Just want to agree with the comments above saying each year over 20 reduces the WEP penalty by 5%. My husband's situation was almost identical to yours - teacher pension then work under Social Security. Make SURE you keep proof of your earnings each year, especially for years you're right around the substantial earnings threshold. The SSA made a mistake on one of my husband's years and it took months to fix.

has anyone here had luck getting wep completely eliminated? my neighbor said after 30 yrs of work under SS they removed his wep completely?

my freind tole me that SS benefits have a maximum amount maybe u both hit the max?

After looking at all the responses, I think this is just one of those strange coincidences that can happen with the complex Social Security formula. Since multiple SSA representatives have confirmed your amounts are correct, and others here have experienced similar situations, I wouldn't worry about it. If it gives you peace of mind, you could schedule an in-person appointment at your local SSA office where they can pull up both records and show you the detailed calculations side by side. But it sounds like everything is working as intended, just with an unusual outcome!

Yes, it absolutely works! I was able to get through to a representative in about 15 minutes instead of spending hours on hold or getting disconnected. They connected me directly to SSA and I stayed on the line the whole time. For something time-sensitive like getting a replacement 1099 for tax filing, it's definitely worth it. My aunt's replacement form arrived about 7 days after I made the call.

Update: I finally got through to someone at SSA this morning after trying for two days. They confirmed they sent the 1099-SSA in January but it may have been lost in the mail. They're sending a replacement that should arrive within 10 business days. The representative mentioned they've had numerous calls about missing 1099s this year. Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions!

@commenter above - No, it's 5% per year. The WEP penalty is reduced by 5% for each year of substantial earnings beyond 20 years. So at 20 years, the penalty is reduced by 5%, at 21 years by 10%, and so on until at 30 years, you reach a 50% reduction, effectively eliminating the WEP penalty entirely.

Thanks everyone for all this helpful information! I think my takeaway is that unless I can earn enough to hit the substantial earnings threshold (which would be tough with just part-time work), there's minimal benefit to working just for Social Security purposes. I'm going to try that Claimyr service to get some specific calculations from SSA about my situation. It's definitely complicated juggling the WEP reduction on my own benefits with the potential GPO reduction on survivor benefits if my spouse passes before me. Feels like I'm being penalized twice for having a government pension, but at least now I understand the mechanics better.

One more important thing to consider: If her husband passes away while she's still working and earning income, the earnings test would apply to both spousal and survivor benefits if she's under FRA. For 2025, if she earns over $22,320 (estimated), benefits are reduced by $1 for every $2 earned above this limit. This won't affect her after she reaches FRA, but it's something to factor into her decision if she's still working. The reduction isn't permanent though - SSA recalculates and gives credit for these reductions once she reaches FRA.

Thank you everyone for such helpful and thoughtful responses. I spoke with my sister-in-law and she's decided to schedule an appointment with SSA to get the exact benefit amounts for her situation. Given her husband's prognosis and her current financial needs, she's leaning toward taking the reduced spousal benefit now, especially understanding that it won't impact her survivor benefits later. I've helped her make a list of questions to ask and documents to bring. This community has been incredibly helpful during a really difficult time.