After the Social Security Fairness Act was passed earlier this year, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has released an update for people who have not yet received additional benefits, according to Social Security Fairness Act Progress 2025. According to a recent SSA report, the agency has already processed around 91% of cases related to a new law that is creating increased benefits and lump-sum retroactive payments for almost 3 million people.
The WEP and GPO, which previously decreased benefits for people who also receive income from public pensions that did not require the payment of Social Security payroll taxes, were eliminated by the Social Security Fairness Act.
The Social Security Administration warned at the beginning of the year that impacted recipients could have to wait more than a year to see their benefits changed. The agency credits the speed at which those payments were made to automation. All beneficiary records impacted by the bill will be updated by early November, according to the Social Security Administration’s current plan.
Social Security Fairness Act Progress 2025
This year, the Social Security Fairness Act is causing a stir by giving over 3 million Americans retroactive lump-sum payments and benefit increases. Many expected that it would take more than a year to execute these changes, but the Social Security Administration (SSA) has already processed almost 91% of them.
This page provides the latest information on Social Security Fairness Act payments and how the law is changing benefits, in case you are wondering where your updated benefits are or what this law means for you.
What is Social Security Fairness Act and who benefits?
In January 2025, this act was was passed into law, eliminating GPO and WEP, these rules had reduced payments for federal employees under CSRS, teachers, firemen, police officers, and others who held job with pensions unrelated to Social Security payroll taxes.
These reductions affected more than 2.7 million people, with the new law, benefits for around 3 million public employees and those in similar pension conditions will increase. Not all members of these groups will get an increase, since 72% of state and local public employees already pay SST, the previous regulations had no effect on them.
About the WEP and the GPO
The GPO and WEP were implemented to stop possible windfalls that may come from working in both the public and private sectors and therefore earning money from several sources when you retire. When an individual received both Social Security benefits from working in the private sector and a public sector pension plan after working in the public sector, the WEP addressed this situation; the GPO addressed this situation with regard to surviving spouses of employees. According to SSA, the GPO and WEP cut or completely canceled three million people’s Social Security benefit.
What enactment of SSFA means?
The SSFA’s impacts are already being felt as in February 2025, the SSA started paying retroactive benefits, and it is already increasing monthly payments to those whose benefits were impacted by WEP and GPO. This happened more quickly than expected at first. A one-time retroactive payment was to be made by the end of March to beneficiaries who were entitled to retroactive benefits.
This payment was intended to compensate the rise in their benefit amount back to January 2024, when the GPO and WEP were eliminated under the SSFA. In April 2025, the SSA also announced that most of impacted recipients will start receiving their revised monthly benefit amount.
What amount will Social Security recipients actually get?
Benefit increases are not all the same. Others may receive more than $1,000 more each month, while others will just experience a slight increase. Social Security benefits may increase from $360 to $1,190 per person each month, according to the Congressional Budget Office, depending on the specific situation.
Starting as early as January 2024, the SSA is paying lump sums for retroactive benefits in addition to increasing monthly checks. For most of beneficiaries, new monthly increments have been processed along with these retroactive amounts.
Why have some individuals not received their payments till now?
Although 91% of payment changes have been handled, there are still over 300,000 cases pending. Sometimes, these involve complex situations that demand manual evaluation and cannot be managed by automation. For instance, certain beneficiaries who recently died can be eligible for retroactive payments that must be made to their surviving family members.
Other problems include overpayments, in which the SSA will attempt to recoup extra funds that have already been paid. Due to the law, some new applicants are also eligible, although they still have to submit claims. When these applications are made will have an impact on how much they get and when their benefits start.
How has SSA handled this massive workload?
Most of these cases are processed quickly because of automation, according to SSA. Although it is working to complete updates sooner, the agency’s current goal is to have them completed by early November. This drive has, however, brought out new difficulties. The SSA staff is prioritizing around 900,000 complex cases under the Social Security Fairness Act that need to be addressed by hand.
Other services, such as processing Medicaid bills and updating direct deposit information, have been slowed down as a result. Although some SSA employees claim to have worked extra hours, even on the weekends, to make the deadline, many claimants continue to experience delays and frustration.
What does this signify for future Social Security claimants?
- The adoption of the bill represents the largest increase in decades for the Social Security program. Over the next ten years, it is expected to cost around $200 billion, raising concerns about the program’s financial stability.
- In the meanwhile, this law plus the growing number of Baby Boomers who are retiring are contributing to a 15% increase in Social Security retirement claims in 2025. This year, the SSA has also implemented personnel and policy changes that have left many recipients confused and worried.
- Congress may want to look into the entire process, according to experts, in order to more fully understand the costs and effects. Beneficiaries should be on the lookout for updates and be ready for some delays as SSA clears its backlog.
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