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WHY is everything with Social Security so COMPLICATED?! I swear they make these questions confusing on purpose. My sister answered this wrong and her application was delayed by TWO MONTHS while they sorted it out!!
i know right!! and then when u try to call them its impossible to get through. spent my whole day off work last week trying to reach someone!
If you're unsure about this or any other question on your application, it's always best to include an explanation in the remarks section. Something like: "My mother received survivor benefits on my behalf from 1975-1981 after my father passed away." This additional clarity can help prevent processing delays.
Thank you, that's a great suggestion. I'll definitely add that explanation to make things clearer. I'm hoping to get this application submitted by the end of the week.
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BTW they change these rules all the time! My dad was a teacher and thought he was fine, then Congress changed the formula for WEP calculation the year before he retired and it cost him like $400/month in benefits. Keep an eye on legislation too.
This is misleading. Congress hasn't significantly changed the WEP formula since it was implemented in the 1980s. There have been proposals to modify it, but nothing has passed. The substantial earnings amount is adjusted annually for inflation, but the basic 30-year exemption rule has remained consistent.
To directly answer your original question: If you're currently teaching in a position where you pay into Social Security, and will have 30 years of substantial earnings under Social Security by retirement, you will NOT be subject to WEP regardless of your pension. Since you mentioned you've been teaching for 12 years with Social Security coverage and will have around 30 years total by retirement, you appear to be on track for complete WEP exemption. Just make sure you've met the substantial earnings threshold (which increases slightly each year) for each of those 30 years.
Thank you! This forum has been incredibly helpful. I feel much more confident about my retirement planning now and know exactly what to check in my Social Security record.
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Thank you all so much for these detailed responses. I'm going to keep my phone appointment and come prepared with questions about both benefit types. I'll also write down my earnings record and what I know about my late husband's benefits so I can compare the numbers during the call. Since it sounds like my born-in-1956 status still allows me to choose between survivor OR retirement (just not both at once), I'll need to understand the long-term impacts of each option. Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences and knowledge!
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i had to deal with this last yr too and went in circles for months!! they kept asking for more proof and more proof until i finally gave up and just didn't claim until this year. The system is broken!
Did you try visiting your local SSA office in person? Sometimes that's more effective than phone calls, especially for complicated situations.
One more important thing - when your benefits are withheld due to earnings, they're not lost forever! Once you reach FRA, SSA will recalculate and give you credit for those months, resulting in a permanent increase to your monthly benefit amount going forward. So even if you can't get the exception for non-work months, any withheld benefits do eventually come back to you in the form of higher payments later.
Exactly right. This is the Adjustment to the Reduction Factor (ARF). For every month benefits are completely withheld due to excess earnings, SSA adjusts your reduction factor when you reach FRA. It doesn't make up for the full amount withheld, but it does increase your monthly benefit permanently.
TillyCombatwarrior
one more thing DONT FORGET to return the last check if SS deposited money for the month she died!! they will take it back later anyway and charge you interest or penalties. they did this to my brother and it was a huge mess cause he spent the money not realizing
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Destiny Bryant
•That's a really good point - thank you! I'll check with my dad about this right away. Mom passed on the 14th of last month, so I'm not sure how that works with partial months.
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Anna Xian
•For Social Security benefits (including SSDI), if the person passes away at any point during a month, they are NOT entitled to the payment for that month. So if your mother passed on the 14th, the payment received for that month would need to be returned. If benefits are directly deposited, SSA will usually attempt to reclaim the funds electronically. If they can't, they'll send a notice requesting repayment. As the previous commenter mentioned, it's best to be proactive about this to avoid complications.
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Nadia Zaldivar
so sorry about your mom :( my dad died last year and we had to deal with all this ss stuff too. really stressful time. we found out the funeral home actually reported his death to ssa for us, maybe yours did too? might wanna check
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Destiny Bryant
•Thank you. I'm sorry about your dad as well. That's a good point about the funeral home - I'll check if they reported it. We've been overwhelmed with everything and might have missed that detail.
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