Does my Mexican (IMSS) or Spanish pension still reduce my US Social Security?

No. WEP and GPO were repealed; December 2023 was the last month they applied. From January 2024 on, a foreign or non-covered pension no longer reduces your US benefit.

Do I need to do anything to get my back pay?

Usually no — SSA is paying retroactive lump sums automatically if it has your current address and direct deposit. The exception: if you never applied because of WEP/GPO, you must file now.

How far back does the back pay go?

To January 2024 — the first month after WEP/GPO stopped applying. The lump sum covers every reduced month since then.

Does a Foreign Pension Reduce Your US Social Security? Not Anymore — WEP/GPO Repeal 2026

For decades a foreign pension quietly cut your US benefit. A 2025 law ended that — retroactively to 2024. Here's what changed and how to make sure you get what you're owed.

The myth: "my IMSS / Spanish pension still cuts my US Social Security"

For years it was true, and it caught a lot of people who split a career between the US and Mexico or Spain: two rules — the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) — reduced US Social Security for anyone who also drew a pension from work that didn't pay into US Social Security. That includes foreign pensions like Mexico's IMSS or a Spanish pension, and US federal/state government pensions.

The truth now: that's over. The Social Security Fairness Act (signed January 2025) repealed both WEP and GPO. December 2023 was the last month they applied. From January 2024 on, your foreign or government pension no longer reduces your US benefit — at all.

What the two rules used to do

WEP hit your own retirement or disability benefit; GPO hit a spouse's or survivor benefit.

Rule	What it cut (before repeal)
WEP	Lowered the 90% factor on the first part of your benefit — up to about $587/month in 2024, shrinking with more years of US work (30+ years = no WEP), never more than half your pension
GPO	Reduced a spousal/survivor benefit by two-thirds of your non-covered pension — often wiping it out entirely

SSA owes back pay — automatically

This isn't just going forward. SSA is paying retroactive lump sums back to January 2024 for the months that were wrongly reduced. As of mid-2025 that was over 2.8 million people and more than $17 billion paid.

Do this: if SSA already has your current mailing address and direct-deposit details, most people need to do nothing — the restored benefit and the back pay arrive automatically. The one exception: if you never applied for Social Security because WEP or GPO would have zeroed it out, you now need to file a new application to claim it.

How much might you get back?

Two pieces: the monthly amount now restored (going forward), and the back pay — that monthly amount times the months since January 2024. A person who was losing the 2024 maximum of ~$587/month has, by mid-2026, well over $18,000 of back pay coming, plus the restored monthly benefit for life.

Check it: use the calculator to estimate your restored amount and back pay, then confirm the exact figure in your my Social Security account — SSA has your earnings record and is applying the fix. If months are missing or the math looks off, that's worth a call to SSA.

Estimate your restored benefit + back pay → Free tool: what WEP/GPO was cutting, what's restored, and the back pay SSA owes you since 2024.

Does a foreign pension reduce your US Social Security? Not anymore