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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsIf you receive Social Security and a pension from government or other work that did not pay Social Security taxes, check your current benefit record and Social Security Administration (SSA) notices. The Social Security Fairness Act of 2023 repealed the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) for benefits payable for January 2024 and later. If an old reduction still appears unresolved—or you never applied because you expected an offset—contact SSA to have your situation reviewed.
The key is to check your own benefit record rather than infer the answer from a job title, pension name, or general payment statistic. The former rules treated retirement and disability benefits differently from spouse and survivor benefits, and not every public employee had a pension from work outside Social Security.
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What a public pension offset was—and what changed
WEP and GPO were rules that could reduce certain Social Security benefits for people who also received a pension based on work that was not covered by Social Security. The rules affected different benefits:
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- WEP: could reduce a person’s own Social Security retirement or disability benefit.
- GPO: could reduce a Social Security benefit based on a spouse’s or former spouse’s record, including certain survivor benefits.
The distinction matters when you check your record. Someone who saw a reduction to their own retirement or disability benefit may have been affected by WEP. Someone whose spouse or survivor benefit was reduced may have been affected by GPO. Having a pension alone does not identify which rule, if either, applied. The benefit type and the work behind the pension both matter.
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The Social Security Fairness Act of 2023 became law on January 5, 2025. It repealed WEP and GPO for benefits payable after December 2023: December 2023 was the final month the old offsets applied, and they do not apply to benefits payable for January 2024 or later. SSA’s FAQ, dated April 16, 2025, puts it this way: “Starting in January 2024, your Social Security benefits will no longer be reduced or eliminated if you receive a retirement or disability pension from work not covered by Social Security.”
The dates can be easy to confuse: the law was enacted in January 2025, but the repeal applies to benefits payable beginning in January 2024. That does not mean every payment in 2024 or later must be higher by a standard amount. It means WEP and GPO no longer reduce the relevant benefit for those months. A person’s individual adjustment, if any, depends on the person’s benefit and record.
This change removes those two offsets; it does not repeal other Social Security rules or guarantee that a person qualifies for a benefit. Your age when you claim, earnings and work record, benefit type, and other rules can still affect eligibility or the amount you receive. It also does not automatically resolve a question about a Medicare premium deduction or another item on an individual record.
How to check your benefit record
If SSA previously reduced your benefit under WEP or GPO, use your account and official mail to check whether SSA has updated your individual record. A change in the law is not a substitute for checking the amount SSA says it will pay you. You are looking for a current benefit amount and, where applicable, an explanation of a change or past-due payment.
- Sign in to your my Social Security account. Review the current benefit amount and any notices or messages about a benefit adjustment. Compare the information with your previous SSA records or payment information, if available. If you receive more than one kind of Social Security benefit, keep the benefit type clear in your notes so you do not compare a spouse or survivor benefit with a different benefit amount.
- Check your mail from SSA. SSA said people whose records changed would receive mailed notices explaining the change. A payment may arrive before the notice, so check both rather than waiting for one to confirm the other. Keep the notice with your other SSA records; it can help you identify the benefit or adjustment you need explained if you call.
- Confirm your contact and payment details. Check that SSA has your correct mailing address and direct deposit information. Incorrect details can make it harder to receive a notice or payment promptly. If you have moved or changed bank information, make sure the account information you review is current.
- Contact SSA if you cannot check online or the record is unclear. Call 1-800-772-1213 if you cannot create an account or your circumstances need individual review. Have your benefit information and any relevant SSA notices available when you call. Explain whether your question concerns your own retirement or disability benefit, a spouse benefit, or a survivor benefit, and mention the pension and employment history you believe may be relevant.
As you review the record, write down what you can confirm: the benefit type, the current amount shown, the date or month to which it applies, and whether SSA sent an adjustment notice. If you received a payment that seems different from the amount shown in an earlier record, note the payment and the notice dates. This is not a substitute for SSA’s calculation; it gives you a focused question to ask when the record does not explain itself.
