The WEP and GPO sections, which decreased benefits for public employees, were repealed by the Social Security Fairness Act, which was signed on January 5, 2025. Beginning in April 2025, more than 2.8 million people—including educators, firefighters, and law enforcement officers—will earn higher monthly benefits.
Benefits for people with pensions from occupations not covered by Social Security were altered under the WEP and GPO provisions.
Retroactive payments were made in March 2025 as a result of its repeal, which went into effect in January 2024. According to SSA reports and specialized media, there were logistical difficulties during the implementation.
May continues to provide Social Security pensioners with higher benefits
The SSA started the payout adjustment on February 25, 2025. In March, recipients got retroactive payments totaling an average of $6,710.
Beginning in April, or March 2025, the higher monthly installments were made. If nothing else happens in May, the higher quantities will persist.
Pay varies based on contributions and work history. Increases of over $1,000 per month were recorded by some. The most benefited groups are those like teachers in states where Social Security is not available. WEP or GPO impacted roughly 28% of state and local public employees.
The SSA made it easier for new candidates to apply over the phone or through its web portal. They advise upgrading direct deposit and contact details. According to an agency official, “the retroactive payments were already distributed in March 2025, covering from January 2024.”
Those who had their payments cut, however, can still get higher payments following retroactive payment—money that actually always belonged to them and was wrongfully withheld.
In any event, according to a government official who spoke with us over the phone, SSA projects that 92% of the changes will be finished by July 2025, while some beneficiaries are still awaiting the adjustment in their payments.
The highest Social Security benefits in 2025
For anyone who worked for at least 35 years and made at least the yearly Social Security tax limit ($176,100 in 2025), these sums represent the maximum benefits that can be received:
| Retirement Age | Monthly Benefit |
| 62 | $2,831 |
| 67 (Full Retirement Age for those born in 1960 or later) | $4,043 |
| 70 | $5,108 |
99% of retirees now get monthly contributions that are more in line with these age-specific norms, meaning that most pensioners receive sums below the maximum:
| Retirement Age | Monthly Benefit |
| 62 | $1,298 |
| 65 | $1,563 |
| 67 | $1,884 |
| 70 | $2,038 |
These averages do not reflect the amount you will receive if you choose to claim retirement in 2025; rather, they reflect variations by gender and years of contributions.
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Dates of Social Security retiree payments in May
According to the beneficiary’s birthdate, there are three distinct dates for the forthcoming payment in May 2025. On Wednesday, May 14, retirees who were born between the first and tenth of the month will get their paychecks.
Those born between May 21 and May 31 will receive their reimbursements on Wednesday, May 28, while those born between May 11 and May 20 will receive their rewards on Wednesday, May 21.
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Furthermore, payments will be made on May 2 for the third day, which occurs on a weekend, to recipients who started receiving Social Security before May 1997 or who receive both Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
