The Social Security Fairness Act was signed into law on January 5, 2025, eliminating two provisions that had reduced Social Security benefits for roughly 3.2 million public sector workers. The Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) are gone. If you worked in a state or local government job that did not pay into Social Security, this law may significantly increase your monthly benefit.
What WEP was
WEP reduced the Social Security benefit of workers who also received a pension from non-SS-covered employment. The maximum reduction was $587/month in 2024. The formula penalized workers who split careers between public service and private-sector jobs. Two workers with identical Social Security earnings records could receive different SS benefits based solely on whether one of them also had a government pension. The average WEP reduction was $360/month. Congress considered this fundamentally unfair for four decades before finally repealing it.
What GPO was
GPO reduced spousal and survivor Social Security benefits by two-thirds of the government pension amount. It frequently eliminated the SS spousal or survivor benefit entirely for spouses of public employees.
A concrete example: a retired teacher receiving $2,400/month from her state pension. Her husband worked in private industry his entire career. When he died, she would have been entitled to $1,800/month in SS survivor benefits. GPO reduced that by $1,600 (two-thirds of $2,400), leaving her $200/month. For many widows and widowers of public employees, GPO eliminated the survivor benefit entirely. That changes now.
Who is affected and how much
Approximately 3.2 million retirees were affected. Average benefit increases: roughly $360/month for WEP-affected retirees, and over $700/month for those who lost spousal or survivor benefits under GPO. SSA began processing adjustments in late 2025, with retroactive payments covering January 2024 onward. If you have not seen your Social Security payment increase, log into my Social Security at ssa.gov. If your record still shows the WEP reduction, SSA has not processed your case yet. Follow up directly.
Who is not affected
The repeal only helps workers whose government employment was exempt from Social Security payroll taxes. If your government job paid into Social Security, WEP and GPO did not apply. Check your W-2 from your government work years. If Social Security taxes appear in Box 4, that job was covered. Teachers in California, Texas, Illinois, Ohio, Massachusetts, and roughly a dozen other states were the most commonly affected group.
What this means for teachers specifically
About 15 states have teacher pension systems where teachers do not pay Social Security taxes. Teachers in those states with any Social Security-covered work history were subject to WEP. With WEP repealed, teachers who also worked in SS-covered jobs at any point in their careers now receive their full earned Social Security benefit. The increase for teachers with 10 to 20 years of private-sector work history can be $200 to $500/month.
How to check your updated benefit
Create or log into your my Social Security account at ssa.gov. The benefit estimate section will reflect the WEP-removed calculation. For those not yet receiving benefits who were subject to WEP, the repeal automatically applies when you begin claiming. No separate application is needed beyond your standard Social Security benefit application.