If you worked in public service, as a teacher, for a state or local government, or overseas — and you also paid into Social Security — there is a strong chance you are owed money right now. The average affected retiree received a one-time retroactive lump sum of $6,710 after the Social Security Fairness Act was signed into law on January 5, 2025. This was not a small policy tweak. It was the elimination of two provisions — the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) — that had slashed Social Security benefits for millions of Americans for decades. The WEP repeal Social Security windfall for expats in 2026 is especially significant: Americans who worked abroad and paid into a foreign social security system may be seeing their first full benefit payment in years, or may still be owed retroactive money they have not claimed.
This post breaks down exactly what changed, who qualifies, how much you could receive, and the exact steps to take right now if you think you are affected.
What Were WEP and GPO — And Why Did They Exist?
The Windfall Elimination Provision was a Social Security rule that reduced benefits for workers who earned a pension from a job not covered by Social Security — meaning a job where they did not pay Social Security taxes. Common examples: state and local government employees, federal workers hired before 1984, teachers in certain states, and — critically for readers of this site — Americans who worked in foreign countries and paid into that country’s social security or pension system instead of the U.S. system.
The original logic behind WEP was this: Social Security’s benefit formula is intentionally weighted to replace a higher percentage of income for lower earners. Workers who spent most of their career in a non-covered job and only worked briefly under Social Security would appear to be low earners — triggering the generous low-income formula — even though they were not actually low earners over their entire working life. WEP was meant to correct for that. In practice, it punished workers who had legitimately split careers between covered and non-covered employment, often cutting their earned Social Security benefit by hundreds of dollars per month through no fault of their own.
The Government Pension Offset was a separate but related rule that affected spouses and surviving spouses. If you received a pension from a government job not covered by Social Security, GPO reduced your spousal or survivor benefit by two-thirds of your government pension amount. For many surviving spouses, this calculation wiped out their entire spousal Social Security benefit — leaving them with $0 per month from Social Security despite being legally entitled to a spousal benefit based on their partner’s work record. This was a devastating outcome for widows and widowers, often hitting them at the most financially vulnerable point in their lives.
Both provisions are now eliminated. Permanently. The Social Security Fairness Act ended them both, effective retroactively to January 2024.
WEP Repeal Social Security Windfall: The $6,710 Lump Sum and $360+ Per Month
Here is what the repeal actually means in dollar terms. The SSA processed retroactive payments covering the benefit increase from January 2024 onward — the gap between what affected retirees were paid under WEP/GPO and what they should have received. That retroactive period added up fast. The average one-time lump sum payment was approximately $6,710. These deposits went directly into SSA-registered bank accounts beginning February 25, 2025, with the bulk arriving by March 2025.
On top of the lump sum, monthly benefits increased permanently:
| Provision Eliminated | Who Benefits | Average Monthly Increase |
|---|---|---|
| WEP Repeal | Primary beneficiaries with non-covered pension | ~$360/month |
| GPO Repeal | Surviving spouses previously receiving $0 | Up to ~$1,190/month |
The GPO number deserves special attention. Surviving spouses who had their entire spousal benefit wiped out are now eligible to receive the full spousal benefit they were owed — an average of up to $1,190 per month they were never receiving. If you are a widow or widower in this situation, that is more than $14,000 per year in benefits you were legally entitled to but were not getting. That money is now flowing, and if you were affected and have not yet filed or been notified, the SSA needs to hear from you.
The Expat Angle: Your Foreign Pension Was Penalizing Your U.S. Benefits
This section is specifically for Americans who spent part of their career working in another country. If you paid into a foreign country’s social security or pension system — particularly in a country that has a totalization agreement with the United States — your U.S. Social Security benefit may have been reduced by WEP, even though you were doing everything right.
A totalization agreement is a bilateral treaty between the U.S. and another country that coordinates social security coverage to prevent workers from paying into both systems simultaneously. Under these agreements, your work credits in the foreign country can be combined with your U.S. credits to help you qualify for benefits in either country. The trade-off — until January 2025 — was that the foreign pension you earned through that system counted as a “non-covered pension” under WEP, which reduced your U.S. Social Security check accordingly.
That penalty is now gone. If you are an American expat or returnee who worked and paid social contributions in any of the countries listed below, your Social Security benefit should have increased. The WEP repeal Social Security windfall for expats in 2026 means that people who spent years working in the UK, Germany, Canada, Australia, or any other totalization agreement country are no longer penalized for that foreign work history.
Full List of U.S. Totalization Agreement Countries
The United States has active totalization agreements with 30 countries. If you paid social security or pension contributions in any of these countries while working there, you may be eligible for the increased benefit under the WEP repeal:
| Country | Country | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | Austria | Belgium |
| Brazil | Canada | Chile |
| Czech Republic | Denmark | Finland |
| France | Germany | Greece |
| Hungary | Iceland | Ireland |
| Italy | Japan | Luxembourg |
| Netherlands | Norway | Poland |
| Portugal | Slovak Republic | Slovenia |
| South Korea | Spain | Sweden |
| Switzerland | United Kingdom | Uruguay |
Important note for expats who have not yet filed for Social Security: if you worked in one of these countries and your SSA earnings statement or estimated benefit was generated before January 5, 2025, that estimate was calculated with WEP applied. Your actual projected benefit going forward is likely higher — potentially significantly higher — than what you saw on that statement. Before you file, log into your My Social Security account at ssa.gov and review your updated benefit estimate, or call SSA directly to request a recalculated projection.
