Retirees across the United States will see higher Social Security payments starting in April 2025, thanks to the Social Security Fairness Act, which was passed in January 2024 under the Biden administration and is now being implemented during Donald Trump’s presidency.
This new law is especially important for public employees who were affected by older rules known as WEP (Windfall Elimination Provision) and GPO (Government Pension Offset), which reduced their Social Security benefits in the past.
Who Will Get a Retroactive Social Security Increase?
The new measure also includes a retroactive payment going back to January 2024, the month the law took effect. According to the Social Security Administration (SSA), one-time payments began in late February, while the updated monthly amounts will be visible in April 2025, reflecting the benefit for March (since payments are always sent one month after the benefit month).
The updated April payments will be sent on the following dates:
- April 9 – For those born between the 1st and 10th of any month
- April 16 – For birthdays from the 11th to 20th
- April 23 – For those born between the 21st and 31st
What If My Case Is Complex?
Not all adjustments can be processed automatically. For more complex cases—such as beneficiaries with changes in marital status, public pension overlaps, or custody-related issues—manual review is needed, which takes more time.
An SSA spokesperson explained:
“We’ve used automation to speed up payments, but complex cases take longer to process manually. All adjustments should be completed by November 2025.”
As of March 28, the SSA reported that 75% of all eligible cases had already been processed, affecting around 2.3 million beneficiaries.
Who Is Not Affected by This Payment Increase?
The SSA confirmed that 72% of state and local government employees will not see any change in their benefits. Why? Because these workers already contribute to Social Security and were never affected by WEP or GPO rules.
The increase mainly applies to retirees who received a public pension alongside federal Social Security, which previously reduced their benefits unfairly—especially workers in education, law enforcement, and fire services.
Why Were WEP and GPO Considered Unfair?
WEP and GPO policies were originally created to prevent “double-dipping,” but they ended up penalizing honest public workers who had earned benefits from both state pensions and Social Security.
Unions and retiree groups have fought for years to remove these policies, saying they were unfair to those who worked in schools, police departments, and fire stations, often for lower pay and fewer retirement benefits.
When Will Everyone Get Their Adjusted Payments?
SSA says most people will receive their full payment by April 2025, but all remaining adjustments, including retroactive payments, will be finished by early November 2025. Officials ask beneficiaries to wait until April before calling for payment inquiries, as processing is still ongoing.
This delay is necessary due to the size of the system: the SSA handles over 65 million monthly beneficiaries, making any system-wide change a huge task that requires software updates and staff training.