Can I claim Social Security spousal benefits with CalPERS pension and only 21 work credits?

Unfortunately, the Government Pension Offset (GPO) will likely reduce or eliminate any spousal benefits you might be eligible for. The rule is that your Social Security spousal benefit will be reduced by 2/3 of your government pension amount. So if your CalPERS pension is substantial, you may not receive any SS spousal benefits at all. For example, if your monthly CalPERS pension is $3,000, then $2,000 (2/3 of $3,000) would be deducted from any Social Security spousal benefits you'd otherwise qualify for. Since the maximum spousal benefit is 50% of your husband's FRA benefit amount, and he started early at 62 (meaning his benefit is reduced), your potential spousal benefit might be less than $2,000 to begin with.

my sister has same problem with her teacher pension in texas. she got NOTHING from her husbands ss even tho they been married 35 years!! she was so mad. the windfall thing is a total ripoff if u ask me

Let me break down the math more precisely for you. You need 40 quarters (credits) to qualify for your own Social Security retirement benefits, so with 21 quarters, you don't qualify for your own benefit. However, you can still potentially qualify for spousal benefits based on your husband's record. The spousal benefit formula is typically up to 50% of your husband's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), which is what he would receive at his Full Retirement Age (FRA). Since he claimed at 62, his benefit is reduced, but your spousal benefit would be based on his PIA, not his reduced amount. However, as mentioned, GPO will reduce your spousal benefit by 2/3 of your government pension. With a $4,200 CalPERS pension, the offset would be $2,800. If your husband's PIA is less than $5,600 (which is almost certainly the case), then your potential spousal benefit of 50% of his PIA would be completely eliminated by the GPO. Still, I'd recommend contacting SSA directly to get the exact calculation for your situation. There can sometimes be exceptions or details specific to your case.

Ugh, don't get me started on the GPO! My mom lost out on thousands because of this rule. She worked as a school administrator for 30 years, then found out she couldn't get my dad's Social Security when he passed away. Almost her entire survivor benefit was wiped out by that 2/3 rule. She had to sell their house and downsize because of it. These rules NEED to change!!!

I had a similar issue trying to navigate CalPERS and Social Security. Getting through to SSA on the phone was IMPOSSIBLE - I'd wait hours only to get disconnected. I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a real SSA agent in under 10 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU The agent I spoke with calculated exactly how much my GPO reduction would be and confirmed I was still eligible for a small spousal benefit (about $120/month). Not much, but better than nothing! Might be worth checking your specific numbers instead of assuming you'll get zero.

Has anyone tried to get the quarters they need by working part-time after retirement? I heard you can earn 4 quarters per year, and I think the amount needed per quarter in 2025 is around $1,690 in earnings. So theoretically, couldn't the original poster work part-time for 5 years to get the additional 19 quarters needed to reach 40? Then they'd qualify for their own benefit, which wouldn't be subject to GPO (though might be affected by WEP).

I called SSA this morning after several attempts and got through using that Claimyr service someone mentioned. The agent confirmed what you all said - with my CalPERS pension, I'll get $0 in spousal benefits because of the GPO. I was hoping there might be some loophole or exception, but apparently not. I appreciate everyone's help explaining this. At least now I understand the rules better and can stop wondering if I'm missing out on benefits I deserve. My husband and I will just need to budget accordingly with what we have.

I'm sorry to hear about your situation with the GPO - it's unfortunately a common issue that catches many public employees off guard. Just wanted to add that while you can't change the GPO rules, you might want to double-check if your CalPERS pension is actually subject to GPO in the first place. Some government pensions aren't subject to GPO if Social Security taxes were paid on those earnings. Also, even though you can't get spousal benefits now, make sure you understand your survivor benefit rights. If your husband passes away first, you'd be eligible for his full benefit amount (minus the GPO reduction), which could be significantly higher than the spousal benefit would have been. It's worth calculating those numbers for your long-term financial planning. The system definitely feels unfair to those who dedicated their careers to public service, but at least you now have clarity on your situation!

Just wanted to chime in as someone who went through this exact situation a few years ago. I was a CalPERS retiree with only 23 quarters of Social Security coverage, and like you, I initially got zero spousal benefits due to GPO. However, I'd strongly recommend following up on what @698cf40d106d and @e25bcdc944e7 mentioned about verifying if your CalPERS service is actually subject to GPO. This is crucial! If you worked in a position where Social Security taxes WERE deducted from your pay (which did happen for some California state positions, especially in later years), then GPO wouldn't apply to you at all. I spent months assuming I got nothing, only to discover later that a portion of my state service was actually covered by Social Security. It took some digging through old records, but I was eventually able to claim a reduced spousal benefit. Don't give up just yet - get a complete earnings statement from SSA and verify with CalPERS exactly which years (if any) had Social Security coverage. The rules are complex, but it's worth double-checking before you close the book on this!

@71c79734e414 You're absolutely right to pursue this further! California state employment had some complex Social Security coverage rules over the decades. Many CalPERS members are surprised to learn that certain positions or time periods were actually covered by Social Security. Here's what I'd recommend for your verification process: 1. Request a detailed Social Security Statement online at ssa.gov - this will show ALL earnings where SS taxes were paid, year by year 2. Contact CalPERS member services and ask specifically about Social Security coverage for your positions and employment dates 3. If you still have any old pay stubs from different years, check if OASDI (Social Security) taxes were deducted The key thing to remember is that if ANY portion of your government service was covered by Social Security, it changes the GPO calculation significantly. Even partial coverage could result in you receiving some spousal benefits rather than zero. Given that you worked 35 years (1985-2020), there's a real possibility that at least some of those years included Social Security coverage. California made various changes to state employee Social Security participation over that time period, so don't assume it was all non-covered employment. Keep us posted on what you find out - your situation could help other CalPERS retirees who might be in similar circumstances!