A 40-Year Penalty Was Just Eliminated
For more than four decades, two provisions in federal law — the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) — reduced or completely eliminated Social Security benefits for millions of government workers. If you received a pension from a job not covered by Social Security, these rules cut into the benefits you earned from other work.
On January 5, 2025, President Biden signed the Social Security Fairness Act into law. Both WEP and GPO are now fully repealed. This is the most significant change to Social Security for government workers in 40 years.
Who Is Affected
Bottom line: If you were previously penalized by WEP or GPO, your Social Security benefit should now be higher. If you are still working, your future benefit calculation should no longer include those reductions.
Are You Affected?
Answer these three questions. If you answer yes to any one of them, you likely qualify for a higher benefit than was previously calculated.
Do you receive or will you receive a CalPERS, military, or other government pension?
Did you also work jobs covered by Social Security (private sector, part-time, second career)?
Are you the spouse or survivor of someone who worked in government?
If yes to any of the above — you likely qualify for a higher benefit than previously calculated. The SSA is required to recalculate your benefit automatically, but you should verify the change has been applied.
You May Be Owed Back Pay
If you are already receiving Social Security benefits that were reduced by WEP or GPO, the SSA is required to recalculate your benefit. Increased payments began in February 2025, and some retirees are owed retroactive payments back to January 2025.
Log in to ssa.gov/myaccount and check your current benefit amount. Compare it to what you were receiving before February 2025.
Call SSA at 1-800-772-1213 if your benefit has not increased. Wait times are long — call early in the morning or use the callback option.
Have your pension information ready when you call — the name of your pension system (CalPERS, CSRS, military, etc.) and your monthly pension amount.
Be patient. SSA is processing millions of recalculations. Most cases are being handled automatically, but complex cases may take longer.
Update Your Retirement Projections Now
If you are still working in government or public healthcare, your Social Security estimate at ssa.gov/myaccount may still show the old reduced WEP/GPO amount. The SSA is updating these estimates, but the process takes time. Get a new estimate that reflects your full, unreduced benefit.
Your Social Security estimate at ssa.gov/myaccount may still show the old reduced WEP/GPO amount — verify it has been updated.
Get a new estimate that reflects full, unreduced benefits and factor the increase into your retirement income plan.
For California nurses and state workers, this could mean $300–800 more per month in retirement.
Update your Retirement Income Stacker spreadsheet with the new Social Security figures to see your complete monthly income floor.
Quick Action Checklist
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Related Tools and Pages
Disclaimer: This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or professional advice. Benefit calculations and eligibility are determined by the Social Security Administration. Contact SSA directly at 1-800-772-1213 or ssa.gov for official guidance on your specific situation.