Do not assume a particular increase or past-due payment based only on having a public pension. The effect depends on your benefit type and record, and SSA’s record and notices are the sources for your individual amount. A payment could arrive before a notice, so a missing letter by itself does not establish that no adjustment was made. Conversely, a general announcement that the law changed does not confirm that a particular person’s record has been reviewed or that a particular amount is due.
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First determine whether the pension came from work outside Social Security
A government job title does not establish whether WEP or GPO applied. The important question was whether the pension was based on employment that did not pay Social Security taxes. A teacher, firefighter, police officer, or other public employee might have worked in a Social Security-covered job, and a person’s work history can include both covered and non-covered employment.
SSA says about 72 percent of state and local public employees work in Social Security-covered employment and were not affected by WEP or GPO. That figure is from SSA’s public-worker guidance, last updated July 21, 2025. It is a broad coverage statistic, not a way to determine an individual’s pension or benefit. For an individual, ask about the actual position and service that earned the pension, not simply whether the employer was a city, county, school district, or state agency.
State and local employment
Look at the employment that earned the pension and the associated work and pension records—not just the employer or occupation. Where available, review pay or earnings records for Social Security tax withholding and ask the pension administrator whether the specific service was covered. SSA’s public-worker guidance also discusses Form SSA-1945, which concerns whether a public employee’s position is covered by Social Security. These clues can help frame a question, but SSA must review your benefit record to determine how the rules applied to you.
If your public career included different positions, do not assume that every year had the same coverage status. Ask about the service tied to the pension and, if your history changed, whether the relevant jobs were covered. A pension administrator can help clarify its plan and the employment that generated the pension; SSA is the agency to contact about how the Social Security rules and your benefit record fit together.
Federal employment
Federal coverage depends in part on when and under which system you worked. SSA says federal employees hired on or after January 1, 1984, generally fall under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) and pay Social Security taxes. Many federal workers employed before that date were under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and did not pay Social Security taxes on those federal earnings. Some people have a mixed work history, so a single job or pension label may not describe all their earnings.
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If you never applied for Social Security
The Fairness Act did not automatically file a claim for anyone who had not applied. If you decided not to apply for retirement, spouse, or survivor benefits because you expected WEP or GPO to make the benefit too small or eliminate it, you may need to apply now. SSA says the filing date can affect when benefits begin and the amount; do not assume a benefit will be paid automatically for prior months.
- SSA describes online applications for retirement and spouse benefits.
- For survivor benefits, SSA says to call rather than rely on an online application.
The right next step depends on the benefit you are considering. A person asking about a benefit on their own work record should identify it as a retirement or disability question; a person asking about a spouse or survivor benefit should say so when contacting SSA. Do not assume that the repeal filed a claim, changed a prior decision, or established entitlement without an application or record review.
If you are unsure which benefit you may qualify for, ask SSA about the appropriate application route and how the filing date applies to your circumstances. Because filing timing can affect the start date and amount, it is worth asking directly rather than delaying on the assumption that an adjustment will happen automatically. The repeal removed WEP and GPO for applicable months; it did not create an automatic claim for someone who had never applied.
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An unchanged payment does not, by itself, show that SSA kept applying WEP or GPO. The offset may not have applied to your pension or benefit in the first place; another Social Security rule or your specific record may affect the amount; or SSA may need to review a record that has not been resolved. Likewise, having a public pension does not mean every Social Security payment should rise by the same amount.
Compare like with like: the same kind of benefit, the applicable month, and the amount SSA identifies as current. If the prior reduction concerned your own retirement benefit, do not use a spouse or survivor benefit amount as the comparison. If a mailed adjustment notice explains a revised amount, use that notice alongside the current record. If the account, notice, and payment do not seem consistent, ask SSA to explain the calculation rather than trying to infer it from a broad percentage or the size of your pension.
