A group of retirees in the United States will receive higher Social Security checks beginning in April as a result of the Social Security Fairness Act, which was passed in January, approved during the Joe Biden administration, and implemented when Donald Trump took office.
The measure primarily benefits public employees who were previously affected by the WEP (windfall elimination provision) and GPO (Government Pension Offset) policies, which reduced their benefits.
Who receives a retroactive adjustment to their Social Security benefits?
The update includes a retroactive adjustment for January 2024, the month in which the changes took effect. According to the Social Security Administration (SSA), one-time payments began to be distributed at the end of February, but the new monthly amount will be reflected in April 2025, coinciding with the March benefit. The funds are delivered one month late, in accordance with established procedures.
Beneficiaries will receive the updated amounts on three separate dates, depending on their date of birth: April 9 for those born between the 1st and 10th of any month; April 16 for those born between the 11th and 20th; and April 23 for those born between the 21st and 31st. The SSA stated that complex cases necessitate manual adjustments, which delays some payments.
An SSA official told us, “We have been able to expedite payments through automation. Manually updating records takes longer for many complex cases that cannot be processed automatically.”
All adjustments are expected to be completed by November 2025. As of March 28, 75% of cases had been processed, totaling 2.3 million beneficiaries.
Is anyone left outside this payments increments?
The SSA clarified that the reform will not affect 72% of state and local employees, who already contribute to Social Security and are not subject to WEP or GPO.
These employees will not receive additional raises. The policies that were eliminated primarily affected those who received public pensions in addition to their federal benefits.
The administration advised recipients not to inquire about retroactive payments until April, as they would be distributed gradually throughout March.
Although most adjustments are handled by automated systems, situations such as changes in marital status or custody necessitate manual intervention, which extends deadlines in some cases.
Finally, the agency stated that retroactive benefits and new amounts would be released as the files were reviewed. “We are currently accelerating these cases. The entity expects to update all records by early November 2025.
The delays are due to the need to verify information such as years of contributions, work history, and actuarial calculations.
Although the law went into effect in January, it requires computer system updates and staff training. The SSA manages approximately 65 million beneficiaries per month, complicating the implementation of structural changes.
Unions and retiree associations demanded the elimination of WEP and GPO, claiming that the policies penalized educators, police officers, and firefighters.
