The following was first published as the Mass Retirees Association’s weekly news update on Friday, June 13, 2025. Each Friday, news and important information related to public retirees is emailed to all Association members. Given the extraordinary importance of the Social Security eligibility information below, we have chosen to share it openly on our public website. If you are not a Mass Retirees member, please join today using our secure online portal.
Whether you are receiving Social Security retirement benefits or not, please pay close attention to this week’s message. Due to misunderstandings regarding eligibility for Social Security retirement benefits, it appears that many public retirees are leaving money on the table.
We want to be sure that you and/or your spouse receive the full benefits that you are entitled to receive. Please allow me to walk you through what I’ll call Social Security 101.
But first, here is the latest on the ongoing implementation of the Social Security Fairness Act.
According to the Social Security Administration, as of June 22, 2025, some 99% of retirees known to have been impacted by either the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) or Government Pension Offset (GPO) laws have now received their retroactive payment. Nationally, this means that more than 2.8 million retirees have now been paid.
By last count, more than 117,000 Massachusetts residents have received nearly $930 million in retro payments since the last week of February! Please remember that your retro check is considered income for 2025 and subject to federal income taxes, so we suggest that you speak with your accountant or tax preparer if you have received a retro payment. However, Massachusetts does not tax Social Security or contributory defined benefit pensions.
As we have been saying for the past three months, if you are still waiting to be paid your retro Social Security check, we strongly suggest that you contact SSA to verify that you are on their list of pending cases – if you have not already done so. Once you verify that you are on the SSA list, there is nothing you can do beyond patiently waiting for the payment to arrive. You will be paid; it is simply a matter of when.
Mass Retirees continues to hear from members on a regular basis, who have just received their retro payment. Once your retro check arrives, you should then receive your new monthly Social Security check the following month. You should also receive a letter from SSA detailing the two payments.
For those members impacted by the GPO and only received 6-months of retro payments (not fully back to 1/1/2024), we continue to advocate for SSA to change their interpretation of the law. At this time, SSA will only pay full retro benefits to those impacted by the GPO for whom an official record of the original benefit denial exists. Unfortunately, for those retirees who received a verbal denial the retro payment is only attributable to six months.
There are two ways in which you can be eligible for Social Security retirement benefits: On your own work record, if you have a minimum of 40 quarters of Social Security credit; or through a spouse/former spouse, so long as they are collecting Social Security and you are of retirement age (minimum age of 62). Surviving spouses may also qualify for benefits, but we’ll detail eligibility below.
Collecting Your Own Social Security Benefit
Most retirees collecting a Social Security retirement benefit are doing so based on their own personal work history. To qualify for Social Security retirement on your own, you must contribute to Social Security for a minimum of 40 quarters (equivalent of 10 years of work under Social Security) and be at least 62 years old. However, bear in mind that if you collect Social Security prior to your full retirement age you will receive a reduced Social Security benefit.
While the formula used to calculate Social Security retirement benefits is complex, the following basic principles apply.
- Total number of quarters (in general the more quarters you have, the larger your benefit)
- Amount of money contributed (higher contributions usually lead to increased benefit amount)
- Age at time of application
In addition to the criteria outlined above: “The maximum benefit depends on the age you retire. For example, if you retire at full retirement age in 2025, your maximum benefit would be $4,018. However, if you retire at age 62 in 2025, your maximum benefit would be $2,831. If you retire at age 70 in 2025, your maximum benefit would be $5,108.” – as stated on the SSA website.
The average Social Security retirement benefit in Massachusetts in 2025 is just over $2,000 a month or $24,000 a year.
Spousal Social Security Benefits
Based on the calls we have recently received from members, this is the one area which seems to be causing a great deal of confusion. Even if you believe that you are not eligible for Social Security retirement benefits, please read these next two sections very carefully.
If your spouse or former spouse (if divorced and married a minimum of 10 years) is receiving Social Security retirement benefits, then you might be eligible for spousal Social Security benefits – even if you are receiving your own Social Security benefit.
To simplify things, let’s look at two different scenarios in which a public retiree might qualify for spousal Social Security benefits:
First, you are at least 62 but do not qualify for Social Security on your own due to not having the minimum of 40 quarters. If your spouse or former spouse is collecting a Social Security retirement benefit, then you are likely eligible for up to 50% of their benefit. I say “up to” 50%, because if you are younger than full retirement age your spousal benefit will be reduced. This is because those collecting Social Security benefits prior to their full retirement age are viewed as early retirees and receive a reduced benefit. Please keep in mind that if you choose to collect an early retirement benefit the reduction will remain in place even after you reach your full retirement age. The early retirement reduction can be significant, so keep that in mind as you plan.
