i thought WEP only applies if you retire from that non SS job? my friend said if you leave the teacher job and work somewhere else with SS for 5 years you dont get the WEP penalty?? is that true?

One more thing to keep in mind - if your pension payment amount ever changes (like with cost of living adjustments), you should contact Social Security to update your WEP information. Otherwise, you could end up with an overpayment that they'll want back later. I learned this the hard way when my pension got a 3% increase and I didn't report it. SSA discovered it during their annual verification and I had to pay back $420 in SS benefits!

have u checked ur mysocialsecurity acct online? sometimes u can see benefit estimates there

I work as a customer service representative for SSA (though I can't provide official advice here). From my experience, when agents quote survivor benefit amounts over the phone, they SHOULD be giving you the reduced amount based on the age you mentioned. However, mistakes do happen, and some agents might quote the full retirement age amount by accident. Given that you're 61 and mentioned wanting to claim at that age, the $1,768 is most likely already reduced by about 28.5%. But I'd definitely recommend calling back and asking them to clarify exactly what that figure represents. One tip: when you call, ask to speak with a Claims Specialist rather than just any representative. They tend to be more knowledgeable about benefit calculations and can walk you through the math. Also, if possible, try calling right when they open (8am local time) - you'll usually get through faster. Don't feel bad about calling multiple times to confirm this - it's a huge financial decision and you have every right to understand exactly what you'll be receiving.

As someone new to navigating Social Security benefits, I found this discussion incredibly informative! I'm in a somewhat similar situation (divorced after 12 years, currently remarried) and had no idea about the GPO rules or how government pensions could affect Social Security benefits. One question I have after reading through everyone's responses: Is there a way to get a preliminary estimate of what benefits might be available before going through all the paperwork and appointments? It seems like there are so many variables (whether the job paid into SS, GPO calculations, benefit timing, etc.) that it would be helpful to know if it's even worth pursuing before investing time in gathering documents and scheduling appointments. Also, for those who have been through this process - about how long did it take from initial inquiry to getting a definitive answer from SSA? I'm trying to plan ahead like the original poster and wondering if this is something that takes weeks or months to resolve. Thank you all for sharing your experiences - this community has been so helpful in breaking down these complex rules!

I'm also new to this community and found this thread incredibly educational! As someone who will likely face similar decisions in the future, I wanted to thank everyone for sharing their experiences and knowledge. One thing that stood out to me from reading all the responses is how much the specifics of each person's situation can vary. It seems like the key factors are: 1) whether the ex-spouse's government job paid into Social Security, 2) the GPO rules and calculations, 3) timing of when to claim benefits, and 4) which benefit would be higher. For anyone else following this discussion, it sounds like the most important first step is to determine if the ex-spouse's firefighter/government position was covered by Social Security. As @Dmitry Ivanov mentioned, contacting the HR department or pension administrator directly seems like the best way to get that information. I'm curious - for those who have gone through this process, did you find that different SSA representatives gave you consistent information? @Axel Bourke mentioned getting different answers from different reps, which would be concerning when making such important financial decisions. Also, has anyone found it helpful to work with a financial advisor who specializes in Social Security claiming strategies, or is the SSA generally able to provide all the guidance needed?

my brother waited till 70 to collect and then died at 72! all those years of not collecting and higher benefit gone to waste. jus something to think about

As someone who just went through this decision process myself, I'd recommend getting a personalized Social Security statement and running some breakeven analyses. The key factors to consider are your life expectancy, your wife's life expectancy, and your current financial needs. One thing that helped me was calculating the "crossover point" - how long you'd need to live to make up for the benefits you'd lose by delaying. For example, if you delay from 67 to 70, you give up 3 years of payments but get roughly 24% higher benefits for life. Also consider your wife's perspective - she's already 64, so those spousal benefits could provide meaningful income for potentially many years. The guaranteed $625/month might be worth more to your household than the uncertain larger survivor benefit later. Have you looked into whether either of you has any health issues that might affect longevity planning? That could really influence the optimal timing decision.