February 4, 2025
With overwhelming bipartisan support, the Social Security Fairness Act has become law. This important legislation will help protect Social Security benefits for millions of Americans.
Why It Matters
The Social Security Fairness Act is a significant step toward fairness and equity in the Social Security system. Here’s what the law aims to achieve:
- Repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO): These provisions currently reduce Social Security benefits for individuals who have worked in jobs that do not participate in Social Security but have qualifying work in Social Security-covered positions.
- Restore fairness: By eliminating these provisions, the Act ensures that retirees, survivors, and individuals with disabilities will receive the full Social Security benefits they earned.
- Support for public workers: The legislation provides much-needed relief to millions of public servants—such as teachers, police officers, and other government workers—who have been impacted by these provisions.
When will it happen?
Increased payments will be backdated to January 2024. Because of staff shortages and a hiring freeze, the Social Security Administration reports it could take “a year or more” for recipients to begin receiving these benefits.
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