Nearly two years after the Social Security Fairness Act repealed the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO), a new Congressional Research Service report provides a clearer picture of what the change actually delivered and what it is projected to cost.
What Changed?
The Social Security Fairness Act eliminated WEP and GPO for benefits payable after December 2023.
WEP had reduced the Social Security retirement or disability benefits of some people who also received pensions from employment not covered by Social Security. GPO reduced or eliminated certain spousal and survivor benefits for people receiving pensions from non-Social-Security-covered government employment.
The changes affected millions of people, including many CSRS federal retirees and certain state and local government employees.
Billions Have Already Been Paid
According to CRS, large-scale automated processing through July 7, 2025 covered about 2.4 million Social Security beneficiaries and $17.3 billion in past-due payments. Those figures don’t represent every case, however. CRS notes that manually processed and smaller automated cases aren’t included.
SSA separately reported completing more than 3.1 million payments totaling about $17 billion by July 7, 2025, five months ahead of its original timeline.
How Much Did Benefits Increase?
The often-cited figures of $360, $700 and $1,190 per month are not averages measured from everyone’s actual new benefit checks. They were CBO estimates of the average monthly increase by December 2025:
- $360 for affected worker beneficiaries under WEP
- $700 for affected spousal beneficiaries under GPO
- $1,190 for affected widow(er) beneficiaries under GPO
CRS notes that actual increases vary based on each person’s circumstances.
What Did the Repeal Cost?
CBO now estimates that repealing WEP and GPO will increase direct spending by about $198 billion from FY2024 through FY2034. Under CBO’s 2024 baseline, the combined Social Security trust funds were projected to be exhausted in FY2034, and the repeal was estimated to move that date forward by roughly six months.
That doesn’t mean $198 billion was taken from a literal vault of Social Security cash. The trust funds track Social Security’s dedicated revenues and expenditures and hold Treasury securities. The six-month estimate means the point at which projected incoming revenue would no longer be sufficient to pay all scheduled benefits would arrive somewhat sooner.
Congress Knew There Was a Tradeoff
The House passed the legislation 327–75, followed by a 76–20 Senate vote. CRS documents the concerns about the legislation’s effect on Social Security’s finances alongside the arguments for eliminating WEP and GPO. Congress ultimately chose to repeal the provisions despite the projected cost.
What It Means Now
For people affected by the repeal, the change is straightforward: WEP and GPO no longer reduce benefits under current law, and millions of beneficiaries have already received higher payments and retroactive benefits. But the broader financing issue didn’t disappear.
The Social Security Fairness Act added to a long-term funding problem that existed before the repeal. The CRS report puts both sides of the equation in one place: billions of dollars have reached affected beneficiaries, while the repeal also increased Social Security’s projected costs.
For federal employees and retirees, a Federal Retirement Consultant (FRC®) can help you understand how this affects your retirement picture.
