Americans usually only see their Social Security benefits increase in January, when each year’s cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) goes into effect. But for 3.2 million Americans, including many former police officers, firefighters, teachers, other government employees, and their spouses, the next couple of weeks could bring a huge influx of cash and a permanent benefit boost.

The changes should happen automatically for most affected seniors, but if you are one of those who’s due such a boost, there is one important step you should take to ensure you get your money as quickly as possible.

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Social Security Fairness Act benefit adjustments begin this month

Former President Joe Biden signed the Social Security Fairness Act in the final days of his term. This law eliminated two key legal provisions — the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) — that had long reduced the benefits paid to certain Americans (and their spouses) who were receiving pensions from employers based on work that was not covered by Social Security. The Social Security Fairness Act is retroactive, and applies to all benefits paid in January 2024 and later.

Initially, the Social Security Administration (SSA) expected that it might take it up to one year to make the necessary adjustments to the files of the impacted beneficiaries, change the size of their monthly checks, and pay them all the retroactive benefits they were owed. But it was able to automate a lot of this work. As a result, many affected seniors will receive their retroactive benefits by the end of the month.

Affected beneficiaries will also receive their permanent monthly benefit boosts beginning in April. Technically, this will be their March payment, since Social Security pays benefits in the month after they’re due.

The exact benefit increases will vary depending on each person’s income history and how much they had withheld due to the WEP and GPO in the past. The average affected senior will receive $360 more per month, though some could get $1,000 or more per month.

If this change is going to affect your checks, you should receive one or two notices from the SSA in the coming weeks outlining what to expect. If you’ve only recently applied for benefits, the SSA may not have ever withheld money from your checks due to the WEP or GPO — even if under the old framework, it would have. In that case, you won’t be due a retroactive payment, and you’ll only get one notice regarding the upcoming adjustment to your benefit in April 2025.

Make sure the SSA has the correct payment information

The SSA will deposit any retroactive payment you are owed to the bank account it currently has on file for you. If this isn’t where you want the money to go, you’ll need to update your payment information with the SSA as soon as possible. The fastest way to do this is through your personal my Social Security account, where you can update your information directly. (If you don’t already have one, get started on creating one — it’s a great resource.) You can also call the SSA or visit your local Social Security office.

If you haven’t yet signed up for benefits, you’ll need to submit an application before you receive any money. The retirement benefit application is available online, but the spousal benefit application is not, so for that, you’ll have to call the SSA or visit your local Social Security office to begin the application process.

What to do if you don’t get your money in the next couple of weeks

The SSA asks that people wait until April to reach out with any questions about their retroactive payments. You should also wait until after you receive your April payment to ask questions about your new monthly benefit amount as you won’t see a change to the payment that hits your account in March.

It also warns that some affected seniors may have to wait up to a year to get the extra funds they’re owed. In certain complex cases, the SSA will have to process the payment adjustments and retroactive payments manually, and that’s going to take time.

The SSA may reach out to you requesting more information about your pension amount in order to ensure it’s adjusting your payments correctly. Respond to these requests promptly to ensure you get the extra cash you are due as quickly as possible.

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