Does GPO affect Social Security retirement when I'm already receiving federal widow's pension?
I'm really confused about whether the Government Pension Offset (GPO) applies to my situation. I worked for 30 years in retail and started collecting my own Social Security retirement benefits last year. My husband worked for the federal government for 15 years before he passed away unexpectedly at age 42. I've been receiving his federal pension since I was 48 (I'm 67 now). I recently heard someone mention GPO at a retirement seminar and got worried. I've been collecting both my SS retirement ($1,850/month) and his federal pension ($2,250/month) for over a year now. When I check my MySocialSecurity account online, I don't see anything indicating a reduction or penalty. Wouldn't there be some kind of notice if GPO was affecting me? Is it possible they haven't caught this yet? Or maybe GPO doesn't apply to my situation since his pension started so many years before my SS? The last thing I need is a huge overpayment notice! Any insights would be greatly appreciated.
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Chris King
GPO only affects YOUR Social Security benefits if YOU get a pension from work where YOU didn't pay Social Security taxes. If your husband was the government employee and you're getting survivor benefits from his pension, GPO doesn't apply to you. You're fine!!
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Amelia Cartwright
•Oh thank goodness! That makes sense - I was the one who worked and paid into Social Security while my husband didn't. So my understanding is that since I'm getting my OWN retirement benefits based on MY work record (not spousal or widow's benefits based on his), I'm in the clear? What a relief!
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Rachel Clark
There's some confusion here we should clarify. GPO (Government Pension Offset) specifically affects Social Security spousal or widow(er) benefits when the person receiving those benefits also receives a pension from work not covered by Social Security. In your case, since you're receiving your own Social Security retirement benefits based on your own work history, GPO doesn't apply to those benefits. GPO would only matter if you were trying to collect Social Security widow's benefits based on your husband's Social Security record. The related provision is WEP (Windfall Elimination Provision), but that only applies to people who worked in jobs not covered by Social Security AND also worked enough in Social Security-covered jobs to qualify for benefits. Based on your description, neither GPO nor WEP should affect you since: 1. Your SS benefits are based on your own covered work 2. The pension you receive is from your husband's employment, not yours This is why your MySocialSecurity account doesn't show any reduction.
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Zachary Hughes
•Wait I thought GPO affected ALL SS benefits if you get ANY govt pension??? My neighbor got hit with this and she's FURIOUS
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Rachel Clark
•No, that's a common misconception. GPO only affects Social Security spousal or survivor benefits when YOU receive a government pension from YOUR own non-covered work. It doesn't affect benefits when you receive a survivor pension from someone else's government work. WEP (different provision) affects your own Social Security benefits if you worked in non-covered employment yourself. The OP is receiving her own Social Security from her covered work, plus a survivor pension from her husband's government job. This specific combination isn't affected by either GPO or WEP.
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Mia Alvarez
my sister went thru this last year!!!! she thought same thing but they told her no GPO because SHES the one who paid into SS not her husband. you should be fine but if you're worried call SSA to double check specific situation
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Carter Holmes
•Good luck calling SSA to verify anything these days. I've been trying to get through for weeks about my retirement application and either get disconnected or wait for hours. I finally used Claimyr.com to get through - they call and wait on hold, then connect you when an agent picks up. Worth checking out their video demo: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU if you need confirmation about your GPO situation. Saved me hours of frustration when I needed to verify my benefit calculation.
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Sophia Long
I've been dealing with both WEP and GPO for YEARS and can tell you that the key factor is WHO earned what. In your situation: 1. YOU earned SS benefits through YOUR work = You get your full SS retirement 2. YOUR HUSBAND earned a federal pension that pays you survivor benefits = Doesn't trigger GPO on your own SS GPO would only apply if YOU worked a government job not covered by SS AND tried to claim SS spousal/widow benefits based on your husband's SS record. WEP would only apply if YOU worked both SS-covered AND non-SS-covered jobs. Since neither applies to you, there's no reduction and no indicator needed on your account. You're receiving exactly what you're entitled to!
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Angelica Smith
•THIS IS WHY THE SYSTEM IS SO UNFAIR!!! My friend worked for the county for 30 years and ALSO paid into SS from a part-time job, but when she retired her SS was slashed to almost NOTHING because of WEP!!! Meanwhile other people get to double-dip with no penalties!!! The whole system needs to be fixed!!!!!
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Sophia Long
•That's a different situation entirely. Your friend's case involves WEP because she personally worked in both covered and non-covered employment. The original poster is not in that situation at all. She worked only in SS-covered employment and is receiving a survivor pension from her husband. These are completely different scenarios under the law.
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Zachary Hughes
i think your fine but maybe they just havent caught up with you yet? my uncle got a letter 18 months after he started getting benefits saying they made a mistake and he had to pay back $$$. i would just save some money just in case they come after you later. SSA is so behind on everything
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Rachel Clark
•This isn't a case of SSA being behind. The rules about GPO are very specific - it doesn't apply to the original poster's situation at all. There would be no reason for SSA to send a notice or make any adjustment to her benefits. The system is working correctly in this case.
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