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Pensions and work abroad won’t reduce benefits

We no longer reduce your benefits because of pensions from jobs that didn’t pay into Social Security.

How this affects your benefits

Previously, we reduced payments for people with these types of pensions through the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO).


  • If you're already getting benefits and we had reduced your payments because of WEP/GPO, we’ll add that amount back to your monthly payment. We’ll also pay you back for the amount we withheld since January 2024. We’ll share a repayment timeline soon.
  • If you haven’t applied yet, your benefit won’t be reduced.

Learn more about the Social Security Fairness Act, the bill behind this change.

Help with benefits for someone who’s died

To check if someone who died may be due a repayment, fill out a Claim for Amounts Due in the Case of a Deceased Beneficiary (Form SSA-1724) (PDF) and send it to your local office for review.