On February 25, 2025, the Social Security Administration (SSA) announced that the SSA has begun to pay retroactive benefits and will increase monthly benefit payments to individuals whose Social Security benefits had been reduced by the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO). The Social Security Fairness Act, signed into law on January 5, 2025, repealed the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) applicable to workers, and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) applicable to workers’ surviving spouses, with respect to monthly benefits payable in or after 2024.

Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP)

The WEP reduced the primary insurance amount of a government worker who has wages covered by Social Security and who also has a pension based in whole or in part on their own earnings from employment not covered by Social Security. Note: Some states do not require Social Security payments or wage reductions for certain professions (e.g., police officers, firefighters, teachers).

·         The repeal of the WEP means that retired federal workers and other public servants who spent part of their career working in the private sector (and accordingly received wages that were subject to Social Security withholding) will not have their benefits reduced with respect to monthly benefits payable in or after 2024.

Government Pension Offset (GPO)

The GPO reduced a surviving spouse’s Social Security benefit if the deceased worker had also received a federal, state or local pension based on earnings from non-covered government employment.

·         The repeal of the GPO means that a surviving spouse of an applicable deceased participant will not have their Social Security benefit decreased with respect to monthly benefits payable in or after 2024.

For more information login to the RECOMAZ.org website, click the Info header, then Social Security WEP and GPO web page or

For addition information on WEP or GPO from SSA, sign into your Social Security account at ssa.gov/myaccount. At the top of the page are two banners: one for setting up an appointment for SSA and the other banner “information about the Social Security Fairness Act (WEP & GPO)”.  Most questions can be answered with the FAQs located here.