payments due to retroactive adjustments related to the Social Security Fairness Act, signed into law on January 5, 2025.

The Act ends the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO). These provisions reduced or eliminated Social Security benefits for individuals who receive pensions from non-covered government employment. The Social Security Fairness Act increases benefits for certain types of workers.

Why you may be eligible for a retroactive payment

Recent changes and rulings regarding WEP and GPO could mean that certain retirees qualify for increased Social Security benefits, including potential retroactive payments for amounts that were underpaid.

People who receive a pension based on work not covered by Social Security may see benefit increases. Including:

• Teachers, firefighters and police officers in many states;
• Federal employees covered by the Civil Service Retirement System; and
• People whose work had been covered by a foreign social security system.

Most state and local public employees – about 72 percent – work in Social Security-covered employment where they pay Social Security taxes and are not affected by WEP or GPO. Those individuals will not receive a benefit increase due to the new law.

The SSA has begun to pay retroactive benefits as of February 25, 2025. If you are owed retroactive benefits, you will receive a one-time retroactive payment, deposited into the account the SSA has on file, by the end of March 2025.

How to check if you qualify

• Check your mail: Anyone eligible will receive a mailed notice from Social Security explaining the benefit change or retroactive payment.
• Contact the SSA: If you have questions about your benefit amount, you can contact the SSA.

Where to learn more

To learn more about the Social Security Fairness Act and how it might affect your Social Security payments, visit the FAQ page at SSA.gov.