Social Security checks increase in the United States

The higher payments began arriving after two reforms implemented at the end of Joe Biden's term. Hundreds of thousands are already seeing the change reflected in their accounts.

Changes in rules that penalized retirees

Since April, thousands of retirees in the United States have begun receiving larger Social Security checks. The change is due to the elimination of two provisions that primarily affected those who had worked in public employment or received pensions outside the SSA system.

The first is the call Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), which reduced the benefit to those who, after retiring from a job without Social Security contributions, were also entitled to a pension from another job in which they did contribute.

The second is the Government Pension Offset (GPO), which affected widows and widowers with employment pensions without SSA contributions, limiting the amount they could receive as a pension for their deceased spouses.

Who benefits from the change?

The WEP affected more than two million people, while the GPO affected approximately 800.000 retirees. Since April, 91% of the cases have been adjusted, according to the agency itself.

Approximately 200.000 cases remain pending, requiring manual review and record updates. The Social Security Administration expects to complete this process by November. 2025.

One of the most representative examples shows a public sector retiree who received a $3.000 pension, plus $2.100 in spousal benefits. Under the previous law, he had to deduct two-thirds of his public pension, reducing his check to just $100. Under the new law, this deduction no longer applies.

Some will see increases of up to $1.000

The financial impact varies depending on work history and the type of benefit. While some will receive modest increases, in others the increase exceeds $1.000 per month.

The measure was one of the Biden administration's final actions before the transfer of power, and is seen as a correction to decades of complaints about the penalization of workers with partial contributions.

Full retirement age increases

At the same time, the SSA announced that the full retirement age will be raised to 67 for all those born after 1960. Those born before that age will still be able to retire at 66.

This means that a person who turns 65 in 2025 will have to wait until 2027 to collect 100% of his pension.

Early retirement is still available starting at age 62, but with a permanent reduction of up to 30%. On the other hand, those who delay their retirement beyond full retirement age will be able to increase their check by 8% for each additional year worked until age 70.