Do I need to report pension COLA increases to SSA when spouse affected by WEP?

You definitely need to report those pension COLA increases to SSA. They don't automatically know about changes to non-SSA pensions. I went through this exact situation with my husband's teacher pension. When his pension got a COLA, we had to report it, or his SS benefit would have been incorrectly calculated under WEP. You can call SSA directly, but good luck getting through their phone system! I discovered a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an actual SSA agent in less than 5 minutes when I needed to report our pension changes. They have a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - totally worth it for avoiding the typical 2+ hour hold times.

Yes, you must report pension increases to Social Security when you're affected by WEP (Windfall Elimination Provision). The SSA doesn't automatically receive information about COLAs from other pension systems. You should contact your local Social Security office or call the national number (1-800-772-1213) to report these changes. WEP reduces your husband's Social Security benefit because he receives a pension from work where he didn't pay Social Security taxes. When his pension amount increases, it can affect the WEP calculation. Not reporting these increases could potentially lead to an overpayment situation that would need to be repaid. I'd recommend calling SSA as soon as possible to report the previous COLAs and ask how to properly report future ones. They may want to see documentation of the pension increases.

omg my dad went thru this last year and SSA hit him with a $4200 overpayment notice!!! he had no idea he was supposed to tell them about his pension increases either. definitely call them asap

I worked for SSA for 27 years before retiring, and this is something many beneficiaries miss. When you're subject to WEP, any change in your non-covered pension amount needs to be reported to SSA, including COLA increases. Here's what you should do: 1. Call your local field office (not the 800 number) and explain the situation 2. Gather documentation showing when and how much each COLA increase was 3. Be prepared to fill out form SSA-150 (Benefit Offset Questionnaire) If this results in an overpayment, you can request a waiver using form SSA-632 since it sounds like this was unintentional. The good news is that pension COLAs are typically small enough that the impact on your WEP reduction might be minimal, especially if your husband had substantial years of covered employment (20+ years with substantial earnings can reduce the WEP penalty).

When I was dealing with WEP for my spouse's pension, I found that SSA was COMPLETELY USELESS at explaining what we needed to do!!! Nobody there could give me a straight answer about reporting COLA increases. One agent told me we didn't need to report them, another said we did. The whole system is designed to confuse people and then punish them later with overpayment notices. I'm still bitter about how they handled our case.

My sister just had to deal with this! She had to provide documentation showing all the increases over the past few years. Make sure you have statements from the pension provider showing exactly when each COLA was applied and the amount. Also, be aware that sometimes the WEP reduction has a maximum amount, so small COLA increases might not actually change your husband's SS benefit - but you still need to report them.

To follow up on your question about the 15 years of covered employment - yes, that does make a difference. The WEP reduction is lessened if you have 21+ years of "substantial earnings" under Social Security. With 15 years, your husband wouldn't quite reach that threshold, but it's still important information for SSA to have. Regarding reporting, you don't typically need to report every year if nothing has changed. But when there's a COLA increase to the non-covered pension, that should be reported. Some people get confused because the SSA-150 form is titled "Report of Employer Pension Information" which sounds like it's only for the initial pension, but it should also be used for COLA increases. I'd suggest bringing documentation for all three years of COLA increases when you contact them.

After you get this sorted out, set a reminder for yourself each May to report any new COLA increases. That's what I do for my husband's pension. Just mark it on your calendar so you don't forget - dealing with an overpayment later is much more hassle than making a quick report each year!