Surviving Spouses: The $1,190/Month You Were Never Getting
The GPO elimination is the most dramatic financial change in this law for surviving spouses. Before January 2025, if you received a government pension from a job not covered by Social Security — and your late spouse had paid into Social Security throughout their career — the Government Pension Offset could reduce your spousal survivor benefit by two-thirds of your pension amount. For many surviving spouses, that math produced a benefit of exactly zero dollars.
This affected retired teachers in states like California, Texas, Illinois, Ohio, and Massachusetts, where public school teachers participate in a separate state pension system rather than Social Security. It affected retired state and municipal workers across the country. And it affected expat spouses who had received a foreign government pension in their own right.
With GPO eliminated, surviving spouses in this situation are now eligible for the full spousal Social Security benefit based on their deceased spouse’s earnings record — an average of up to $1,190 per month for those who were previously receiving $0. If this describes your situation and you have not received a payment or a notice from SSA, contact them immediately. Cases requiring manual review experienced delays throughout 2025, and some surviving spouses may still be waiting for their retroactive lump sum payment and adjusted monthly benefit.
SSA Processing: Why Some People Are Still Waiting
The SSA processed retroactive payments in batches throughout 2025. Straightforward cases — retirees already in the system whose WEP reduction was clearly documented — were handled first, with most deposits arriving by late March 2025. More complex cases, including those requiring manual review of foreign pension documentation or totalization agreement records, have taken longer.
If you were affected by WEP or GPO and have not yet received your retroactive lump sum payment, do not assume you are not entitled to it. The SSA has stated that affected individuals should contact them directly if they have not received a payment. The volume of affected beneficiaries — over 3 million — means processing has not been instantaneous. Do not wait indefinitely; a phone call or in-person visit can get your case flagged for review.
Action Steps: Check If You’re Owed Money Right Now
Take these steps in order:
1. Check your current benefit amount. If you are already receiving Social Security, look at your current monthly deposit. Did it increase after March or April 2025? If you saw a higher deposit starting around that time, plus a larger one-time payment, that is your WEP/GPO adjustment. If your deposit did not change and you believe you were affected, move to step 3.
2. Log into My Social Security at ssa.gov. Your account shows your current benefit amount and any messages about recent adjustments. If the site shows your benefit was recalculated and a retroactive payment was issued, your case is resolved. Note the amount for your records.
3. Determine if you were subject to WEP or GPO. You were likely subject to WEP if you: (a) receive or will receive a pension from a job where you did not pay Social Security taxes, AND (b) also worked other jobs where you did pay into Social Security. You were subject to GPO if you receive a government pension from non-covered employment and also claim a spousal or survivor benefit on a spouse’s Social Security record.
4. If you are an expat or returnee: Review whether you paid into the social security or pension system of any totalization agreement country listed above. If yes, and you also have U.S. Social Security credits, contact SSA to confirm your benefit has been recalculated without the WEP reduction. If you have not yet filed for benefits, request an updated benefit projection before filing — your number may be materially higher than any prior statement showed.
5. Contact SSA directly. Call 1-800-772-1213 (TTY: 1-800-325-0778), Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time. Have your Social Security number ready and ask specifically: “Was my benefit previously reduced by WEP or GPO, and has my benefit been recalculated under the Social Security Fairness Act?” If you were affected and have not received a retroactive payment, ask them to open a case.
6. Visit your local SSA field office. For complex cases — particularly expats with foreign pension documentation, surviving spouses, or anyone whose case was flagged for manual review — an in-person visit can accelerate resolution. Bring your pension statements, your Social Security statement printed from ssa.gov, and any documentation of your foreign work history.
The Bottom Line
The Social Security Fairness Act is one of the most consequential Social Security benefit changes in decades. It ended two provisions that had reduced or eliminated benefits for millions of public sector workers, teachers, government employees, and — a group frequently overlooked in coverage of this law — American expats who built careers abroad and paid into foreign pension systems. The WEP repeal Social Security windfall for expats in 2026 continues to unfold as SSA works through delayed cases and as workers who have not yet filed begin to understand that their projected benefits are materially higher than they were told.
The average $6,710 lump sum is not theoretical — it went into bank accounts. The average $360/month increase is real, compounding monthly, for the rest of your life. And for surviving spouses who were receiving $0 due to GPO, up to $1,190/month is now available. If you have not checked whether you are owed money, check today. The SSA is still processing cases, and the only way to make sure yours is resolved is to ask.
This post is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, tax, or legal advice. Social Security rules are complex and individual circumstances vary. Consult a qualified financial advisor or contact the SSA directly for guidance specific to your situation.
