SS benefits arrived in ONE WEEK after WEP repeal with no reduction - is this normal?
I'm still in shock over how my wife's Social Security application just went through. When the WEP/GPO Fairness Act passed last month, my wife immediately filed online on 1/7/2025 to start her retirement benefits (she's been past her FRA since May 2024 but didn't apply because of the WEP reduction). She requested the 6-month backdate option too. We dropped off her required docs at our local office on 1/9 (2023 W2 from the school district and our marriage certificate). Then get this - on 1/15, just ONE WEEK after applying, we got an approval letter saying her payments would start mid-February, but that same day they ALREADY deposited her 6 months of backdated benefits in our account! The most surprising part? They paid her full amount with NO WEP reduction at all! I assumed they'd apply the WEP reduction first, then deal with refunds/adjustments later once the new law was fully implemented. Is anyone else seeing this kind of speed with the WEP repeal applications? And is SSA already processing payments without WEP reductions? This seems WAY too efficient for the Social Security Administration I'm used to!
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Javier Cruz
That seems unusually fast based on my experience! When I applied for my retirement benefits in November 2024 (no WEP issues), it took almost 6 weeks to get approved and another 3 weeks to get my first payment. The SSA must be prioritizing WEP-affected applications after the Fairness Act passed. Lucky you! What was your wife's monthly benefit amount if you don't mind sharing?
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Natasha Orlova
•Thanks for the response! Her monthly benefit is $2,750. From what I understand, the WEP would have reduced that by about $450/month under the old rules. I was 100% expecting a fight with SSA over implementing the new rules, but they just... did it right the first time? Still feels like I'm dreaming!
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Emma Thompson
I had almost the identical situation with my husband's application! He was also affected by WEP (former federal employee with pension). Applied online January 5th, got approval on the 13th, and backdated payment on the 14th! No WEP reduction either! I think they must have updated their systems immediately after the Fairness Act passed to stop applying WEP/GPO reductions to new applications. Makes sense rather than having to go back and adjust thousands of payments later. Did your wife get any notification that her payment was deposited? We just saw it appear in our account with no warning.
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Natasha Orlova
•No notification at all about the deposit - just showed up in our account the same day as the approval letter came in the mail. I agree they probably updated their systems right away. Such a pleasant surprise after years of dreading the WEP reduction!
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Malik Jackson
hate to be the party pooper but CHECK YOUR BENEFIT AMOUNTS CAREFULLY!! my brother got his SS check super fast after applying in january too with no WEP reduction even though he should have one (former ohio teacher). he was all excited until he called to ask about something else and the rep told him it was a PROCESSING ERROR and they'd be adjusting his payment DOWN next month AND he'd have to pay back the overpayment!! don't spend that money yet!!
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Natasha Orlova
•Oh no! That's concerning. But I thought the whole point of the Fairness Act was to eliminate WEP/GPO reductions? The law passed in December 2024 and specifically ended those reductions. Did they explain why your brother's was considered an error? Now I'm worried...
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Isabella Costa
Social Security employee here (not speaking officially). No, this isn't an error. You're seeing the correct implementation of the WEP/GPO Fairness Act. The legislation mandated immediate cessation of WEP/GPO reductions upon enactment, which is why your wife received her full benefit amount without reduction. The unusually fast processing time is likely because: 1. Online applications are prioritized over paper applications 2. Your wife promptly provided all required documentation 3. Many SSA offices have added staff specifically to handle the influx of WEP/GPO-affected applications 4. The system was updated with new calculation rules right after the legislation passed The backdated benefits being paid so quickly is the surprising part to me, as that usually takes longer, but it's certainly possible with a straightforward case.
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Natasha Orlova
•Thank you for this clarification! That makes me feel much better. So the 6-month backdate payments also correctly don't have WEP reductions applied? That's fantastic news.
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StarSurfer
My application experience couldn't be more different! Applied same week as you after the Fairness Act passed (I'm affected by GPO, not WEP). Been checking my account daily and absolutely NOTHING has happened. Called SS multiple times but can't get through to anyone. Just busy signals or disconnects after waiting 2+ hours. What's your secret? Did you do anything special with your application? Did you mark it as urgent somehow? I'm getting desperate as I've been counting on this money since the law passed.
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Ravi Malhotra
•Have you tried using Claimyr? It helped me get through to Social Security after trying for weeks. I was in a similar situation with GPO issues and needed to talk to someone. The service connects you with an agent usually in under 30 mins. I found it at claimyr.com and there's a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Worth it to avoid the endless busy signals and disconnects!
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StarSurfer
•Never heard of that but I'll try ANYTHING at this point! Just watched the video and it looks legit. Going to try it tomorrow morning. Thanks for the suggestion!
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Freya Christensen
can someone explain in simple terms what WEP even is?? i keep hearing about this fairness act but dont understand if it affects me or not. i worked for the post office for 22 years and get a pension from that, then worked at walmart for 18 years paying into social security. do i need to do something different when i apply for SS next year??
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Isabella Costa
•Great question. WEP (Windfall Elimination Provision) reduced Social Security benefits for people who earned pensions from jobs not covered by Social Security (like many government jobs) but also worked enough in Social Security-covered jobs to qualify for benefits. As a postal worker, your pension was from a Social Security-covered job, so WEP never applied to you. You would have been affected by WEP only if your pension came from a job where you didn't pay Social Security taxes (like some state/local government positions, or foreign employment). When you apply next year, you'll get your full Social Security benefit based on your 18 years at Walmart without any WEP reduction.
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Javier Cruz
I'm confused about the retroactive benefits. I thought you could only get 6 months of back benefits once you're past FRA? But the OP's wife had been past FRA for about 8 months (May 2024 to January 2025). Shouldn't she have been able to get 8 months of back benefits instead of just 6?
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Isabella Costa
•You're right about the confusion, but the 6-month limit is correct. Even though you can apply after FRA and request retroactive benefits, SSA limits the retroactivity to 6 months maximum regardless of how long past FRA you are. It's in the POMS section GN 00204.030. So even if someone is 2 years past their FRA when they apply, they can still only get a maximum of 6 months of retroactive benefits. The OP's wife received exactly what was allowed under the rules.
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Javier Cruz
•Oh I see! Thanks for explaining. That's good to know since I'll be helping my sister apply soon and she's about 9 months past her FRA.
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