Navigating WEP requirements for Social Security with foreign pensions - documentation nightmare

Been there, done that with UK pension. You'll need to request a benefit verification letter from the Canadian pension system showing exactly when you qualified and your monthly benefit amount. Get multiple originals if possible! I sent mine via certified mail to my local SSA office with tracking. Took about 8 weeks total for everything to process. The good news is they can start your benefits while they're reviewing the WEP calculation, they'll just adjust later if needed.

my neighbor had this problem with german pension. got SO MAD with all the back n forth!! took him like 3 months to get everything straight and SSA still calculated wrong first time. good luck!!

The WEP reduction is capped at $667 per month for 2025, and you get less reduction if you have 21+ years of substantial US earnings. With 23 years of US work, your WEP reduction should be approximately 60% of the maximum WEP penalty. Regarding the legislative changes, you're right that there's a WEP reform bill, but implementation will take 18-24 months according to SSA's published timeline. Until then, everyone has to go through the current documentation process. For your Canadian pension documents, contact the Canadian Pension Plan office directly and request expedited processing due to your pending SS application. They have a specific department that handles international benefit coordination requests.

Wait I'm confused...I thought WEP was only for government pensions?? My uncle worked for the state and had this problem but didn't know it affected regular pensions from other countries??

Having dealt with countless WEP cases, I can confirm that the SSA is correct - they must process your application under current rules until the new legislation is fully implemented. For your Canadian documents, I recommend requesting them via their online portal if possible, as mail requests tend to take longer. One important tip: make sure your Canadian pension amount is converted to USD using the official exchange rate from the day you're eligible for both benefits. SSA will use this to calculate your WEP reduction. If they use an incorrect exchange rate (which happens often), this can significantly impact your benefit amount. Also, consider working with the FBU (Federal Benefits Unit) at the US Embassy in Canada - they can sometimes help expedite these international pension verifications.

I went through this EXACT situation with my Australian pension last year. It was absolutely maddening! After weeks of trying to get through to the SSA to check on my application status and clarify what documents they needed, I finally discovered Claimyr (claimyr.com). They got me connected to an actual SSA agent in about 20 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours or getting disconnected. The agent was able to tell me exactly what format they needed the foreign pension documentation in and even put notes in my file about my case. Saved me weeks of back and forth! You can see how it works in their video demo: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU

NOBODY at SSA understands WEP properly!!!! I spent 9 MONTHS fighting with them over my German pension calculation. They kept using the wrong exchange rate AND they didn't account for taxes withheld by Germany. BE PREPARED TO APPEAL! Document EVERYTHING. Record phone calls if your state allows it. The WEP formula is supposedly straightforward but LITERALLY EVERY SSA OFFICE CALCULATES IT DIFFERENTLY!!!

My friend just retired and got her SS. She worked in Canada too but didn't have to do any of this. Maybe call again and get a different person?

Update: After following everyone's advice, I finally got through most of this process! The Canadian pension office had a specific international benefits department that processed my request in 2 weeks instead of 6. I sent everything certified mail to SSA and followed up regularly. My benefit is now being processed with only a partial WEP reduction thanks to my 23 years of US work. Thanks everyone for your help navigating this complicated mess!

Congratulations on getting through this! Your experience is really helpful for others facing similar situations. I'm dealing with a similar WEP issue but with a UK pension. Quick question - when you contacted the Canadian pension office's international benefits department, did you need any special reference numbers or just your regular pension information? Also, did SSA give you any paperwork showing exactly how they calculated your partial WEP reduction? I want to make sure I can verify their math when my case gets processed.