I was in a similar boat to u last year & honestly the BEST thing we did was just schedule an appointment at our local SSA office. My husband & I brought all our questions written down & the rep walked us thru everything step by step. Took about an hour but so worth it! Just be prepared for a long wait to get an appointment (took us like 3 weeks).

make sure u look at the tax situation too bc sometimes waiting doesnt help if ur gonna pay more taxes on the bigger benefit its all about whats left after taxes

To address your question about what happens when your pension runs out: Under GPO rules, if your pension stops, the offset should stop as well. This is different from WEP, which generally continues even if your pension ends.When your pension payments end, you need to notify SSA immediately with proof that you're no longer receiving the pension. At that point, they should recalculate your spousal benefits without the GPO reduction. Make sure to keep documentation showing your pension has ended.If your pension is paid as a lump sum rather than monthly payments, SSA will calculate what the monthly amount would have been and apply the offset as if you were receiving monthly payments. Regarding your 403b specifically - some confusion might exist because 403b plans can be structured different ways. If your 403b was truly a pension from non-covered employment (no SS taxes paid), then GPO applies. But if it was more like a savings plan similar to a 401k where you contributed your own money, different rules might apply.This is definitely worth reviewing with SSA to ensure they've categorized your retirement plan correctly.

Thank you SO much for this information! This gives me some hope that at least when my pension runs out, I might get my full spousal benefit. I'll definitely keep documentation about when my pension ends.And you've given me another avenue to explore - my 403b was partly my contributions and partly employer contributions. I need to verify if SSA is treating it correctly. I'll gather all my pension documentation before calling them.I can't thank everyone enough for all this guidance. I feel much better equipped to address this situation now.

just another way the govt takes our money. they should stop taxing retirement age people completey imo

One more thing to consider: Even though your continued contributions might not increase your monthly benefit, they're still supporting the overall Social Security system that you and others rely on. The system is designed so current workers support current beneficiaries, so your contributions are helping sustain benefits for everyone in the program.

wait the WEP and GPO are gone now???? since when??? i've been getting reduced SS benefits for 6yrs because of my teacher pension!

Can I ask what your benefit increase looks like with the WEP/GPO gone? My husband and I are both former federal employees with pensions and our SS benefits were basically nothing before. Trying to figure out if it's worth the hassle of reapplying.

I applied for SS at 65 exactly like you're planning. Went ahead and did Medicare A and B together because my neighbor told me horror stories about penalties. For prescriptions (Part D), I spent about 2 weeks comparing plans on Medicare.gov before picking one. They have this tool where you enter all your medications and it shows which plan is cheapest for YOUR specific drugs. Highly recommend taking the time to use that tool!

One more important point: If you're in California, you might want to look into Medicare Advantage plans as an alternative to Original Medicare (Parts A+B) + Part D + Medigap. Many Advantage plans in California offer good prescription coverage built-in, plus extras like vision and dental. The enrollment periods are the same as for Original Medicare. Whichever path you choose, the most important thing is to make your Part B and Part D decisions within your Initial Enrollment Period to avoid lifelong penalties. You can always change plans during Annual Enrollment Periods, but those initial enrollment deadlines are critical.