The Social Security Administration (SSA) has introduced new updates for April 2025 that are already impacting millions of beneficiaries across the United States. These changes are mainly due to the Social Security Fairness Act, signed into law in January 2025, one of the final moves by the Joe Biden administration before the handover to Donald Trump.
This important law has eliminated two old rules—WEP (Windfall Elimination Provision) and GPO (Government Pension Offset)—which had unfairly reduced payments for over 3.2 million public sector workers, including teachers, firefighters, and retired federal agents.
Let’s look at how the SSA is rolling out payments in April and how these changes affect beneficiaries.
What Were WEP and GPO—and Why Were They Unfair?
Before the law was changed, WEP and GPO were rules that reduced Social Security payments to retirees who also had pensions from jobs not covered by Social Security. This mostly impacted state and local government workers under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS).
- WEP reduced Social Security for people with outside government pensions
- GPO reduced spousal or survivor benefits if the person also received such a pension
These provisions were seen as unfair because they punished people who had paid into the system from other jobs. Now, with the Fairness Act, these rules have been completely removed.
Retroactive Payments Sent to Over 1.1 Million Americans
Since February 25, 2025, the SSA has been sending back payments to those who lost money due to the WEP and GPO rules. These payments cover the period from January 2024 to March 2025, when the reductions were still in effect.
As of March 4, the SSA has:
- Paid over $7.5 billion
- Reached more than 1,127,700 beneficiaries
- Delivered an average of $6,710 per person
Most people got their payments in March, especially those with simple cases, which were processed automatically. 85% of all cases were completed this way.
What If You Haven’t Received Your Payment Yet?
If your case is more complex or requires manual review, the SSA says payments may take until November 2025 to complete. This includes cases with missing information, dual benefit sources, or errors.
All affected individuals will receive a letter by post explaining:
- The corrected payment
- How the amount was calculated
- When to expect payment (if not yet received)
The SSA suggests checking your status only after April, once most processing is completed.
April 2025 SSA Payment Schedule
SSA payments for April are sent according to the beneficiary group, based on when you applied and your date of birth.
Here’s the full schedule:
- April 1: For SSI (Supplemental Security Income) recipients
- April 3: For people who applied before May 1997, live abroad, receive SSI + Social Security, or have state-paid Medicare
- April 9: For those born between the 1st–10th (applied after May 1997)
- April 16: For those born between the 11th–20th
- April 23: For those born between the 21st–31st
How Much Can You Receive in Monthly Benefits?
The maximum monthly Social Security benefit depends on your retirement age, earnings, and contributions:
- At age 62: Up to $2,831/month
- At age 67 (full retirement): Up to $4,018/month
- At age 70: Up to $5,108/month
Note: These are maximum figures. Your actual payment depends on your lifetime income and when you filed. The removal of WEP and GPO may now increase your total benefit if you were previously affected.
The Social Security Fairness Act has brought long-awaited justice to over 3 million Americans, mostly retired public workers. With WEP and GPO now eliminated, beneficiaries are seeing larger monthly checks and even retroactive payments for past losses.
In April 2025, payments continue on a clear schedule, and the SSA is working hard to finish all manual adjustments by November. If you haven’t received your back pay yet, keep an eye on your mailbox and your bank account in the coming weeks.