Can I collect Social Security, NPERS teacher pension AND Railroad spouse benefits?

Hate to be the bearer of bad news but the Government Pension Offset will probably wipe out MOST of your Social Security spousal benefits because of your teacher pension. The GPO reduces SS spousal or survivor benefits by 2/3 of your government pension. Railroad spouse benefits work under similar rules but there are some exceptions. You need to talk to BOTH agencies because this is SUPER complicated when multiple pensions are involved!

This is a complicated scenario because you're dealing with three different retirement systems. The key points that will affect you: 1. Your own Social Security will likely be reduced by the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) because you receive a pension from NPERS where you didn't pay Social Security taxes. 2. Your Railroad Retirement spousal benefit is subject to a government pension offset similar to GPO, but with different calculation methods. The RRB uses their own formula for the reduction. 3. Your teacher retirement from NPERS will not be reduced by either of the other benefits. You technically can receive all three benefits, but both your SS and RRB spousal benefits will likely be reduced. I'd recommend requesting benefit estimates from both SSA and RRB before making any decisions. The reductions can be significant.

my sister was a teacher in texas and married to a railroad worker and she only got her teacher retirement and part of the railroad spouse benefit. they took away all her social security even though she worked at a grocery store for 20 years! the government takes everything they can from us teachers its not fair

you need to check with Railroad Retirement Board directly, they have different rules than SS. my dad was RR and my mom got both her teacher pension and RR spouse but her SS was reduced a lot. call both offices and ask for written estimates before you decide.

I've been dealing with this exact situation (teacher pension + SS + Railroad spouse benefits). The most frustrating part is trying to get someone on the phone who understands all three systems! I spent weeks calling SSA and getting disconnected or waiting on hold for hours. I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to a Social Security agent who actually knew about Railroad benefits. They connected me to a real person in minutes instead of me trying for days. There's a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Once I got through, I found out that yes, I could collect all three, but with reductions. In my case, it made sense to take my teacher pension, the Railroad spouse benefit, and delay my own Social Security until 70 to minimize the WEP reduction. Everyone's situation is different though.

Don't listen to ppl here, every situation different. My wife teacher 30 yrs and got full railroad spouse benefits. You need talk to expert not internet people.

The key factor in your situation is whether your Nebraska teaching position was covered by Social Security. Based on my understanding, Nebraska school employees ARE covered by Social Security (unlike some states like Texas or California). This means: 1. You won't face GPO for your RRB spousal benefits, but there may still be a separate offset under RRB rules 2. Your own Social Security may be reduced by WEP, but possibly not as severely as in non-covered states 3. You can receive all three benefits, but with potential reductions I recommend: - Contact your Nebraska NPERS office first for clarification on your specific coverage - Then request a benefit estimate from RRB for your spousal benefit - Finally, contact SSA for a WEP-adjusted estimate of your own benefits Timing of when you claim each benefit matters significantly in maximizing your total retirement income. Consider having a financial advisor familiar with government pensions review your options once you have all the estimates.

dont forget about the earnings test too if u work after claiming any benefits before ur full retirement age!!

As someone who just went through a similar situation, I wanted to share what I learned. I'm a retired teacher from Iowa (also NPERS-covered) married to a former railroad worker. Here's what I discovered: The good news is that because Nebraska teachers DO pay into Social Security (unlike some other states), you won't face the full GPO reduction on your Railroad spousal benefits. However, there's still a Railroad-specific offset that reduces spousal benefits based on your government pension. My advice: Start with getting your Social Security statement online at ssa.gov to see your projected benefits. Then call RRB at 1-877-772-5772 specifically for spousal benefit estimates. When you call, mention you're a Nebraska teacher who paid into SS - this helps them apply the right formulas. One thing that surprised me: the timing of when you claim each benefit can make a huge difference in your total income. I ended up delaying my own Social Security until age 67 while taking the Railroad spousal benefit at 60, which maximized my overall benefits despite the reductions. Also, keep detailed records of all your conversations and get benefit estimates in writing. The rules are complex and even the agents sometimes give conflicting information. Good luck with your planning!

I'm in a somewhat similar boat - I'm a retired teacher from Wisconsin (also covered by Social Security) and my husband worked for BNSF Railroad. What I found most helpful was creating a spreadsheet to track all the different benefit estimates once I got them from each agency. One thing to keep in mind is that the Railroad Retirement Board has their own version of the Government Pension Offset called the "public pension offset" but it's calculated differently than SSA's GPO. For me, the RRB offset was actually less severe than what SSA's GPO would have been. Also, don't overlook that you might be eligible for a small Tier 2 spousal benefit from Railroad Retirement in addition to the Tier 1 - make sure to ask about both when you call RRB. The timing strategy others mentioned is crucial. I ended up taking my teacher pension immediately (no reason to delay that), RRB spousal benefits at 60, and I'm waiting until age 70 for my own Social Security to maximize the delayed retirement credits and minimize the WEP reduction. Get everything in writing and don't be afraid to call multiple times if you get conflicting information - I had to call RRB three times before I got an agent who really understood the teacher pension interaction.