Keep the comparison focused on your own record: the benefit type, the current amount shown by SSA, any adjustment notice, and any payment SSA says is due. If those do not make sense together, ask SSA to explain how it calculated your benefit and whether the repealed offset was part of the prior calculation.
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The Act’s repeal is separate from claiming-age reductions, earnings rules, benefit eligibility, and Medicare premium handling. An adjustment to a Social Security benefit does not by itself establish what will happen to a Medicare premium deduction or resolve another issue on an individual record; ask SSA about the specific item you see. If you have questions about more than one item, separate them—for example, ask whether a benefit amount reflects the repeal, then ask about a separate deduction—so the answer addresses the issue you are checking.
What published implementation figures do—and do not—tell you
SSA reported that more than 2.8 million people had benefits reduced by WEP or GPO when the agency assessed the change; this was an agency figure published July 21, 2025, not a current estimate of people still affected. SSA also reported that more than 3.1 million payments totaling $17 billion had been sent by July 7, 2025, in an update published July 21, 2025. Those dated totals describe implementation at that point. They cannot tell you whether your particular record was adjusted, what you are owed, or whether you need to apply.
These figures answer broad questions about the scale of the adjustment, not personal ones. They do not show that every person with a public pension received a payment, that every recipient received the same amount, or that someone who never filed a claim was automatically paid. Likewise, the 72 percent coverage figure for state and local public workers describes a group; it cannot establish whether your own job was covered.
For your own answer, rely on your current SSA record, notices, and direct follow-up with the agency—not on a general statistic or the fact that you receive a public pension. SSA account access and its publications are free official resources, so this task does not require buying a calculator, organizer, or other product. If you cannot confirm the result through your account and notices, contact SSA at 1-800-772-1213.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did WEP and GPO stop reducing benefits?
December 2023 was the final month the old offsets applied. The Social Security Fairness Act became law on January 5, 2025, and repealed WEP and GPO for benefits payable for January 2024 and later.
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How can I tell whether SSA adjusted my benefit?
Sign in to your my Social Security account and review the current benefit amount and notices. Also check SSA mail: the agency said people whose records changed would receive mailed notices, though a payment could arrive before the notice. Confirm your address and direct deposit details, and call 1-800-772-1213 if you cannot access the account or need an individual review.
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Will every person with a government pension get a Social Security increase?
No. The repeal removed WEP and GPO, but not every public pension came from work outside Social Security, and not every person qualifies for a Social Security benefit. Other rules and individual records still affect the amount. SSA reported that about 72 percent of state and local public employees work in covered employment; that group statistic does not establish an individual’s coverage.
I never applied because I thought the offset would eliminate my benefit. Will SSA pay me automatically?
No automatic claim is filed by the Act. You may need to apply for retirement, spouse, or survivor benefits. SSA says filing date can affect when benefits begin and the amount. SSA describes online applications for retirement and spouse benefits; for survivor benefits, call SSA.
What if my payment did not change or I have not received a notice?
An unchanged payment alone does not prove that an offset remains. The offset might not have applied, other rules may affect the amount, or your record may need review. SSA said a payment could arrive before a notice. Check the account and mail, then contact SSA if the amount, notice, or payment remains unclear.
Does repeal of WEP and GPO change my Medicare premium or claiming-age reduction?
The repeal concerns WEP and GPO; it does not eliminate other Social Security rules, including claiming-age reductions, earnings rules, eligibility requirements, or Medicare premium handling. Ask SSA about the particular amount or deduction on your record.
The Bottom Line
To check whether a public pension offset affected your Social Security, identify which benefit you receive, review your my Social Security account and SSA notices, and establish whether the pension came from work not covered by Social Security. WEP and GPO no longer apply to benefits payable for January 2024 and later, but your individual adjustment—or need to apply—depends on your record. If the account and notices do not resolve the question, call SSA at 1-800-772-1213.
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