Social Security Fairness Act passed - how will my WEP/GPO affected benefits change?

This is HUGE news for those of us hit by WEP! I'm a retired firefighter from Illinois with 22 years of service and was getting hit with about a $520 monthly reduction in my SS benefit due to WEP. Just got my February payment and it actually increased by $498! So the system is slowly working through the changes. My understanding from the SSA notice I received is that they're processing current payment increases first, then will work on the retroactive payments for January 2024 (which most people received in February) and forward. You shouldn't have to do anything if you're already receiving both your teacher's pension and a reduced SS benefit - they have all your information. Just make sure your direct deposit info is current in your mySocialSecurity account.

Thanks for the info! I just checked my February payment and it's still the same reduced amount. I wonder if they're processing by state or some other system? Did you get any kind of notification before your payment increased, or did it just show up as a higher amount?

my wife is in the same boat - 31 yrs as a california teacher with calstrs pension, worked enough quarters to qualify for ss but gets almost nothing because of WEP. she called ssa last week and they said they cant tell her when her increase will happen or how much it will be, just that they are implementing changes as fast as they can with limited resources. the person did confirm that backdating will happen automatically to january 2024 for everyone affected. so just gotta wait i guess...

Thank you for sharing! This waiting game is so frustrating. My brother-in-law who worked for the federal government under CSRS had his payment adjusted already, but nothing for me yet. I wish they'd at least let us know where we are in the queue!

Actually, there's an important detail to understand here. The new Social Security Fairness Act repeals both the WEP and GPO effective for benefits payable for January 2024 and later (which would have been received in February). However, SSA has clearly stated this is a massive undertaking affecting over 3.2 million beneficiaries, and they're implementing it in phases.For WEP-affected individuals like yourself, you don't need to take any action if you're already receiving your reduced benefits. SSA has your information and will automatically adjust your benefit amount. The key things to know:1. No action is needed if you're already receiving both your teacher pension and reduced SS benefit2. SSA is processing current/ongoing payment increases first, then will handle retroactive adjustments3. Make sure your direct deposit and address information are up-to-date in mySocialSecurity4. Everyone affected will eventually get retroactive payments back to January 2024Based on your 15 years of covered employment, you'll likely see a significant increase once processed. The WEP reduction diminishes with 20+ years of substantial covered employment, but with the full repeal, you'll get your full earned benefit regardless.

Thank you for the clear explanation! That helps a lot. Do you happen to know if there's any way to estimate how much my benefit might increase? I tried looking at my SS statement but I'm not sure how to calculate what my non-reduced benefit should be.

I've been dealing with this exact situation!!! So frustrating trying to get answers from SSA. I'm a retired Texas teacher (30 years) who also worked enough to qualify for SS but was only getting $312/month because of WEP. I actually got my increase already - my February payment jumped to $1,127! That's almost $815 more per month! I didn't get any advance notice, it just showed up in my account.For those wondering how much their increase might be, my understanding is that your benefit will now be calculated using the regular benefit formula instead of the modified WEP formula. Your SS statement should show your estimated benefit WITHOUT the WEP reduction somewhere - that's roughly what you should expect.BTW, SSA also told me they'll be processing the retroactive payment for January separately. Haven't received that yet.

Wow, that's a substantial increase! I've been trying to help my mother figure out how much her benefit will increase - she's affected by the GPO, not the WEP. She gets a teacher's pension but was getting $0 from my dad's SS after he passed because the GPO eliminated it completely. I wonder if she needs to reapply for survivor's benefits or if SSA will automatically start paying her since they have her info on file from her previous application?

My situation is a bit different but still affected - I'm getting a pension from Germany where I worked for 12 years, and my SS benefit was reduced under WEP. Called the SSA international office last week and was told I should see my adjustment by April. They're clearly overwhelmed with all these changes.has anyone else noticed that trying to call SSA about this is nearly impossible? I was on hold for over 2 hours before giving up. Tried again the next day, same thing.

Have you tried Claimyr? It got me through to a real person at SSA in under 10 minutes last week when I needed to ask about my WEP situation. Their service calls SSA for you and then connects you when they reach a representative. Saved me hours of waiting. I found them at claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. So much easier than waiting on hold all day!

This is great for WEP folks, but I'm more concerned about the GPO repeal aspect. My mother worked for 25 years as a teacher in Louisiana and gets a state pension, but was completely blocked from getting ANY of my dad's survivor benefits because of GPO (it eliminated 100% of what she would have received). According to what I've read, she might need to file a new application since she was previously denied completely. Has anyone else dealt with this particular situation? I'm wondering if she needs to file a new application or if SSA will automatically start paying since they have her previous application on file.

Your mother definitely should file a new application for survivor benefits. According to the SSA's guidance on the Fairness Act, people who were completely denied benefits due to GPO need to file a new application. The timing of her application will affect when her benefits begin, so filing sooner is better than waiting. The retroactive benefits will only go back to January 2024 at the earliest, regardless of when she applies, but delaying the application could push the start date forward.

Update: Just got off the phone with SSA after a 2.5 hour wait! They confirmed my benefit should increase from $240 to approximately $1,430 based on my earnings history. They said my case is

That's a MASSIVE increase! Almost $1,200 more per month will make a huge difference. Thanks for sharing the update. It seems like they're definitely working through the backlog, just very slowly. Did they mention anything about sending official notices when updates are processed?

Just an FYI for everyone - I received my retroactive payment for January today (about 2 weeks after my regular benefit was adjusted). It came as a separate deposit. Also got an official letter in the mail explaining the changes to my benefit due to the Social Security Fairness Act. The letter included the exact WEP formula they had been using to reduce my benefit and the new calculation without the reduction. Very clear explanation. Sounds like they're working through the backlog systematically, so hang in there if you haven't seen changes yet!

thanks for the update! gives us all hope. my wife and i are checking her account daily lol. after 30+ years of getting screwed by wep its hard to believe this is finally happening

Wait I'm confused... does this affect everyone on SS or just certain people? I get regular retirement benefits but never worked for the government. Will my check go up too?

No, this only affects people who were subject to the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) or Government Pension Offset (GPO). These provisions reduced Social Security benefits for people who receive pensions from jobs that didn't pay into Social Security (like certain state/local government jobs, federal jobs under the Civil Service Retirement System, or foreign employment). If you never worked in one of these \