Some people on Social Security will see their payments increase next month, according to the Social Security Administration.
The Social Security Fairness Act, signed into law by then-President Joe Biden on Jan. 5, 2025, ended two provisions that prevented some Social Security benefits. With those provisions gone, some civil servants will see their benefits increase.
“The bill I’m signing today is about a simple proposition: Americans who have worked all their lives to earn an honest living should be able to retire with economic security and dignity. That’s the entire purpose of the Social Security system crafted by Franklin Delano Roosevelt nearly ninety years ago,” Biden said when he signed the bill.
The change in law will not affect the vast majority of public employees but some, the SSA said about 3.2 million across the United States, will see benefits begin or increase in April. The Connecticut Education Association, which represents teachers, said at least 32,000 retirees in the state would be impacted immediately.
Here’s what you need to know:
Who will get more Social Security benefits?
Two provisions, the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset prevented the payment of Social Security benefits to workers who “receive a pension based on work that was not covered by Social Security (a ‘non-covered pension’) because they did not pay Social Security taxes,” according to the SSA.
“WEP and GPO were barriers for people coming into our profession who had previously worked in the private sector,” said CEA President Kate Dias, who was present at the bill signing in January. “Now those barriers are gone. We can start welcoming people to the profession to begin their second careers.”
It’s estimated that about 72 percent of public employees work in Social Security-covered employment, paying Social Security taxes and are not impacted by the above provisions.
However, some teachers, firefighters, police officers and federal employees will now see benefits increase or begin.
How much will payments change?
The SSA said the monthly amount will change based on a variety of factors, unique to every employee. Some can expect to see their benefits increase very little, while some might see their benefits increase by $1,000 or more every month.
Because the change is retroactive through December 2023, the SSA has started by sending retroactive payments. The agency said there are 26,094 impacted workers in Connecticut, receiving a total of $196 million in retroactive payments, suggesting an average retroactive payout of $7,500 per employee.
What should I do?
If you or a spouse have been receiving benefits and the SSA has your correct banking information and address on file, you don’t need to do anything.
If you want to make sure the SSA has the correct direct deposit information, log on to www.ssa.gov/ or call 1-800-772-1213 to verify the information.
If you or a spouse are not sure if you applied for benefits, or if you’ve never applied for benefits because of being previously excluded, log on to www.SSA.gov to file an application.
