Should we marry at 66/63 for Social Security spousal benefits with teacher pension (WEP/GPO impact)?

You've hit on a complicated area of Social Security with the teacher pension involved. Your partner's pension will trigger the Government Pension Offset (GPO), which typically reduces spousal/survivor benefits by 2/3 of the pension amount. Here's how it breaks down: 1. Spousal benefits: Normally, a spouse can receive up to 50% of your PIA (Primary Insurance Amount). In your case, that would be about $1,550. BUT with the GPO, they would subtract 2/3 of his pension ($2,700 × 2/3 = $1,800) from that potential spousal benefit. Since $1,800 > $1,550, he would receive $0 in spousal benefits. 2. Survivor benefits: If you pass away first, he could normally be eligible for your full benefit amount (the $3,100). But again, the GPO would reduce that by $1,800, leaving about $1,300 in survivor benefits. So marriage would provide no immediate spousal benefit, but could provide survivor protection worth about $1,300/month (more than his own $1,050 benefit). Whether that's worth it depends on your overall financial situation and other considerations beyond Social Security.

my sister married her partner at 65 just for the ss benefits and it was worth it for them!! but neither had a government pension so totally different situation than yours

You're right to consider this carefully. Since you're reaching your Full Retirement Age (FRA) soon, here are some important facts to consider: - Your partner is subject to both the WEP (Windfall Elimination Provision) which affects his own Social Security benefit calculation AND the GPO (Government Pension Offset) which affects any spousal/survivor benefits he might receive. - The marriage requirement for spousal benefits is 1 year, but for survivor benefits it's 9 months (with some exceptions). - If you marry, your partner would NOT be able to receive both his own benefit AND spousal benefits - he would get the higher of the two (which based on the previous comment's calculation would be $0 for spousal benefits due to GPO). - For survivor benefits, the GPO reduction would still apply, but the starting amount is higher (your full benefit rather than 50%), so there would be some financial advantage if you predecease him. Have you considered consulting with a financial advisor who specializes in Social Security planning? The decisions around WEP/GPO can be quite complex.

Has your partner checked if their specific teacher pension is exempt from GPO? Some older state pension plans ARE exempt if the teacher also paid into Social Security. My husband taught in California for 18 years but his pension is exempt from GPO because he also paid SS taxes during those years (rare but possible in some districts). If I were you, I'd check his Social Security statement to see if there's a note about WEP already being applied to his estimated benefits. The statement usually shows this. And you might want to call SSA directly to ask about your specific situation. Good luck getting through to them though - I spent TWO WEEKS trying to get a human on the phone about my widow benefits question!!! I finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a SS agent in under 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Totally worth it for complicated questions like yours that need a real agent's help.

Wait so if your not married yet why would his teacher pension even matter to your SS? I thought GPO only applies if your married??

i was a teacher for 31 years and let me tell u, that GPO is a KILLER!! married my hubby for 22 years and cant get A PENNY of his social security now that hes gone. all because of my teacher pension. if I knew then what I know now, I would have chosen a different career!!! be very careful with your planning

To answer your follow-up question: Yes, the GPO only affects benefits he might receive as a spouse or survivor, not his own earned Social Security. He will always be eligible for his own $1,050 regardless of your marital status. If you marry and you predecease him, he would receive whichever is higher between: 1. His own benefit ($1,050) 2. The GPO-reduced survivor benefit ($3,100 - $1,800 = $1,300) So in this case, marriage would provide an additional $250/month in income if you pass away first. Whether that's worth it depends on your overall financial situation, estate planning goals, health considerations, and how long you expect the survivor situation might last. Also worth noting - if you continue working past your FRA, your benefit amount will continue increasing, which could increase the potential survivor benefit as well.