My friend didn't tell SS about her pension and they found out 3 years later and made her pay back over $30k!!!! She almost lost her house! DEFINITELY tell them upfront!!!

To answer your follow-up question about when to contact them - you don't need to notify Social Security about your non-covered pension until you actually apply for SS benefits. Just make sure you're prepared with the right documentation when that time comes. Regarding your question about payment plans for overpayments - yes, SSA will generally work with you on a payment plan if you can't repay an overpayment all at once. They can withhold a percentage of your ongoing benefits until it's repaid, or you can set up monthly payments. But the real takeaway here is to be proactive and transparent from the beginning so you never face an overpayment situation. With proper planning, you can accurately estimate your WEP-adjusted benefit and avoid unpleasant surprises. One final note about WEP that many people don't realize: if your non-covered pension is relatively small, there's a provision that limits the WEP reduction to no more than 50% of your monthly pension amount. This doesn't apply to most teacher pensions (which tend to be substantial), but it's worth knowing in case your Florida pension ends up being on the smaller side.

The SSA website is SO confusing about this!!! I spent hours trying to understand the rules for my mom. They seriously need to hire people who can explain things clearly!

Thank you all for the helpful responses! I feel much more confident in the advice I'm giving her now. I'll make sure she understands: 1. Take her own benefit now at 65 ($670/month) 2. If her husband passes before her FRA, decide whether to take reduced survivor benefits immediately or wait until FRA for the full amount 3. The decision will depend on her financial needs and the exact reduction amount The differentiation between FRA for retirement vs. survivor benefits is something I hadn't considered - I'll make sure she asks specifically about that at the SSA office. This has been incredibly helpful!

dont forget about the one-time death payment from ss too. its only $255 but better than nothing

Thank you everyone for your helpful responses. I'm going to gather all my documents (death certificate, marriage certificate, pension statements, etc.) and apply for survivor benefits right away. It sounds like even with the GPO reduction, I should still receive a significant portion of my husband's benefit. I'll definitely check out that Claimyr service if I have trouble getting through to Social Security. It's such a relief to know I won't have to rely solely on my small pension.

wait im confused... you said your single but getting spousal benefits? did you mean survivor benefits? or are you divorced? those are different things with ss

One additional consideration regarding your Medicare premium: The $174.70 you mentioned is the standard Part B premium for 2024. However, if your modified adjusted gross income from 2023 (as reported on your tax return) was above certain thresholds, you might be subject to IRMAA (Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount), which would increase your premium. Based on the income you mentioned, you're likely below those thresholds, but it's something to be aware of if your income fluctuates year to year.

Just to add my personal experience - my mom retired from teaching after 24 years, but had worked retail for about 12 years before that. Her Social Security benefit was reduced from about $1100 to around $650 per month because of WEP. She was devastated because she'd been counting on having both income streams. The current system really punishes people who switch careers.

Something important that hasn't been mentioned yet: The WEP reduction has a maximum cap. For 2025, the maximum WEP reduction is $578 per month (up from $558 in 2024). Additionally, the reduction cannot be more than half of the pension from non-covered employment. Also, if your brother-in-law had years of "substantial earnings" under Social Security, the WEP reduction is gradually lessened. With 21+ years of substantial earnings, the reduction starts decreasing, and at 30+ years of substantial earnings, WEP doesn't apply at all. Regarding recent legislative proposals, some would phase out WEP entirely while others would replace it with a proportional formula that more fairly represents a person's actual earnings history. The most recent serious movement was in the Public Servants Protection and Fairness Act, which would provide relief payments to current retirees affected by WEP and establish a new formula for future retirees.