While the Social Security Administration (SSA) have introduced many updates in 2025, two particular changes based on the Social Security Fairness Act are most important to look at. The Social Security Fairness Act brings financial relief to millions but at the same time leads to stricter security protocols being imposed. Adjustments made based on the act will reshape how Americans receive and manage their retirement benefits. Current and new Social Security recipients should take note of two important rules this April.
Rule 1: larger checks for retirees affected by outdated rules
The biggest and most meaningful change that has resulted this year is the elimination of two long-criticized provisions: the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO). The WEP and GPO had initially resulted in reduced Social Security benefits for pension recipients doing jobs that were not covered by Social Security. The citizens mainly affected were those who were working as teachers, police officers, and firefighters.
The Social Security Fairness Act was signed into law by former president Biden and implemented rather swiftly under the Trump administration. This law removes these reductions and ensures that all affected beneficiaries receive the full amounts they’ve earned. The SSA states that this benefit payable after December 2023 would see most beneficiaries receiving their first increased payments this April.
Part and parcel of the changes are:
- Retired workers will see average increases of about $360 per month
- Spousal beneficiaries can expect $700 more each month
- Widows/ widowers affected by the old rules will receive an average of $1,190 monthly
As per this change, a retroactive lump sum of about $6,710 was initially received by these eligible recipients that covered months of underpaid benefits. These one-time payments were issued to provide immediate financial relief in February and March.
It is important for eligible beneficiaries whose benefits have not changed to contact the SSA local offices as not every case has been processed automatically. Citizens with complex cases may have to wait months before these cases are resolved.
Rule 2: enhanced identity verification required
As per the ongoing SSA changes, enhanced identity verification beginning from April 14, 2025, has been implemented. This change is part of the SSA’s effort to protect beneficiaries from fraud and identity theft.
According to the new process:
- Citizens who apply for Social Security benefits or make account changes in person must present valid identification at a Social Security office for official verification. Applications can be started over the phone, but they cannot be finalized without an in-person ID check.
- The only benefits exempt from this requirement is Medicare, disability benefits, or SSI.
- Citizens using the mySocialSecurity online account won’t notice a change as the digital platform already includes multi-step identity verification.
SSA provides details via online tools about its latest field offices. This is quite important as many SSA offices have closed down due to mass office cuts.
Who gains from these changes?
Due to the Social Security Fairness Act, public servants including teachers, firefighters, law enforcement personnel, and other government employees whose past earnings were not covered by Social Security will now benefit. Employees previously penalized through the WEP and GPO provisions will see much benefit from their increased Security benefits.
The SSA states than an estimated 3.2 million beneficiaries will see increases in their monthly payments. This includes not just retirees but also spousal and survivor beneficiaries, some of whom have waited decades to receive full benefit entitlements.
Under the Social Security Fairness Act, the SSA continues to adjust systems and deliver back payments. This surely does mark a turning point in how Social Security treats those who served the public but were unfairly penalized in retirement.
