The Social Security Administration says it is speeding up implementation of the Social Security Fairness Act, issuing back payments and recalculating benefits for those previously affected by the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) sooner than initially announced.

After President Joe Biden signed the Social Security Fairness Act into law, the Social Security Administration (SSA) said it was facing a shortage of staff and funding as it worked to recalculate benefits for the millions of Americans whose benefits had been reduced by WEP and GPO. At that time, SSA said implementation could take a year or more due to manual processing of accounts.

In late February, SSA said it had set up an automated process to handle most accounts, allowing the agency to speed up processing. The agency said it was “immediately” beginning to issue retroactive payments to reflect higher benefit amounts going back to January 2024.

Retirees and other beneficiaries can expect to see a lump sum payment deposited directly into the bank account on file with SSA by the end of March, SSA said. New monthly benefit amounts will go into effect with benefits paid in April.

It’s important to note the Social Security Fairness Act does not affect Colorado PERA retirement benefits. PERA members or retirees with questions about how the law affects them should contact the Social Security Administration directly.

LEARN MORE: PERA and Social Security

Affected beneficiaries will receive a letter from SSA explaining any change in benefits, but that letter may arrive after the lump sum for back payments, according to SSA.

The agency said it would have to manually process accounts that have a high level of complexity and those without a bank account on file, which will take additional time. That means not everyone will see their retroactive payments or new benefit amounts right away.

In addition to recalculating benefits, SSA is encouraging anyone who never applied for Social Security benefits due to WEP or GPO reductions to go ahead and apply now.

For more information, visit ssa.gov.