wait so if you get survivor benefits do you still get your own ss payment too or just the higher one?

I'm in a very similar situation and wanted to share what I learned during my recent SSA appointment. I was a federal employee for 28 years and my husband passed away 6 months ago. Like you, I was told I couldn't get survivor benefits due to GPO. After reading the helpful responses here, I called SSA using the tip about calling right at opening time - got through in about 15 minutes! The representative calculated that even with the GPO reduction, I would still receive about $800 monthly in survivor benefits (compared to my current $620 WEP-reduced benefit). What really surprised me was that they were able to process everything over the phone since I already had most documents on file from previous applications. I didn't need an in-person appointment. They said I should see the first payment within 4-6 weeks, and yes - I'm getting retroactive payments back to the month after my husband passed away. Don't give up hope! Even with these unfair GPO rules still in place, you very likely qualify for benefits that would significantly help your financial situation. The math shared by others here seems spot-on based on my experience.

Just to follow up on this thread - the reason this happens is that SSA processes retirement benefits and COLA adjustments in batches according to your Social Security number and benefit type. For couples, if you have different last names or were enrolled at different times, your records might be in different processing batches. The good news is that by February, everything should normalize and both payments will include the correct COLA amount as part of the regular monthly benefit. The separate payment is perfectly normal and not a mistake you need to worry about. I recommend checking your benefit verification letters in your MySocialSecurity accounts in early February - they should reflect the updated amounts going forward.

I work for a local senior services organization and we've been getting a lot of calls about this exact situation! You're definitely not alone - we've heard from probably 20+ people in the past week with the same pattern of getting their regular payment with COLA, then a separate smaller deposit a day or two later. From what we've learned from SSA, this is happening more frequently this year because they updated their payment processing system. The separate deposit is almost certainly your husband's COLA adjustment. The system prioritizes getting regular payments out on schedule, then catches up with the COLA calculations in a second wave. One tip: if you use direct deposit, the separate COLA payment might show up with a slightly different description on your bank statement (something like "SSA COLA ADJ" instead of just "SSA"). That's another way to confirm what it is without having to call and wait on hold!

My sister works for our state retirement system and she said they're getting flooded with calls from retirees who got similar scam emails. The scammers are really targeting public pensioners right now!

Just wanted to add my experience - I'm a retired postal worker and got hit with the same scam email about 2 weeks ago. What really bothered me was how detailed it was - they knew I was affected by WEP and even mentioned my approximate benefit reduction amount. I called SSA directly (waited 3 hours but finally got through) and the agent confirmed it was a scam. She said they've had a huge uptick in these targeted phishing attempts against public service retirees in the last few months. The scammers are definitely doing their homework to make these emails look legitimate. The agent also told me that when ANY major legislation affecting WEP/GPO passes, SSA will send multiple official paper notices by mail before any changes take effect. They would never rely on email for something this significant. Stay vigilant everyone!

Just want to add one more thing about taxation that no one's mentioned yet. If you're worried about inflation in your later years, remember that survivor benefits are taxed the same way as regular Social Security benefits. Up to 85% could be taxable depending on your other income. So as you tap into 401ks/IRAs, be mindful of how that impacts the taxation of your benefits. Sometimes it makes sense to draw from Roth accounts to keep your taxable income lower once you're receiving Social Security.

One strategy worth considering given your situation is the "claim and invest" approach. Since you mentioned you have pensions covering basic expenses and are viewing SS as inflation protection, you might want to run the numbers on having your husband claim at 62 and investing that monthly benefit in a conservative portfolio. Over 8 years (from age 62 to 70), that could potentially grow to offset some of the reduction from early claiming. Meanwhile, your delayed benefit at 70 maximizes the survivor benefit for whichever of you lives longer. This works especially well when you don't immediately need the money for living expenses. Just make sure to factor in taxes on both the SS benefits and any investment gains when doing your calculations!

As a newcomer trying to understand all this, it's really helpful to see everyone's explanations! From what I'm gathering, the key distinction is that GPO only affects Social Security benefits you'd receive based on someone ELSE'S work record (like spousal or survivor benefits), but it doesn't touch the Social Security you earned from your own work history. So @Carter Holmes, your $2,304/month Social Security benefit that you earned yourself should be completely safe - GPO won't reduce it at all, even when you start receiving your wife's CalSTRS pension as a survivor benefit. The confusing part seems to be that there are two separate government pension rules (GPO and WEP) that people often mix up, plus SSA's own explanations aren't always clear. But everyone here seems to agree on the basic principle: your own earned SS benefits = protected from GPO. I'd definitely follow the advice about getting an official determination from SSA though, just to have it in writing for your peace of mind!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm in a similar situation with my spouse who has a state teacher retirement system pension. What I'm learning from everyone's experiences is that there are really two key questions to ask yourself: 1. Are you claiming Social Security based on YOUR OWN work record? (If yes, GPO doesn't apply) 2. Are you claiming Social Security based on your SPOUSE'S work record? (If yes, GPO might reduce those benefits) @Carter Holmes - it sounds like you're in category #1, so you should be fine. But I'm curious - have you considered whether your wife might have ANY Social Security credits from work before teaching? Even a small SS survivor benefit could be worth checking on, though it would be subject to GPO. Also, for anyone dealing with these complex rules, I've found that the SSA's online calculators and benefit estimates don't always account for GPO/WEP properly, so the official determination that @Sophia Long mentioned is really important. Don't rely on the online estimates alone! Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - this is exactly the kind of real-world knowledge that's so hard to find elsewhere.