Applying for Social Security spousal benefits with WEP - Gov pension impact at FRA

You're on the right track, but there are several important considerations with your situation: 1. Since you're at FRA, you'll want to compare your own benefit (after WEP reduction) with your spousal benefit (which would be 50% of your husband's PIA - his full benefit amount at his FRA, not what he's currently receiving) 2. You should also be aware of the Government Pension Offset (GPO), not just WEP. GPO will reduce any spousal benefit by 2/3 of your government pension amount. 3. For someone with both WEP and potential GPO, I strongly recommend applying in person. The online system works well for standard applications but complex situations like yours benefit from having a claims specialist who can see all factors. 4. If you decide to apply in person, call the SSA at 1-800-772-1213 to schedule an appointment. They're typically booking 2-3 months out right now.

I went through something very similar last year with my husband's federal pension and my SS benefits. You absolutely need to apply in person. The online system messed up my application twice because it didn't properly account for the WEP/GPO calculations. Here's what I'd suggest: 1. Call your local office and request an in-person appointment specifically with someone who understands WEP/GPO cases 2. Before your appointment, create an account on my.ssa.gov if you don't already have one and print your earnings record 3. Bring your last 3 pay stubs and any pension estimate paperwork from your employer 4. Ask them to calculate both your own benefit (with WEP) and spousal benefit (with GPO) to see which is higher In my case, even with GPO, the spousal benefit was still better. But everyone's situation is different based on their earning records.

r u sure ur FRA is 67? mine was 66 and 4 months for some reason. the birth year matters. also idk if u can even get spousal if ur own ben is higher even w/ the WEP thing. my friend tried and they made her take her own.

The whole WEP/GPO system is a SCAM designed to steal benefits from public servants!!! I worked 22 years for the postal service and 18 years in the private sector and they SLASHED my SS benefit by almost 40%!!! It's THEFT of benefits we EARNED!! I applied online and they completely messed up my WEP calculation. When I went in person, they recalculated and I got $287 more per month. DO NOT TRUST THEIR ONLINE SYSTEM WITH WEP/GPO!!! I fought for 8 months to get my benefits corrected. The system is DESIGNED to confuse you into accepting less than you deserve!!!

My sister just went through this last year. She worked for the state for 25 years and her husband was the higher earner. Thought she'd apply online to save time and it was a DISASTER. System didn't account for WEP properly. She finally got an appointment (took 3 months!) and the person helping her had no idea how to calculate GPO correctly. Had to go back a second time and ask for a supervisor. In the end she got about 30% of what would have been her full spousal benefit after GPO reduction. It wasn't much but better than nothing.

To answer your pension documentation question - yes, bring everything! You'll need: 1. Your pension estimate letter from your employer 2. Documentation showing when your pension will start 3. Last 3-5 pay stubs 4. W-2s from your last few years of government employment 5. Any paperwork showing how many years of service credit you have Also, an important detail many miss: if you have 30+ years of "substantial earnings" under Social Security, the WEP reduction can be eliminated or reduced. This is rare for career government employees, but worth checking your earnings record to see if you qualify for this exception.

When my husband retired from teaching last year, we discovered that even though I was the higher earner, his spousal benefit based on my record was reduced to almost nothing because of GPO. It was shocking - 2/3 of his pension amount was deducted from his potential spousal benefit! Definitely apply in person. And don't be surprised if the first person you talk to gives you incorrect information. We had to speak with three different SSA employees before finding someone who truly understood how to calculate benefits with both WEP and GPO involved.

my wifes cousin said she got more $ by waiting until 70 even with the wep thing. somethin about delayed credits still work even with wep. anyone know if thats true?

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?