Social Security Administration
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Will my teacher's pension trigger WEP even though I pay into Social Security now?
I've been teaching high school for about 12 years in a state where we contribute to Social Security. However, I'm getting conflicting info about what happens when I retire. Someone in the breakroom said that even though I'm paying into Social Security now, I'll still face the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) when I collect my teacher's pension. That doesn't seem right to me? If I'm already paying into SS, why would I get penalized with WEP? I'll have around 30 years of SS contributions by retirement. Can anyone clarify if I'll actually face a reduction in my future Social Security benefits? I'm trying to figure out if I need to adjust my retirement plans.
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Medicare eligibility mistake on SS ex-spousal benefits application - Will SSA fix this?
I'm in a complete panic about my application for Social Security ex-spousal benefits! I work as a teacher in a state where we don't pay into Social Security (only 18 years of FICA-covered work before teaching). When filling out my application, I mistakenly checked that my Medicare eligibility comes from MY OWN work record, but after researching more, I realized my Medicare benefits actually derive from my ex-husband's record since I don't have enough credits on my own (only need 9 more quarters but won't get them before retirement age). My application has been stuck at the payment center for over 3 weeks now. The status keeps changing from "processing" to "review needed" and back again. I called twice but both times after 2+ hours on hold, I got disconnected! Will SSA automatically correct this Medicare eligibility mistake? Or is this why my application keeps getting delayed? Should I submit some kind of amendment form? I'm supposed to retire at the end of this school year and I'm terrified this will mess up both my ex-spousal benefits AND my Medicare coverage!
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if its at the payment center already they probably caught the mistake themselves. thats what that dept does - checks applications for errors. thats probably why its in review. i wouldnt worry too much
UPDATE: I finally got through to someone at SSA! I took the advice about using Claimyr, and it worked perfectly - got a callback with an agent on the line within 20 minutes. The agent confirmed they had already flagged the Medicare eligibility issue for correction (someone at the payment center caught it). She added notes to my file with the correct information and said my application should be processed within the next 7-10 business days. She also confirmed my benefit amount with the GPO reduction will be $892/month, and I'll receive back payments for the two months since my FRA. Thank you all for your help and suggestions! Such a relief to have this resolved.
That's great news! So glad you got it sorted out. And good to know they had already caught the error - the system works sometimes!
Glad it worked out! Still think the whole system needs an overhaul but happy you got your issue fixed.
Should my spouse claim Social Security at FRA while still working or wait for higher benefits?
My wife just turned 67 (her Full Retirement Age) last month and is trying to decide whether to start her Social Security retirement benefits now or wait. She plans to continue working for another 18-24 months at her current job, which pays about $55,000 annually. We're debating if it makes financial sense to start collecting now even though she's still working. Our thinking is that we could use her SS payments to completely eliminate our remaining $22,000 in debt (mostly home improvement loans and one car payment), then start building up our emergency fund which is basically non-existent right now. I understand she would get approximately 8% more per year by delaying, but having zero debt before she fully retires sounds really appealing. Has anyone been in a similar situation? Did you claim at FRA while still working or wait? Any regrets either way?
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btw dont forget about taxes!!!! when my wife took SS and was still working we got hit with a big tax bill that april, almost 30% of her SS was taxed!
Can I just say how frustrating it is that we have to make these complicated financial decisions? The whole system is designed to confuse seniors imho
ABSOLUTELY AGREE!!!! And the SSA website is useless for answering specific questions like this. I tried to get help from them and waited on hold for 2 HOURS only to get disconnected!!!
Can Social Security prove my late father reported income changes? Need access to call/visit logs for overpayment appeal
I'm desperately trying to help my mother fight a $9,500 Social Security overpayment that was transferred to her after my father's death last year. The SSA claims Dad didn't report income changes back in 2022-2023, but I KNOW he was meticulous about this and visited the office twice when his pension amount changed.We have an in-person appeal meeting scheduled for Monday, and I'm gathering evidence. My big question: Does Social Security maintain internal logs or records of phone calls and office visits? Do their systems require agents to note why they accessed someone's file on specific dates? I'm hoping to request these internal logs during our meeting to prove Dad actually DID contact them about income changes. The overpayment notice claims he never reported anything, but that's absolutely false.Unfortunately, it's been over 2 years since those visits and calls, so I can't get phone records from his carrier. Any insights about what SSA tracks internally would be incredibly helpful!
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Social Security earnings limit when switching from survivor to retirement benefits - when does it end?
I've been receiving my deceased husband's survivor benefits since I turned 60 (I'm 67 now, born in 1958). I'm still working part-time at a local gallery making about $28,000 annually. I'm planning to switch from survivor benefits to my own retirement benefits in the next few months since my earnings record will give me a higher monthly amount. What's confusing me is the earnings limit - I know there's been a reduction in my survivor benefits because I'm still working, but I'm not clear when this earnings limit no longer applies? Does it stop at my FRA (which I believe has already passed) or is there something different because I'm switching from survivor to retirement benefits? The SSA website is so confusing about this!
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One additional tip since you mentioned maximizing your benefits - make sure you're taking advantage of all the tax strategies available to you. Up to 85% of your Social Security benefits can be taxable if your combined income is high enough. Since you're working part-time, you might want to look into whether contributing to a traditional IRA (if eligible) could help reduce your overall taxable income. There are specific thresholds where Social Security taxation kicks in, and staying under those can sometimes save you money overall.
That's excellent advice I hadn't considered! My gallery recently started offering a 401(k), so I should probably increase my contributions there to reduce my taxable income. Do you know if there are any special tax considerations when switching from survivor to retirement benefits midyear?
Great question about midyear switches. There's no special tax treatment specifically for switching benefit types midyear. The IRS will treat all Social Security benefits the same for tax purposes regardless of whether they came from survivor or retirement benefits. You'll receive one combined SSA-1099 for the year showing your total benefits. However, planning your switch to minimize your overall taxable income for the year is smart financial planning!
My aunt was in the exaact same situation as you & the thing no one told her was that you HAVE to specifically REQUEST to switch from survivor to your own benefits!!! Social Security doesn't automatically give you the higher amount, you have to apply for it. She missed out on like a year of higher payments bc no one told her.
Oh my gosh, thank you for mentioning this! I was assuming they would automatically switch me to the higher benefit. I'll make sure to specifically request the change when I call them. Your aunt's experience is a good warning!
Paolo Longo
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.
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Amina Bah
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.
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Keisha Taylor
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.
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Yara Khoury
AuthorThank 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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