Social Security GPO 2/3 pension offset calculation - is the base year fixed forever?

The GPO offset is recalculated when your pension amount changes. It's not fixed at your application date. So if your pension increases with COLAs, the 2/3 reduction will also increase proportionally. SSA reviews this annually when pension providers report updates. For budgeting purposes, expect your SS survivor benefits to decrease slightly each time your pension increases. The formula always applies 2/3 of your CURRENT pension amount, not the original amount when you first applied.

my mom went through this exact situation!! she got a teacher pension too and ss took away most of her widows benefit. its SO UNFAIR!!! she worked enough quarters for her own ss but they still did this to her. called it double dipping but she EARNED both!!! 😡

To directly answer your question: The GPO offset is NOT fixed at the amount when you apply. It will change whenever your pension amount changes. SSA receives reports from pension providers annually, and they recalculate the 2/3 offset based on your current pension amount. Keep in mind: 1. You must report pension increases to SSA yourself if your provider doesn't report them 2. This means your survivor benefit will decrease slightly whenever your pension gets a COLA increase 3. The formula is always: Survivor Benefit - (2/3 × Current Pension Amount) For example, if eligible for a $2,000 survivor benefit with a $3,800 pension today: $2,000 - ($3,800 × 2/3) = $2,000 - $2,533 = $0 (reduction can't go below zero) But if your pension increases to $3,950 next year: $2,000 - ($3,950 × 2/3) = $2,000 - $2,633 = $0

I've been dealing with GPO for 5 years now. IT IS INDEED RECALCULATED EVERY TIME your pension changes! They don't tell you this clearly when you apply. Every January when my state pension gets its tiny COLA increase, my SS widow's benefit goes down a little more. It's frustrating because you can never get ahead - any increase in one benefit decreases the other. The worst part is sometimes SSA doesn't process the change right away and then suddenly you get a notice saying you've been overpaid and owe them money. HAPPENED TO ME TWICE!

SSA is never going to make this easy to understand. I spent over 3 weeks trying to get through to someone who could explain my GPO calculation when I applied for spousal benefits last year. Kept getting disconnected or told different things by different reps. Finally found a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an SSA agent in under 10 minutes. Worth every penny because the agent I spoke with actually specialized in GPO cases and clearly explained how my offset would change over time. Check out their demo video if you're interested: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU

i think u can estimate what will happen each yr. if ur pension goes up 2%, then the GPO offset will go up by 2% too. its always 2/3 of whatever ur current pension is. so when ur doing ur budget just figure that any pension increase means ur ss benefit drops by 2/3 of that increase. its a rigged system imo

Wait I'm confused... is GPO the same as WEP?? My dad had his SS cut because of something called windfall elimination because he had a fed govt pension too

One important thing to note: You should receive Form SSA-L9790 every December. This is your annual GPO/WEP notice that shows how your benefits will be calculated for the coming year. It will include your reported pension amount, the 2/3 offset calculation, and the resulting SS benefit amount. This form is your opportunity to verify SSA has the correct pension amount. If there's an error, contact SSA immediately. Filing it away without checking can lead to those overpayment situations others mentioned. You can also check your current calculation anytime in your my Social Security account.

One more thing - don't assume SSA gets automatic pension updates from your pension system. Some pension systems report regularly to SSA, but many DON'T! In my case, my state teacher retirement system doesn't report to SSA at all. I have to report any pension changes myself by calling SSA or visiting the office. If you don't report increases and SSA finds out later (which they eventually will), you'll face an overpayment situation. They can take your entire SS benefit until it's repaid!