Confused about 'Windexing' with Social Security survivor benefits - what term am I looking for?

I think you're referring to the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) or the Government Pension Offset (GPO), not "windexing." These provisions can reduce Social Security benefits for people who worked in jobs not covered by Social Security (usually government jobs) and earned pensions from that work. Regarding your survivor benefits: Since you're claiming at age 60, you'll receive a reduced benefit - about 71.5% of your husband's Primary Insurance Amount (PIA). If you wait until your Full Retirement Age (FRA), you'd get 100% of his PIA. The calculation is based on what your husband would have received at his FRA, even though he passed before reaching that age.

What you're looking for is either WEP (Windfall Elimination Provision) or GPO (Government Pension Offset). No wonder the rep was confused! WEP affects your OWN retirement benefits if you have a pension from non-covered work. GPO affects SPOUSAL or SURVIVOR benefits if you have a pension from non-covered work. If your husband only worked in Social Security-covered employment, his record won't be affected by WEP. However, if YOU have a pension from work not covered by SS (like certain government jobs), your survivor benefits from his record could be affected by GPO - potentially reduced by 2/3 of your government pension amount.

Just wanted to say I'm sorry about your husband. My wife passed when I was 59, and dealing with Social Security while grieving was one of the hardest things. Take it one step at a time.

I've been through the exact process you're starting! Had similar confusion but for different reasons. To answer your specific questions: 1. The term is WEP/GPO (Windfall Elimination Provision/Government Pension Offset), not "windexing" - easy mistake! 2. Since you're claiming survivor benefits at exactly age 60, you'll get approximately 71.5% of your husband's PIA (Primary Insurance Amount). 3. The benefit is based on what your husband would have received at his FRA, even though he unfortunately passed away before reaching that age. 4. If you have a government pension from work not covered by Social Security (like teaching in some states), your survivor benefits could be affected by GPO - potentially reduced by 2/3 of your pension amount. I spent 3 weeks trying to get through to SSA to ask similar questions. After constant busy signals and disconnects, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a real agent in about 15 minutes - they have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Saved me a ton of frustration when I had specific questions about my survivor benefits calculation.

my aunt had same issue with gpo cause she was a teacher for 30 yrs. when uncle died she thought shed get his full benefit but they took away most of it cause of her teacher pension. system is rigged against govt workers imo

Thank you all so much for your helpful responses! Now I understand why the rep was so confused - I wasn't saying WEP or GPO clearly. So if I'm understanding correctly, since I worked as a teacher for 15 years and have a pension coming from that (about $1,750/month), my survivor benefits from my husband's record will likely be reduced by the GPO - by approximately 2/3 of my pension amount? If my husband's PIA would have been around $2,400, and I'm taking benefits at age 60 (71.5% of his PIA), should I calculate: $2,400 × 71.5% = $1,716, then subtract 2/3 of my pension ($1,750 × 2/3 = $1,167) to get $1,716 - $1,167 = $549 per month in survivor benefits? That seems so low...

when i called social security they told me different things every time!!! one person said gpo woudnt effect me another said it would make HUGE difference. dont trust just one answer!

The WHOLE SYSTEM is designed to CONFUSE people! They DELIBERATELY use terms like WEP and GPO instead of plain language so people don't understand what they're losing!! I lost nearly $800/month because of this GPO nonsense after working 25 years for the county. They're STEALING our hard-earned benefits!! And you can NEVER get anyone on the phone to explain ANYTHING!!

Just to add one more important point - you might want to compare what you'd get from your own retirement benefit (potentially reduced by WEP if your teaching wasn't covered by Social Security) versus your survivor benefit (reduced by GPO). In some cases, your own benefit might actually be higher, especially if you wait until your Full Retirement Age or later to claim it. Rules get complicated with the interplay between these provisions, which is why getting professional advice can be helpful. When I finally spoke with SSA, they ran both calculations for me, which was extremely helpful in my decision-making.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Beatrice. Navigating Social Security after losing a spouse is incredibly overwhelming, and the terminology doesn't help at all! Just wanted to add that since you mentioned working 12 years in the private sector, you should definitely ask SSA to run a detailed comparison. Sometimes people are surprised to find their own retirement benefit (even with WEP reduction) could be better than the GPO-reduced survivor benefit. Also, don't feel bad about the "windexing" mix-up - I've heard people confuse all sorts of Social Security terms! The representatives deal with genuine questions about everything imaginable, so I'm sure they've heard much stranger things than that. One more thing to consider: if your survivor benefit calculation does end up being very low due to GPO, you might want to explore whether delaying your claim could help in any way, or if there are any other benefits you might be eligible for. The rules are so complex that sometimes there are provisions that can help that aren't immediately obvious.

I'm really sorry for your loss, Beatrice. Losing a spouse and then having to navigate all this bureaucracy while grieving is just heartbreaking. Just wanted to mention that as a newcomer here, I've been lurking and reading posts like yours because I'm in a similar situation - my husband passed last year and I'm trying to understand all these confusing rules too. The "windexing" story actually made me smile a little (in a good way) because I called them last month asking about "wind-up provisions" when I meant WEP! The poor representative was so confused. It's like they designed this system with the most confusing acronyms possible. From what I'm learning from everyone's responses, it sounds like you're on the right track getting both calculations done. I had no idea about comparing your own retirement benefit versus survivor benefits either - that's such valuable advice from Giovanni and others here. Thank you for posting this question because it's helping people like me who are dealing with similar situations. This community seems really supportive and knowledgeable.

Hi Beatrice, I'm so sorry for your loss. As someone new to this community, I've been reading through all these responses and learning so much about WEP and GPO - terms I'd never heard before finding myself in a similar situation. Your "windexing" story really resonated with me because I made similar embarrassing mistakes when I first called Social Security. I asked about "widow's windfall" when I meant survivor benefits, and the representative thought I was asking about some kind of lottery! What strikes me most from everyone's advice is how important it seems to get multiple calculations done. From what I'm gathering, you'll want to compare: 1. Your survivor benefit at age 60 (71.5% of his PIA minus the GPO reduction) 2. Your own retirement benefit (with potential WEP reduction) if you wait 3. Maybe even waiting until your FRA for the full survivor benefit The math everyone's helping you work through is eye-opening - I had no idea government pensions could impact Social Security benefits so dramatically. Thank you for asking this question because it's helping newcomers like me understand what we might be facing too.

I'm new to this community but wanted to reach out after reading your story, Beatrice. First, I'm so sorry for your loss - dealing with Social Security terminology while grieving sounds incredibly overwhelming. Your "windexing" mix-up actually made me feel better about my own confusion with these acronyms! I've been trying to understand WEP and GPO myself as a newcomer here, and everyone's explanations have been so helpful. The way Dallas and Melina broke down the calculations really clarifies how these provisions work. From what I'm learning from all the responses, it sounds like getting those comparative calculations from SSA will be crucial for your decision. The fact that you have both private sector work history AND a teaching pension creates multiple scenarios to evaluate - that's actually potentially good news even if the GPO reduction seems harsh at first glance. Thank you for posting this question. As someone just starting to navigate similar territory, seeing this supportive community help work through real situations like yours is invaluable. The knowledge sharing here is amazing!