Social Security

Windfall Elimination Provision Repealed: Your New Check

The Social Security Fairness Act, signed January 5, 2025, ended the Windfall Elimination Provision for benefits payable from January 2024. If WEP reduced your check, enter the year you turned 62, your years of substantial earnings and your pension to see the monthly amount it was taking, and now isn't.

Social Security Fairness Act Verified October 23, 2026

Your details

Year you turned 62

Years of substantial Social Security earnings

yrs

Years your covered earnings were above SSA's 'substantial earnings' line — your old WEP letter lists it.

Monthly pension from non-covered work

$

The government or foreign pension that triggered WEP.

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Monthly increase from the repeal

$491

In 2027 dollars — the $358 WEP took at 62, grown by 9 cost-of-living raises.

WEP first-bend rate

50%

instead of 90%

First bend point

$895

year 2018

Yearly, from 2027

$5,888

Show the math

Under WEP, the first slice of your earnings used 50% instead of 90%: a loss of 40% × $895 = $358, capped at half your pension. The Social Security Fairness Act ended that for benefits from January 2024; SSA paid the back pay as a lump sum in 2025. Your exact figure depends on rounding and the month you started.

Next stepSpouse or widow benefits too?The GPO repeal restored those — estimate what you get now.

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What was the Windfall Elimination Provision?

WEP cut the Social Security of people who also earned a pension from work that didn't pay Social Security tax — many teachers, police officers, firefighters and federal workers hired before 1984. Instead of replacing the first slice of earnings at 90%, the formula used as little as 40%. (SSA POMS: WEP formula)

Years of substantial covered earnings	First-slice rate under WEP
20 or fewer	40%
21	45%
25	65%
29	85%
30 or more	90% (no reduction)

Two limits softened it: the cut could never be more than half your non-covered pension, and 30 years of substantial earnings exempted you entirely. The calculator applies both, using the bend point for the year you turned 62.

Empty classroom with desks and a chalkboard — Photo: Valentin Ivantsov / Pexels

The repeal brought two payments. A higher monthly check, starting with the April 2025 payment, and a one-time retroactive payment covering the higher amount back to January 2024. Both went out automatically to people already receiving benefits. (SSA: Social Security Fairness Act)

The monthly raise equals what WEP had been taking, grown by every cost-of-living adjustment since you turned 62 — 3.6% more in 2027. The calculator shows it in 2027 dollars. Your exact figure also depends on SSA's rounding and the month you started.

If your check didn't change, log in to your my Social Security account, compare the benefit letters, and call SSA if the new amount is missing.

Retired man reading a letter at his kitchen table — Photo: Vitaly Gariev / Pexels

Our take: verify, don't assume

The repeal is permanent law, but your amount still depends on SSA having your pension and earnings data right. Five minutes with your benefit letter is worth it.

Married or widowed too? The same act ended the Government Pension Offset, which may pay you a spouse or survivor benefit for the first time. To see where your restored benefit comes from, run the Social Security formula, and if you haven't claimed yet, pick an age on the break-even calculator.

Frequently asked questions

Did I need to apply to get the WEP repeal increase?

No, if you were already receiving Social Security. SSA recalculated those benefits automatically. If you never applied because WEP made your benefit look too small, you should apply now.

Is the retroactive payment taxable?

It's Social Security, so it follows the usual rules: up to 85% can be taxable. For back pay that belongs to an earlier year, IRS Publication 915 lets you figure the taxable part as if it had been received in that year, which can lower the tax.

Will the increase get future cost-of-living raises?

Yes. The restored amount is part of your benefit, so every COLA applies to it, including the 3.6% for 2027.

Did WEP apply to foreign pensions?

Yes, a pension from work in another country that didn't pay U.S. Social Security tax could trigger WEP. The repeal covers those cases too.

Sources

Primary sources only. We re-check them whenever an agency publishes new figures.

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