Who Is Affected By The Social Security Fairness Act & What To Do Next

The Congressional Research Service found that as of the end of 2023, over two million Social Security beneficiaries had their retirement incomes reduced due to two programs: the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO). The Social Security Fairness Act was signed into law on January 5^th, 2025 and eliminates this benefit reduction. This article outlines who is affected by this change and actions to take next.

Who Is Affected

All people who have worked at least 40 quarters, or 10 years, and contributed to Social Security are entitled to some level of benefits. The previous WEP rule impacted when someone switched jobs from one where they were contributing to Social Security to one where they contributed only to a pension and not Social Security.