Millions of Americans who worked in the public service sector could soon see an increase in their Social Security benefits and potentially receive a retroactive check.
Nearly 3.2 million Americans are expected to be impacted by the Social Security Fairness Act, which was signed by President Joe Biden in December.
The bill eliminated the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset for government workers. The Windfall Elimination Provision reduced the Social Security benefits of someone who also receives a public pension from a job not covered by Social Security. The Government Pension Offset reduced spousal Social Security benefits by two-thirds of a worker's government pension.
The Social Security Administration said on Tuesday that the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset no longer apply as of January 2024.
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Retroactive payments for 2024 and the first quarter of 2025 are expected to be sent in March. Larger Social Security checks are anticipated to begin in April.
“Social Security’s aggressive schedule to start issuing retroactive payments in February and increase monthly benefit payments beginning in April supports President Trump’s priority to implement the Social Security Fairness Act as quickly as possible,” said Lee Dudek, acting commissioner of Social Security. “The agency’s original estimate of taking a year or more now will only apply to complex cases that cannot be processed by automation. The American people deserve to get their due benefits as quickly as possible.”
The agency advised beneficiaries to wait until April to inquire about the status of their retroactive payment. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the change will add $195.6 billion to the deficit over the next 10 years.
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