Posted on 03/26/2025 1:25:57 AM PDT by Libloather
Some 3 million Americans may benefit from higher Social Security payments beginning in April.
Why It Matters
In January, two provisions—the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO)—that reduced Social Security benefits for millions of workers were repealed after bipartisan efforts in Congress.
Signing the act into law, former President Joe Biden said it would boost Social Security benefits by an average of $360 a month for more than 2.8 million recipients.
What To Know
Beginning in April, these boosted payments will be made for all relevant recipients, the Social Security Administration confirmed in a news release in February.
The SSA has said that, "depending on factors such as the type of Social Security benefit received and the amount of the person's pension, the change in payment amount will vary from person to person."
The WEP reduced Social Security benefits for individuals receiving pensions from public-sector jobs—such as those held by state and federal employees—that did not require Social Security payroll tax contributions. This reduction applied even if they contributed to Social Security through other employment and qualified for benefits.
The GPO reduced spousal or survivor benefits for retired federal, state and local government workers who did not pay into Social Security funds through their payroll taxes.
Retroactive Payments
The Social Security Fairness Act also required backdated payments to January 2023 to be made to all recipients. The SSA confirmed that these have already been paid.
If you have not been paid by April, you can contact the SSA to inquire about the status of your payment.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsweek.com ...
Social security benefits are tampered off.
If you pay little bit into the system, you get your money out in instant.
Yes, if you make more money, you get a little bit more money, but your benefit increments are less and less.
It goes gradually from 90% of your average income, through 33% down to 15%!
Kind of like taxes, when you income is low, you may have no taxes, then you may pay 15% and as you go, you will pay almost 40%. So, if you make million, you will have be left with $600,000, if you make $10,000, you probably will actually get some money off the taxes, but surely not pay any!
In the theory, that the Rich do not need the money!
That’s contrary to private pensions, which pay you proportionally the same or even bigger benefits, based on what’s you contributions. If you contribute huge money, they may pay you even bigger percentage, because they save on paperwork.
Not so in SS! But I have no choice, I have to participate and subsidize the poor!
Well,I guess I could have been called “swamp”. After all,I *did* have a direct line to The Big Guy’s personal cell phone! ;-)
Ping!
It applies to those who qualified by working the required quarters to receive Social Security but were prevented from receiving their earned benefit due to WEP legislation. So they did pay the Social Security tax on their non-governmental employment. The GPO portion allows for spousal benefits to be paid as other spouses have been receiving for years even if they did not have employment of any kind.
I have a question for those of you who understand the legislation. The GPO and WEP limited benefits for those who earned social security benefits by virtue of their non-government jobs and also earned government pensions. The legislation called for back payment effective 31 Dec. 2023 so they should have received benefits effective Jan 1 2024. They were not eligible for spousal benefits so they did not apply for those benefits. Now, despite the legislation saying those benefits would be retroactive to Jan 2024 the Social Security prior regulations said spousal benefits can only be paid for the past 6 months prior to applying. Now, even with the new legislation SS is still using the 6 month look-back period rather than paying benefits according to the repeal law which would allow the look-back to Jan 1 2024. Shouldn’t the new legislation over-ride their prior regulation regarding this look-back period?
Well, you know whaT they say, “a day is as a 1000”s years to the irs”
Not understanding any of this. All I know is that I get a statement saying what my social security benefits will be in the coming year & I can only hope I’m not being cheated. We supposedly get an occasional raise. Of course it depends on how much is withheld for Medicare, etc. My neighbor tells that her raise resulted in receiving a smaller payment because of some extra that was withheld for...apparently better insurance than what I have. I remain confused.
Have you ever heard of compound interest?
And, I am sure you can contact the Social Security office and refuse your payments whenever the time comes for you.
Some of the issue is legit, and some is not.
In California, a sister of mine worked for a state institution and was covered by a state pension. During that time they, the state, came to them with a plan sold as a plan to raise the potential state pension benefit they would receive. For that, they would have the same amounts that would have gone to Social Security to go instead into the state pension plan. In that way their state contributions would be higher, resulting in higher state pension benefit when they retired. Little emphasis was made of the fact that their social security benefit would be lower than it otherwise would have been.
I tried to explain that to my sister when the plan was initiated.
I believed at the time the state pensions system was underfunded and they wanted to divert the social security withholdings to the state pension system.
So, in reality, my sister and the state did not pay her personal share of social security withholding to social security. It went to the state pension system.
Regardless of that fact, the stupid law now forces social security to raise her benefits on the basis of contributions for her that social security never recieved.
There are some other circumstances, other cases, that differ from hers, and for which some adjustment may be deserving.
That is literally exactly what they did by eliminating the WEP.
As of today’s payment, I can safely report that I am not among the 3,000,000 getting a boost...
Yawn... Glad that my wife & I (since 1960) prepared for our retirement years...
Rush helped us when he pointed out the benefits of canned dog food...😎
Yes if they raise your social security and your taxable income increases it can place you in a higher bracket for IRMAA which increases your Medicare Part B and D premiums.
The benefit formula is 90% of wages up below the first bend point, 32% of wages above the first bend point and below the second bend point, and 15% of wages above the second bend point.
Let it be me that gets the money!
I want mo money!
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