Lump-sum, retroactive payments from the Social Security Administration (SSA) regarding the Social Security Fairness Act started in February 2025, with most, including adjustments to remove WEP/GPO penalties, expected by the end of March 2025. Increased monthly benefits are generally appearing in April 2025.
Most beneficiaries will receive their new benefit amount in April of 2025. Learn more. Social Security Fairness Act: Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (...
When does the Social Security Fairness Act take effect? The Act was signed into law on January 5, 2025, and applies retroactively to payments from January 2024.
Second, How Much Will You Get (and What About Taxes)? The Social Security Administration says benefit increases can range from a small amount to more than $1,000 a month (the exact amount depends on factors such as the type of Social Security benefit received and the amount of the person's pension).
I am receiving Social Security disability benefits. Will I get a stimulus check? Yes, you probably will if you earned less than $75,000 in either 2018 or 2019.
Yes, Social Security recipients received a Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) for 2025, but the bigger news is that they are getting a larger 2.8% COLA for 2026, announced in October 2025, which began with January 2026 payments, increasing average benefits by about $56 per month. The 2025 COLA was a smaller 2.5% increase, while the 2026 adjustment reflects moderating inflation, leading to higher payments starting in the new year.
The dollar amount increase to checks will vary depending on a person's benefit amount, but the average Social Security Retirement benefit, $2,008.31 in July 2025, will grow by about $56.
You get two Social Security checks in December if you receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI), not regular Social Security, because the January payment gets moved to late December (usually Dec 31) since January 1st (New Year's Day) is a federal holiday, resulting in a December 1st payment and a December 31st payment for January's benefits, with the later one often including the COLA increase.
Update: The Social Security Fairness Act
82) was signed into law on January 5, 2025. This legislation repeals the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO), which reduced Social Security benefits for people who also receive public pensions from jobs that did not pay into Social Security.
The extra $144 added to Social Security usually comes from the Medicare Part B Giveback benefit, offered by some Medicare Advantage (Part C) plans, which pays back some or all your Part B premium, showing up as extra money in your check if it's deducted from your Social Security. To qualify, you need Original Medicare (Parts A & B), pay your own Part B premium, live in a plan's service area, and enroll in a specific Medicare Advantage plan that offers this "rebate," with the amount varying by plan and location.
Many beneficiaries will be due a retroactive payment because the WEP and GPO offset no longer apply as of January 2024. Most people will receive their one-time retroactive payment by the end of March, which will be deposited into their bank account on record with Social Security.
When will a person see their Social Security benefit increase because of the Social Security Fairness Act? Starting February 25, 2025: SSA began adjusting monthly benefit payments to people whose benefits have been affected by the WEP and GPO.
According to the SSA, some 3.1 million retirees who were previously impacted by the WEP/GPO laws have received more than $14 billion in retroactive payments – most dating back to January 1, 2024.
Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA):
For the January to March 2025 period, there won't be an increase, as the CPI showed a small dip over the last three months. But don't worry—over the past year, benefits have still grown by 2.0%, helping seniors keep pace with rising living costs.
The Act repealed two federal laws—the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) provision—which can reduce Social Security benefits when someone receives a pension for work on which they did not pay Social Security taxes.
Over the last decade the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) increase has averaged about 3.1 percent. The COLA was 2.5 percent in 2025. Nearly 71 million Social Security beneficiaries will see a 2.8 percent COLA beginning in January 2026.
No, retiring at 60 generally won't get you the full UK State Pension; you typically need 35 qualifying years of National Insurance (NI) contributions for the full amount, and the State Pension age is currently higher (66), meaning taking it at 60 would likely result in a significantly reduced rate, not the full entitlement.
The Social Security Administration has now processed about 91% of cases related to a new law that is prompting higher benefits and lump-sum retroactive payments for nearly 3 million people, according to a new update from the agency.