Can I receive both teacher's pension and Social Security benefits with WEP reduction?

Yes, you can technically collect both, but there's a BIG catch called the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). It will significantly reduce your Social Security benefit because you're getting a pension from a job where you didn't pay Social Security taxes. The reduction depends on several factors including your years of 'substantial earnings' under Social Security. With 12 years of part-time work, your SS benefit could be reduced by up to 40-50%. You won't lose ALL your Social Security though.

my sister had almost the same situation!!! she was a teacher in Texas and also worked at her husbands business on summers. when she retired she got like barely anything from social security, maybe like $400 a month even though she worked at the business for like 20 years part time. it's totally unfair system if you ask me.

The previous comments are mostly correct, but let me clarify a few important points about WEP: 1. You CAN receive both your teacher's pension and Social Security, but the WEP will reduce your Social Security benefit. 2. The maximum WEP reduction in 2025 is $631 per month, but the actual reduction depends on your years of "substantial earnings" under Social Security. 3. If you have 30+ years of substantial earnings under Social Security, the WEP doesn't apply at all. 4. For 2025, "substantial earnings" means making at least $31,275 in a year. At $15,000/year, your retail job doesn't meet this threshold. 5. There's also the Government Pension Offset (GPO) which affects SPOUSAL or SURVIVOR benefits, reducing them by 2/3 of your pension amount. You should create a my Social Security account and get a personalized estimate. Also consider whether your retail job might eventually give you 30 years of substantial earnings if you increased your hours.

Have you contacted Social Security directly to get a personalized calculation? Each situation is different and sometimes the online calculators dont account for things like WEP correctly.

I dealt with this exact situation with WEP. You mentioned working 12 years part-time in SS-covered employment. The key question is: how many of those years did you earn above the "substantial earnings" threshold? This matters tremendously. If you have 20+ years of substantial earnings, the WEP reduction starts decreasing. At 30+ years, there's no WEP reduction at all. And yes, definitely keep working that weekend job if you can hit those thresholds! When I tried calling SSA to get answers about my WEP situation, I spent HOURS on hold and got disconnected twice. I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an agent in under 10 minutes. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU showing how it works. Totally worth it to get accurate information about your specific situation from an actual SSA representative.

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS RIGGED AGAINST PUBLIC SERVANTS!!!! I worked as a firefighter for 25 years (no SS) then worked 12 years paying into SS and they ROBBED me of HALF my social security with this WEP garbage! We need to fight this unfair law! There's been bills in Congress for YEARS to repeal WEP but they never pass. Write your representatives!!!

honestly i think you should still keep the retail job even with the WEP reduction. some SS benefit is better than nothing right? plus you might qualify for medicare through your SS work credits which is super important

Have you looked into whether your school district offers a 457(b) deferred compensation plan? Many public employees affected by WEP focus on maximizing their tax-advantaged savings through these plans to make up for the reduced Social Security benefits. It might be a better use of your time than the retail job if the math doesn't work out favorably.

my friend said there's a calculator on the SSA website specifically for WEP situations, did anyone here use it? was it accurate?