The second scenario is retirees who are receiving their own Social Security retirement benefit, but it is a small benefit. Retirees in this category typically have minimal time under Social Security, which might date back to your early years in the workforce. This results in qualifying for a small Social Security benefit.
Under this scenario, if 50% of your spouse or former spouse’s Social Security benefit is larger than your own Social Security benefit, then you are likely eligible to receive a spousal benefit instead of your own benefit. Remember, the maximum spousal benefit is 50% of your spouse’s Social Security. And you will not receive both your own benefit and your spouse’s; you will receive the greater of the two benefits.
For retirees who were denied spousal benefits due to the now repealed GPO law, the restoration of the benefit often results in a sizable monthly benefit – and in some cases very large retroactive checks. Based on the average Social Security benefit paid in MA ($2,000 per month), the average spousal benefit could be as much as $1,000 per month.
If you have not previously applied for spousal benefits the most convenient way to is online at www.ssa.gov/apply.
If you are applying for spouse’s benefits, please note that selecting “Family Benefits” will take you to the application for Retirement/Medicare benefits. This process ensures that you will be considered for all benefits you are entitled to.
You can also call your local SSA office for further information.
Surviving Spouse Benefits
If your spouse or divorced spouse (married a minimum of 10 years) is deceased, then you might be eligible for 100% of their Social Security retirement benefit.
The general criteria to be eligible for survivor benefits under Social Security is the same as the criteria for spousal benefits. However, there is one major difference – the amount of the benefit.
While spousal benefits are up to 50% of your spouse or former spouse’s Social Security retirement benefit, survivor benefits are equal to 100% of the deceased spouse or deceased former spouse’s benefit.
Again, based on the average Social Security benefit paid in MA, the average surviving spouse’s Social Security benefit is just over $2,000 a month. Many retirees who were previously denied the benefit due to the GPO, have reported receiving well over $20,000 in retroactive survivor benefits!
Remember, even if you are receiving your own Social Security benefit you may still be eligible for survivor benefits – IF 100% of your deceased spouse or divorced spouse’s benefit is more than your own benefit. Under this scenario, you would be eligible to receive the greater of the two benefits, but not both benefits.
And if you are unsure which benefit is of greater value or if you want to apply for survivor benefits, contact Social Security. Information on applying for spousal or survivor benefits can be found here. Please note, unlike your own benefit or spousal benefits, you cannot apply for survivor benefits online. You must call Social Security to begin the application process. While there is a national toll-free number, your best bet is to call your local SSA office.
SSA Request for Pension Information
We continue to receive reports from members who have received a letter from SSA requesting information on retiree pension amounts prior to 1/1/2024 – when the WEP/GPO laws remained in full effect and the offset law applied to those collecting spousal or survivor Social Security benefits.
As you may recall, in addition to offsetting a retiree’s pension against Social Security benefits, the GPO also offset pension COLA increases. This means that the spousal or survivor benefits was reduced by 2/3rds of the value of the COLA increase.
While we are unsure of the purpose of SSA’s inquiry, it appears that the agency intends to continue enforcement of the GPO law for pre-2024 benefits. Again, the offset only applied to the GPO and not the WEP law.
If you do receive a letter from SSA specifically requesting verification of pension amounts for years prior to 2024 (the letter we are aware of requests information relating to 2022-2023), you are required to comply with the request. If you need the correct pension amounts, please contact the retirement system from which you are retired. They are aware of the process and will send you a verification letter for you to forward to SSA.
Unfortunately, if you were receiving Social Security benefits during the years in question and are determined to have over earned due to the COLA, SSA may claw back the overpayments. Since the GPO was repealed from 1/1/2024 forward, SSA can still enforce the old law for prior years.
That said, we strongly disagree with this heavy-handed approach and believe that it is unfair to reach back years in the past to recover what amounts to be small overpayments to retirees.
I hope that this week’s message provides you with useful information and brings some clarity to what can be a complicated process.
Again, if you are not currently a member of Mass Retirees, please join the Association today.
With great appreciation,
Shawn
Shawn Duhamel
Chief Executive Officer
Mass Retirees Association