Should I apply for survivor benefits after ignoring them for 3 years? Confused about WEP/GPO impact

This is definitely worth looking into! The Government Pension Offset (GPO) is what affects survivor benefits when you have a government pension. It reduces your survivor benefit by 2/3 of your government pension amount. So with a $3,750 pension, that's a reduction of $2,500 from any survivor benefit you'd receive. Since your husband's benefit was $2,500, you might still be eligible for some survivor benefits if the GPO reduction doesn't eliminate it completely. You should absolutely contact SSA to have them calculate this properly. Bring your husband's death certificate, marriage certificate, your government pension information showing monthly amount, and your most recent Social Security statement. There's no harm in asking them to review your case.

The SSA gave you WRONG INFORMATION!!! I went through the EXACT same situation last year. My husband died and I had a government pension too, but I was still eligible for a partial survivor benefit. The 2/3 offset from GPO doesn't always eliminate the benefit completely. You need to go in person and DEMAND they calculate it correctly. Bring ALL your documents. They owe you backpay for the 3 years too!!! Don't let them tell you otherwise!

Let me clarify some points since there's a lot of confusion around WEP and GPO: 1. WEP (Windfall Elimination Provision) reduces YOUR OWN Social Security benefit if you receive a pension from work not covered by Social Security. 2. GPO (Government Pension Offset) reduces spouse or survivor benefits by 2/3 of your government pension amount. In your case, to determine if you're eligible for survivor benefits, calculate: - Your husband's benefit: $2,500 - 2/3 of your pension: $2,500 (2/3 of $3,750) If your husband's benefit exceeds the GPO reduction, you'd be eligible for the difference. It appears you might be right at the break-even point. There's no time limit on applying for survivor benefits, though retroactive payments may be limited. Bring your marriage certificate, husband's death certificate, your pension award letter, and both Social Security numbers to your appointment.

have you tried calling them? good luck with that lol. i spent 3 days trying to get someone on the phone about my widows benefits. kept getting disconnected after waiting for hours.

My sister went thru this. You can get retroactive benefits going back to when he died but only if you ask for them. Make sure u bring death certificate and marriage license. They tried to tell her no at first but she insisted and finally got what she deserved.

doesn't the WEP just reduce your own benefits? i thought GPO was for spousal stuff? either way the whole system is so complicated no wonder people miss out on benefits they deserve

I just realized something - you said you retired AFTER full retirement age? If you delayed taking your own benefit past your FRA, that means your benefit would have grown by 8% per year. Did they factor that in when telling you your benefit was higher? Worth asking specifically about that calculation too!!

Based on your numbers, it sounds like you're right at the borderline where GPO might eliminate your entire survivor benefit. But these calculations can be complicated, especially with WEP/GPO involved. I'd recommend setting up an appointment specifically to review your eligibility for survivor benefits. The fastest way to get an appointment is to call early in the morning as soon as they open. If you can't get through (which is common), many people have success using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to connect with a live agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU that shows how it works. Once you get an appointment, make sure to ask them to verify both your own benefit calculation (affected by WEP) and potential survivor benefits (affected by GPO) to ensure you're receiving everything you're entitled to.

my cousin works for social security and she says people get this wrong all the time! definitely worth checking

One more important point: If you find you are eligible for a small survivor benefit after the GPO reduction, you should know that you would receive your own benefit PLUS the additional survivor amount. You don't have to choose one or the other - if your survivor benefit after GPO would be higher than your current benefit, you'd receive your current benefit plus the difference. This is why it's definitely worth having SSA do the calculation.