Can I get Social Security spousal benefits with my police pension under WEP/GPO rules?

Yes, this is the Government Pension Offset (GPO) situation. Unfortunately, it's not great news. Since you receive a pension from a job where you didn't pay into Social Security, your potential spousal benefit will be reduced by 2/3 of your police pension amount. For example, if your police pension is $3,000 monthly, they'll subtract $2,000 from any spousal benefit you'd be eligible for. If your potential spousal benefit would be less than that $2,000 reduction (which is likely), you won't receive anything.You should still apply when you turn 62 just to get the official determination, but prepare yourself that you'll likely get zero benefit due to GPO.

Thank you for explaining. That's really disappointing. My pension is about $3,650 a month, so 2/3 of that would be around $2,430. Do you know approximately what my spousal benefit would have been without this GPO reduction? Just trying to understand what I'm missing out on.

my wifes in the same boat. she gets nada from my SS becuz of her teacher pension. its ROBBERY!!!! we both worked and paid in but the govt just TAKES TAKES TAKES

I understand your frustration, but it's not quite accurate to say they're

Have you contacted Social Security directly to ask about your specific situation? Their online calculators don't handle GPO scenarios well, and sometimes there are exceptions or details specific to certain pension systems. My brother-in-law was in a similar position with his fire department pension, and he ended up being eligible for a small amount.

I've tried calling SS several times but keep getting disconnected after waiting 40+ minutes. Our local office has a 3-month wait for appointments. I'm starting to think I'll just apply online and see what happens.

I was in almost the exact same situation with my husband's fire department pension and my SSA benefits. The math works like this: Your potential spousal benefit would be up to 50% of your husband's FRA (full retirement age) benefit amount - not his reduced age 62 amount. But since he claimed early, and with the GPO reduction, you're almost certainly looking at zero benefit.However, you should absolutely apply for SURVIVOR benefits when the time comes (hopefully many years from now). The survivor benefit is higher (up to 100% of what your husband received) and sometimes enough to still provide some payment even after the GPO reduction. The calculations are complex, but having your application for spousal benefits formally denied now will make the survivor process smoother later.

Thank you, that's really helpful information about the survivor benefits. I hadn't thought that far ahead. Do you know if there's any advantage to applying for spousal benefits at my FRA instead of at 62, given the GPO situation? Or does the reduction apply the same way regardless of when I apply?

Have u looked at ur SSA statement online? Sign up at ssa.gov and make an account. It shows what u might get. My wife was police 2 and she gets a tiny bit like $120/month from my record even with her pension.

The SSA online statements unfortunately don't accurately reflect GPO reductions. They show potential benefits without accounting for non-covered pensions. Your wife's situation might be different - perhaps she had more quarters of coverage, her pension is smaller, or your benefit is larger. Each case is calculated individually.

When my mom tried to get SS benefits based on my dad's record, she faced the same pension offset issue. She spent WEEKS trying to get through to someone at Social Security. Then my sister told her about this service called Claimyr that got her through to an agent in 20 minutes. Mom said it was worth every penny just to finally talk to someone and get her questions answered. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU or go to claimyr.com. Saved her from pulling her hair out waiting on hold!

does that actually work?? i called SS like 8 times last month and either got disconnected or was on hold for 2 hours before giving up

My neighbors both retired police!!! They told me the rule is the WINDFALL ELIMINATION PROVISION (WEP) which is different from GPO I think? One affects your own benefit and one affects spousal? I get them confused too lol

You're right that they're different, but both may apply in various situations. WEP (Windfall Elimination Provision) reduces your own Social Security benefit if you receive a pension from work not covered by Social Security. GPO (Government Pension Offset) reduces spousal or survivor benefits if you receive a non-covered pension. In the original poster's case, since she doesn't have enough quarters for her own benefit, only GPO would apply to her potential spousal benefits.

Thank you all for the helpful responses. It sounds like I probably won't get any spousal benefit due to the GPO reduction, but I'll still apply when I turn 62 to get the official determination. And I'll definitely keep the information about survivor benefits in mind for the future. It's frustrating that after all these years of my husband paying into the system, I can't benefit from it because of my own career in public service. But at least now I understand how it works.

One more thing to consider: if you can somehow get more quarters of covered employment before you apply (perhaps through part-time work), you might qualify for your own Social Security benefit. If you reach 40 quarters, you'd be subject to WEP rather than GPO on your own benefit, which might be less severe depending on your specific situation. It's worth exploring if working part-time for a few years is an option for you.

the whole system is a SCAM! my wife worked for 30 years as a teacher AND worked summers at her sisters business but gets ZERO from SS even tho she paid in!!!! its THEFT

My friend told me if u work just 5 more years in a SS covered job u sometimes can get around these rules. Maybe look into that? Something about getting to 30 yrs of substantial earnings can help with the WEP part at least.

I'm going through something similar as a retired teacher. Just wanted to add that you should definitely still apply when you turn 62 - sometimes the calculations work out differently than expected, especially if your husband's benefit amount is higher than you think. Also, keep all your documentation from your police department about your pension details. When I applied, they needed specific information about whether my pension was from "substantial" vs "non-substantial" earnings years. The whole process is confusing but getting that official determination letter will be important for your records. And like others mentioned, the survivor benefit rules are different and potentially more favorable, so this isn't necessarily the end of the story.

I'm a newcomer here but dealing with a very similar situation as a retired firefighter. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea about the difference between WEP and GPO or how the survivor benefits work differently. My wife worked in the private sector her whole career and has been collecting SS for two years now. I'm 63 with a firefighter pension but only about 20 quarters of SS-covered work from before I joined the department. Sounds like I'm probably in the same boat as most of you with the GPO reduction wiping out any spousal benefits. But the advice about applying anyway for the official determination and keeping survivor benefits in mind for the future is really valuable. Also appreciate the tip about Claimyr - I've been trying to get through to SS for months with no luck. It's frustrating that after decades of public service, these rules seem to penalize us for having dedicated our careers to serving our communities, but at least now I understand what I'm dealing with. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences.