Do I need to file special paperwork for Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) with Social Security?

SSA applies WEP automatically once they know about your pension from non-covered employment. When you file for Social Security retirement benefits, there will be questions about other pensions you receive. Be sure to answer those questions accurately with information about your state government pension. The key form to focus on is your standard retirement benefit application (can be done online), which includes questions specifically about non-covered pensions. With 12 years of substantial earnings under Social Security, you might qualify for a reduced WEP penalty, since the full WEP reduction gets lessened if you have 20+ years of substantial SS-covered earnings, and eliminated at 30 years. Make sure all your earnings records are correct before applying!

my brother in law went thru this. he worked for city water dept AND had a construction company on the side. there was NO special form for WEP they just looked at his record and calculated everything when he applied for SS. they need to know when ur pension starts and how much it is.

When you file for Social Security retirement benefits, you'll disclose your non-covered pension on the standard application. The system is designed to identify potential WEP situations automatically. However, there are two critical things you should know: 1. If your state pension hasn't started yet when you apply for Social Security, you must contact SSA when it does begin. Your benefits will be recalculated at that point. 2. With 12 years of substantial earnings, you're approaching but not meeting the 20-year threshold where WEP reduction begins to decrease (by 5% for each year over 20). I recommend requesting your earnings record from SSA now to verify all your covered employment is correctly showing in their system. Some government employment is mistakenly coded, and fixing it before application is much easier than afterward.

THEY DONT TELL YOU EVERYTHING!!! I got hit with WEP after I already started getting my SS checks! No warning, just a letter saying my benefit was being reduced by almost $450/month because of my county pension. They said I should have told them but THE QUESTION ON THE APPLICATION WAS CONFUSING and I didn't realize my pension counted as "non-covered employment"!!! Now I'm fighting an overpayment of $7,800. MAKE SURE you specifically tell them about ANY government pension when you apply even if you're not sure it applies to WEP. Better safe than sorry!!!!!

Try using Claimyr to get through to a Social Security representative faster - https://claimyr.com. I was dealing with a complicated WEP situation last month and spent days trying to reach someone at SSA. Claimyr got me through to an agent in about 20 minutes. There's a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU The agent I spoke with was able to look at my record and confirm exactly how my non-covered pension would affect my Social Security payment. They even emailed me a detailed explanation of my WEP reduction calculation that really helped me understand exactly what to expect.

Make sure you understand how bad WEP will hit you before filing for SS! I waited until 67 (my FRA) to file for SS, but WEP still knocked about 40% off my monthly benefit. My sister who never worked for the government gets $2,400/month with similar earnings history, while I only get $1,450 with my teacher's pension. The formula is complicated but basically punishes those of us who worked in public service. So frustrating!

To address your original question more specifically - there is NO separate WEP application form. However, when you apply for retirement benefits, pay careful attention to Form SSA-1-BK (either online or paper version). Section 8 asks about "Special Payments" including non-covered pensions. You should also complete Form SSA-150 (Benefit Estimate Questionnaire) before applying. This helps SSA provide a more accurate benefit estimate including any WEP/GPO reductions. It's not required but highly recommended for anyone with non-covered employment. Also, gather documentation of your state pension details before applying - they'll want to know the monthly amount and start date. Even if your pension hasn't started yet, tell them when it will and the estimated amount.

My husband just went through this. No special form but make sure to read carefully! There's a difference between WEP (affects YOUR benefits if you get a non-covered pension) and GPO (affects SPOUSAL/SURVIVOR benefits if you get a non-covered pension). Different rules apply to each one!

Thanks everyone for the helpful information! I'm going to: 1) Check my earnings record for accuracy, 2) Complete the SSA-150 form to get an estimate with WEP calculated, 3) Be extremely clear about my pension when I apply for benefits, and 4) Keep documentation of everything. It sounds like there's no separate WEP application, but I need to make sure I answer all pension questions accurately on the regular retirement application. I'll also use Claimyr to talk to a representative before I file to double-check everything. This has been really helpful!