

Ask the community...
wait the WEP and GPO are gone now???? since when??? i've been getting reduced SS benefits for 6yrs because of my teacher pension!
Yes, the Social Security Fairness Act fully repealed both WEP and GPO effective January 1, 2025. If you've been receiving reduced benefits due to these provisions, you should contact SSA immediately to have your benefits recalculated. You won't automatically get an increase - you need to request it. The increase will only be for future payments (no retroactive adjustments for prior years).
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 had a friend who thought she'd just wait to apply until after she retired completely so she wouldn't have to deal with any earnings test or complicated stuff. Turned out she lost 6 months of benefits she could have collected! Don't wait to apply - you can apply 3-4 months before you want benefits to start.
Thank you all for this incredibly helpful advice! I've called my local office and scheduled an in-person appointment for next month. I'm going to gather all my pension documentation, earnings records, and my husband's information as well. I'm still disappointed to learn about the GPO potentially reducing spousal benefits too - I had only known about WEP affecting my own record. It feels like being penalized twice for having a government job. Does anyone know if they'll calculate both options for me (my own benefit with WEP vs. spousal with GPO) and give me the higher amount automatically? Or do I need to specifically request they check both?
They should calculate both automatically and give you whichever is higher. However, I recommend specifically asking them to show you both calculations. In my experience, they sometimes rush through appointments and might not properly explain everything. Also, bring a notepad and write down the name of the person helping you and any specific figures they provide. I found this helpful when I had follow-up questions later.
BEWARE about those survivor benefits - they don't tell you this but if you remarry before age 60 you LOSE THEM ALL!!!! My friend lost $175,000 in benefits because she remarried at 59 and they never warned her! The whole system is rigged against us.
You're correct that remarriage before 60 affects survivor benefits, but there's an important clarification: the beneficiary wouldn't lose ALL potential benefits, just eligibility for survivor benefits on the ex-spouse's record. If the new marriage ends (divorce or death), eligibility for the previous survivor benefits can be reinstated. Additionally, at FRA, they could still potentially claim spousal benefits on the new spouse's record if that would be higher. The rules are complex but designed to prevent collecting multiple benefits simultaneously rather than to penalize remarriage.
Update: I found the W-4V form online and filled it out. I opted for 10% withholding to start. I was nervous about mailing such an important document, so I made an appointment at my local office (earliest was 3 weeks out) to drop it off in person. Thank you everyone for your helpful advice - especially about the earnings limit. I'm going to carefully track my consulting income this year to make sure I don't go too far over the limit.
smart choice! its so much better than dealing with quarterly payments. one less thing to worry about!
my cousin had hep c too and got it treated thank goodness! but he never thought about disability either, it's rough but he got through it too. glad your husband is doing better now!
One thing worth noting: If your husband's current benefit is lower than what you're entitled to as a spouse (potentially up to 50% of his full retirement age benefit), you might want to look into spousal benefits when you reach eligibility age. This could help maximize your household's total Social Security income, even if the disability option isn't available.
Freya Christensen
what's irmaa??? is that different from cola?
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NeonNebula
•IRMAA (Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount) is completely different from COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment). IRMAA is an extra charge added to Medicare Part B and D premiums for higher-income beneficiaries. COLA is the annual increase in Social Security benefits to keep up with inflation. They're unrelated systems.
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Chloe Robinson
once i got random deposit from SS for $412 and it turned out they had calculated my benefits wrong for 3 months! but took them 5 months to tell me that lol. SS works in mysterious ways
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StarSurfer
•Seems like unexpected money showing up with no explanation is a common theme! I just wish their communication was better.
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