The Social Security Administration (SSA) has processed over 2.5 million retroactive payments for teachers, firefighters, police officers, and others with public pensions who were previously excluded from retirement benefits. This follows the signing of the Social Security Fairness Act into law by President Biden in January 2025. The Act mandates the adjustment of both future and past benefits, addressing the needs of those impacted by the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO).
These provisions had restricted public pension holders from collecting full Social Security benefits. The legislation terminated these provisions, enabling millions to receive retroactive payments dating back to January 2024. The SSA began issuing these payments on February 25, 2025.
Most beneficiaries were expected to receive a one-time retroactive payment deposited into their bank accounts by the end of March 2025. The majority of eligible individuals started seeing increases in their monthly benefits beginning in April 2025, with the payments reflecting March’s benefits due to the one-month lag in Social Security disbursements. While the SSA has expedited many payments using automation, approximately 200,000 cases require manual processing and will take longer to complete.
The agency expects to update all beneficiary records by November 2025.
Fairness Act payment updates begin
Those who have not received their payments can verify their information or contact the SSA to ensure the agency has current address and direct deposit details.
SSA employees have been directed to prioritize processing Social Security Fairness Act cases. However, the agency denies that this focus has resulted in service disruptions. An agency spokesperson said, “SSA is not setting aside or deferring work as it prioritizes SSFA cases.
There have been no disruptions to service. SSA is committed to pay the right person the right amount at the right time.”
The increase in benefits will vary depending on the type of Social Security benefit and pension a person receives. Adjustments range from minimal changes to substantial increases exceeding $1,000 monthly.
Beneficiaries receiving retroactive payments or monthly benefit adjustments will be notified by mail, outlining the changes. Individuals who did not apply for retirement or spousal benefits due to previous federal laws might need to file an application to benefit from the new provisions. The SSA reports receiving over 200,000 new applications since the Social Security Fairness Act was enacted and has already processed 87% of these applications.