A specific group of Social Security beneficiaries began receiving higher payments this month following the implementation of the Social Security Fairness Act, signed in January by President Joe Biden and maintained (thankfully) by President Donald Trump. The regulations eliminate two provisions—the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO)—that reduced benefits to public workers with non-taxable pensions.
According to the Social Security Administration (SSA), more than 3.2 million people—including police officers, firefighters, teachers and postal employees—were affected by these measures. As of April 11, the agency had processed 81% of retroactive payment adjustments, delivering more than $7.5 million to 1.1 million beneficiaries, averaging $6,710 per person.
Retroactive payment and increases: changes now in force in Social Security benefits
The retroactive payments, corresponding to increases since January 2024, were deposited into bank accounts at the end of March. However, the new monthly amounts will be reflected gradually: most will receive the adjustment in April 2025, corresponding to the benefit from March of that year. Complex cases require manual updates, extending the process until November 2025.
“Social Security benefits are paid one month late. Most of those affected will begin receiving their new amounts in April 2025,” the SSA explained in a statement. The agency uses automation to streamline payments, but specific cases—such as variable pension calculations—demand human intervention. So far, 2.3 million records have been modified.
Eliminating the WEP and GPO represents an additional cost of $182 million, according to Congress. Analysts predict that the adjustment will especially benefit states with a high proportion of public workers, such as California, Texas, and New York. However, the SSA warned about scam attempts related to false notifications: “We never request banking information by mail or telephone.”
Social Security Payment Schedule
Deposits are made on Wednesdays based on date of birth: days 1-10 (April 9), 11-20 (April 16) and after the 20th (April 23). Beneficiaries will receive a postal notification detailing monthly adjustments or retroactive payments. The SSA reiterated that all records will be up-to-date by November 2025, although it warned that “the process requires precision to avoid errors.”
The monthly increase varies depending on the current benefit and pension amount. Some will receive up to an additional $1,000, while others will see minimal increases. “We are prioritizing urgent cases, such as retirees with incomes below the poverty line,” added Lee Dudek, acting commissioner of the SSA. The law seeks to correct historical disparities in a system criticized for penalizing public employees.
Normally, and without the new increments, the maximum Social Security benefits are set to $5,108 for those recipients that had high salaries during their work life, and delayed their retirement up to the age of 70.
