Can my wife get spousal benefits if she's affected by WEP? Social Security question

Yes, your wife can potentially receive spousal benefits, but her situation is complicated by both WEP and GPO (Government Pension Offset). WEP affects her own benefit based on her limited Social Security work history. The bigger issue is likely GPO, which can reduce spousal benefits by 2/3 of her government pension amount. In many cases, this can eliminate the spousal benefit entirely if the pension is substantial. I'd recommend calculating both: her reduced own benefit (via WEP) and her potential spousal benefit after GPO reduction - she'll get whichever is higher.

My huband and i went thru this last year! The GPO is what really got us - they took 2/3 of my pension off the spousal benefit. Barely got anything in the end. Make sure you understand both WEP and GPO before you file!!

Had same issue. WEP is for YOUR OWN benefits from SS. GPO is what affects SPOUSAL benefits when you get a non-covered pension. The formula is they reduce spousal benefit by 2/3 of pension amount. So if your pension is $3000, they take off $2000 from what would be your spousal benefits. In many cases this wipes it out completely.

To calculate the exact amount, you'll need to do the math: 1. Calculate 50% of your PIA (Primary Insurance Amount) - that's the maximum spousal benefit 2. Calculate 2/3 of her monthly government pension 3. Subtract #2 from #1 If the result is positive, that's her spousal benefit. If it's zero or negative, she doesn't qualify for spousal benefits. With your numbers ($3,200 SS benefit and $2,800 pension): - 50% of your benefit = $1,600 - 2/3 of her pension = $1,867 - $1,600 - $1,867 = -$267 Since the result is negative, she likely won't receive any spousal benefits in this scenario. However, she may still qualify for a small benefit based on her own work record, even with WEP reductions.

Try calling SSA to get a calculation. I spent WEEKS trying to get through to someone who could explain my WEP/GPO situation. Constant busy signals, disconnections, and being transferred to people who didn't understand the rules. I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to connect with an agent - saved me hours of frustration. Their video demo shows how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Got through to a knowledgeable agent who explained exactly what my spouse and I could expect with our similar situation.

i hate these WEP/GPO rules! my mom was a teacher for 30 years and got almost nothing from my dads SS when he passed away even though he paid in his whole life. the government is stealing from public servants who chose lower paying jobs to help society!!!

Make sure you both go to ssa.gov and create accounts to see your benefit estimates. The estimates there DON'T account for WEP/GPO though, so the actual amounts will be lower.

Have u looked into if she can get more SS quarters? My sister worked part time at walmart for 3 years to get more quarters and increase her benefit some. Might be worth it if shes close!

One important clarification: If your wife qualifies for her own Social Security retirement benefit (even if it's WEP-reduced), she would receive that amount PLUS any additional spousal benefit if the spousal amount (after GPO reduction) is higher than her own benefit. It's not an either/or situation - it's her own benefit plus any excess spousal amount. For planning purposes, you should both schedule an appointment with an SSA benefits specialist who understands these complex provisions. Generic call center representatives often provide incomplete information about WEP/GPO cases.

I appreciate everyone's help here. I had no idea the GPO would likely eliminate all spousal benefits in our situation. We'll need to adjust our retirement budget accordingly. One more question: if I delay my benefits past FRA to increase my amount, would that change the spousal calculation enough to help? Or is the GPO reduction still likely to eliminate everything regardless?

Delaying your benefits would increase the potential spousal benefit (which is 50% of your PIA), but the GPO reduction remains the same - 2/3 of her pension amount. With a $2,800 pension, the GPO reduction is about $1,867. So your benefit would need to increase to where 50% of it exceeds $1,867 before she'd see any spousal amount. At maximum delayed retirement (age 70), your $3,200 benefit might grow to around $4,000. Half of that would be $2,000, which would only provide about $133/month in spousal benefits after GPO reduction ($2,000 - $1,867). You'd have to decide if delaying your benefit is worth it for that small spousal amount.