FRS Retirement and Social Security After the WEP and GPO Repeal

What Got Repealed

The Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 82), signed into law on January 5, 2025, eliminated two provisions that had reduced Social Security benefits for some public pension recipients:

Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) reduced Social Security retirement benefits for people who earned a pension from employment not covered by Social Security. It used a modified formula that lowered the Social Security benefit to prevent what Congress considered a "windfall."

Government Pension Offset (GPO) reduced Social Security spousal and survivor benefits by two-thirds of the government pension amount. In many cases, GPO zeroed out the Social Security benefit entirely.

Both provisions are repealed retroactively for benefits payable from January 2024 onward. The SSA began paying retroactive adjustments and back payments starting February 2025.

How This Affects Most FRS Members

For the vast majority of FRS members, this changes nothing directly. Most FRS positions are covered by Social Security — you pay FICA taxes on your FRS salary and earn standard Social Security quarters. WEP and GPO only applied to members with pension income from employment that was not covered by Social Security.

Where the repeal matters:

Members with non-covered service outside Florida. If you worked for another state or local government that didn't participate in Social Security, and you earned a pension from that service, WEP previously reduced your Social Security retirement benefit. That reduction is now gone.

People receiving a pension from non-covered public employment. If you receive such a pension and qualify for Social Security benefits on a spouse's record, GPO historically reduced those spousal or survivor benefits. That offset has been repealed.

What to Do Now

If you're already receiving Social Security and were affected: The SSA completed automatic retroactive adjustments for current beneficiaries. You don't need to file a new application. Check your mySocialSecurity account online for updated benefit amounts and back-payment notifications.

If you never applied because WEP or GPO would have zeroed out your benefit: You must file a new application with the Social Security Administration. The SSA does not automatically enroll people who never applied — retroactive adjustments only go to existing beneficiaries. Contact SSA at 1-800-772-1213 or visit your local office to file.

If you're not sure whether you were affected: Pull your Social Security Statement from ssa.gov and check whether any of your prior employment was listed as non-covered. If all your employment paid FICA taxes, WEP and GPO never applied to you.

Beware of Outdated Information

Many financial advisor websites, union publications, and even some state pension handbooks still describe WEP and GPO as active provisions. If you encounter content warning that your FRS pension will reduce your Social Security benefit, check the publication date. Anything written before January 2025 may still treat these offsets as law.

The Florida FRS Retirement Guide covers the post-repeal landscape and explains how Social Security coordinates with your FRS pension under current law.

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