Should I claim Social Security at 65 when affected by WEP as a California teacher retiring in 2025?

You're absolutely right about the WEP impact. As a former California teacher myself who retired in 2023, I can confirm that claiming early made sense in my situation. Your Social Security benefit will be reduced due to WEP regardless of when you claim, so waiting until FRA primarily benefits those receiving the full amount. The formula that reduces your SS will be the same whether you claim at 65 or 67, so you're essentially just missing out on those payments. One thing to verify: make sure you have at least 30 years of \

Thank you so much for the confirmation! I only have about 22 years of \

im in almost EXACT situation!!! retired frm teaching in Fresno last yr, got hit w/ that stupid windfall thing too. waited till 66 (my FRA) and now regret it!! should have taken at 62 honestly. those 4 years of payments i missed out on will take FOREVER to make up. take it now and don't look back!!

Thanks for sharing your experience! That's really helpful to hear from someone who actually waited. I was worried I'd regret taking it early, but it sounds like you regret waiting. It's so frustrating that they penalize us for choosing to teach!

I'd recommend a bit more analysis before deciding. While the WEP does reduce your benefit, claiming at 65 versus your FRA (presumably 67) means a permanent reduction of about 13.3% from your already WEP-reduced amount. You need to calculate your break-even point. If you take benefits at 65, you'll collect for 24 more months than if you wait until 67, but at a lower monthly amount. Typically, the break-even point is around 12-15 years. If you expect to live beyond 80, waiting might still be mathematically advantageous despite the WEP. Also, consider any spousal benefits that might be affected by your decision.

You make a good point about the break-even analysis. I hadn't thought about how much longer I'd need to live to make waiting worthwhile. My family tends to be fairly long-lived (my parents are both in their late 80s), so maybe I should reconsider. I'm not married, so thankfully I don't need to factor in spousal benefits. Is there a good calculator you'd recommend for figuring out the break-even point with WEP factored in?

The WEP is ABSOLUTELY CRIMINAL!! I paid into both systems fair and square and the government STOLE my benefits!! I worked for 25 years in the private sector THEN became a teacher in Illinois. When I retired I discovered this SCAM they call WEP that took away HALF my Social Security!!! There is legislation to repeal this garbage (Social Security Fairness Act) but Congress never seems to pass it! WRITE YOUR CONGRESS PEOPLE!! This affects MILLIONS of teachers, firefighters, and police officers!

Completely agree! My mom lost thousands because of WEP. Such a horrible penalty for public servants.

I struggled with the same decision last year as a Texas teacher affected by both WEP and GPO. After multiple frustrating attempts to get clear answers from SSA (constant busy signals, disconnected calls, and hours on hold), I found this service called Claimyr that got me through to a real SSA agent in about 20 minutes. The agent was able to run multiple scenarios for me with exact WEP calculations based on my work history. Saved me hours of frustration! You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU or just go to claimyr.com. Definitely worth it to get accurate information for such an important decision.

That sounds like exactly what I need! I've tried calling SSA three times and gave up after being on hold forever. I need to talk to someone who can look at my specific numbers with the WEP reduction factored in. I'll definitely check out that service. Thanks for the tip!

my sister waited till 67 even with WEP and says it was worth it. but everyones situation is different. do u need the money now? thats the real question

I don't urgently need the money now since I'm still teaching, but I'm concerned about missing out on 2 years of payments. It's interesting your sister felt waiting was worth it despite WEP!

I ended up taking SS at 62 even though I was still teaching part-time. No regrets! The WEP still hit me, but I've already collected 3 years of payments that I would have missed. Everybody's situation is different though.

One critical factor to consider that hasn't been mentioned: if you continue teaching while collecting Social Security before your Full Retirement Age, you'll be subject to the earnings test. For 2025, if you earn more than $22,320 from your teaching job, SSA will withhold $1 in benefits for every $2 you earn above that limit. This could significantly reduce or even eliminate your SS payments until you fully retire. Once you reach FRA, the earnings test no longer applies. This might be a reason to wait if you're planning to continue teaching.

Oh! This is really important information I didn't know about. My teaching salary is definitely above that threshold, so it sounds like I might not actually receive much SS until I stop working completely. That completely changes my calculations. Thank you for pointing this out!

To follow up on the earnings test issue: any benefits withheld due to the earnings test are not permanently lost. When you reach FRA, your benefit amount is recalculated to credit you for the months benefits were withheld. This effectively means the reduction for claiming early only applies to the months you actually received benefits. So if you claim at 65 but have most benefits withheld due to working, your eventual benefit at FRA could be closer to the full FRA amount than you'd expect. Social Security's complexity makes these decisions much more nuanced than they initially appear.

This is fascinating and makes the decision even more complex! So if I file at 65 but continue working at my teaching job until 67, most of my benefits might be withheld due to the earnings test, but then when I reach 67, my benefit would be recalculated? That's definitely not how I understood it. I think I really need to speak directly with SSA to understand how this would work in my specific situation.

my husband is a retired police officer and we just found out about the GPO which is even worse than WEP! cuts spousal benefits too. we should have planned better

have u checked if you have enough quarters to even qualify for SS?? some teachers dont have the full 40 credits and dont realize it until too late!!

Yes, I definitely have my 40 credits from my years working in the private sector before teaching. But that's a good point for others to check!

After considering the earnings test information and your continued employment until August 2025, here's what I'd suggest: Call Social Security and have them calculate your break-even point with WEP factored in. Then make your decision based on your health/longevity expectations and financial needs. Also, file a

Thank you for this detailed advice! I didn't know about the