Social Security WEP reduction left me with $12/month - can I get ex-spouse benefits immediately or is there a waiting period?
I just had my Social Security retirement benefits calculated and was shocked at how much the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) reduced my payment. After 28 years working for a state government with a pension, my SS benefit is only $12 per month! I was married for 22 years before divorcing in 2018, and I know I might qualify for ex-spouse benefits since my ex made significantly more under Social Security. I have a phone appointment with SSA on March 15th to discuss applying for the ex-spouse benefit, but I'm confused about timing. Is there a waiting period before I can collect ex-spouse benefits after getting my own retirement? My financial advisor mentioned something about a 12-month waiting period, but I can't find clear information about this online. Has anyone here dealt with switching from a WEP-reduced benefit to ex-spouse benefits? Any advice before my phone appointment would be greatly appreciated!
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Lena Schultz
Theres no waiting period to apply for ex spouse benefits! As long as ur divorce was final more than 2 years ago and u both are over 62, you can apply anytime. But the WEP might still affect how much u get even on the spousal benefit. Good luck with ur call
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Caesar Grant
•Thank you! That's a relief. Do you know if they'll automatically give me the higher amount between my own benefit and the spousal benefit? I'm worried about making the wrong choice.
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Gemma Andrews
I went through almost the exact same situation last year. The good news is there's no 12-month waiting period - your financial advisor might be confusing this with other Social Security rules. Since you've been divorced more than 2 years, you can immediately apply for ex-spouse benefits. However, you should understand a few important points: 1. Your ex-spousal benefit will be up to 50% of your ex's full retirement age benefit 2. WEP doesn't affect ex-spousal benefits directly, but the Government Pension Offset (GPO) might reduce it if you're receiving a government pension 3. If you're at full retirement age, SSA will automatically give you the higher amount between your own benefit and the ex-spouse benefit Make sure to have your marriage certificate and divorce decree ready for your appointment. Also prepare a list of questions because these appointments can go quickly.
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Pedro Sawyer
•are u sure abt that? my neighbor waited like 6 months after getting her own retirement before they let her get the ex spouse thing
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Mae Bennett
The whole WEP thing is RIDICULOUS!!! It's literally STEALING money we earned! I worked 22 years under SS and 15 for state govt and got hit with WEP too. My SS went from $1450 to $890 - how is that fair?? And now they're making it confusing about ex-spouse benefits too?? The system is DESIGNED to confuse us so we don't get what we deserve. I tried calling about my WEP reduction and sat on hold for 3 HOURS before getting disconnected. TWICE!!! They don't want to help us.
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Beatrice Marshall
•While frustration with WEP is understandable, it's important to understand why it exists. Without WEP, government employees with pensions would receive proportionally larger Social Security benefits than people who worked entirely under Social Security. The formula is complicated but was created to maintain proportionality. Regarding the ex-spouse benefits, there is no waiting period after divorce if you've been divorced for at least two years. The waiting periods apply to different scenarios. For the original poster, since the divorce was in 2018, they should be eligible to apply immediately. As for the phone issues, you might want to try Claimyr (claimyr.com) - it's a service that helps you get through to a Social Security representative without the long wait times. You can see how it works in their video demo: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Many people here have found it helpful when dealing with time-sensitive issues.
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Melina Haruko
wait im confused... does WEP affect ex-spouse benefits? or is that GPO? i get these mixed up all the time lol. im in a similar situation but not divorced yet
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Beatrice Marshall
•Great question! They're often confused: - WEP (Windfall Elimination Provision) reduces your own Social Security retirement benefits if you receive a pension from work not covered by Social Security (like many government jobs) - GPO (Government Pension Offset) reduces spouse/survivor benefits if you receive a government pension from non-covered work So in the original poster's case, their own benefit is reduced by WEP, but their ex-spouse benefit might be reduced by GPO if they're receiving a government pension. These are separate calculations.
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Dallas Villalobos
I also had an awful experience with WEP. Unfortunately, I believe your financial advisor is wrong about the waiting period - as long as you've been divorced for over 2 years (which you have), you should be able to apply for ex-spouse benefits immediately. The 12-month rule probably refers to something else. Make sure you're fully prepared for your phone appointment. I had one scheduled last month and after waiting 2 weeks for the appointment, the agent wasn't prepared and gave me incorrect information! I had to schedule another appointment and wait again. So frustrating!
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Caesar Grant
•That's concerning to hear about your experience. Did you eventually get the correct information? I'm worried about being given wrong advice too.
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Lena Schultz
I heard if ur ex remarried u cant get their benefits anymore is that true??
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Gemma Andrews
•No, that's not correct. Your ex-spouse's marital status has no impact on your ability to claim benefits on their record. You can still receive ex-spouse benefits even if they've remarried. Only your own remarriage would affect your eligibility for ex-spouse benefits. This is a common misconception about Social Security.
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Beatrice Marshall
To clarify some confusion in this thread: 1. There is NO waiting period to apply for ex-spouse benefits after receiving your own retirement benefits, as long as you've been divorced for at least 2 years, were married for at least 10 years, and are both 62 or older 2. The 12-month rule your advisor mentioned likely refers to the 12-month limit on retroactive benefits for applications filed after full retirement age 3. The WEP reduction on your own benefit doesn't directly impact ex-spousal benefits, but GPO (Government Pension Offset) might reduce spousal benefits by 2/3 of your government pension amount 4. At your phone appointment, be sure to ask about the exact calculation of your ex-spousal benefit, including any GPO reduction 5. SSA will pay the higher of either your WEP-reduced benefit or your GPO-reduced ex-spousal benefit (they don't stack) I recommend documenting everything discussed in your phone appointment and requesting written confirmation of benefit calculations.
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Caesar Grant
•This is extremely helpful - thank you! I'll definitely ask about the GPO calculation since I do receive a state pension of about $3,200/month. I'm guessing that might significantly reduce any ex-spousal benefit too. I'll document everything carefully during the call.
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Pedro Sawyer
my mom went thru this same thing last year and tried calling like 50 times... finally got someone on the phone who actually knew what they were talking about!!! try calling right when they open in the morning thats what worked for her
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Dallas Villalobos
•Calling right when they open rarely works anymore - everyone tries that! I found a service called Claimyr that helped me actually get through to SSA without the endless wait. Their site at claimyr.com has a video demo (https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU) showing how it works. Saved me hours of frustration when I needed to fix my WEP calculation error last month. Worth checking out before your March appointment just in case you need to reach them sooner.
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Mae Bennett
Does anyone know how long these ex-spouse applications typically take to process? I'm worried that even after my March appointment it'll be months before I see any change in my benefit amount.
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Gemma Andrews
•In my experience, once you've had your appointment and provided all the required documentation (marriage certificate, divorce decree, etc.), the processing typically takes 2-4 weeks. However, with current SSA staffing issues, I've seen it take up to 6-8 weeks for some people. The most important thing is to have all your documentation ready during the phone appointment. If they need to request additional verification, it can add significant delays. You might want to upload your documents to your my Social Security account ahead of your appointment if possible.
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Melina Haruko
this whole WEP/GPO stuff makes my head spin! feels like they purposely make it complicated so we don't get all the benefits we deserve :
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Caesar Grant
•I feel the same way! I spent hours researching and still don't fully understand how the calculations work. I was counting on a reasonable SS benefit to supplement my pension, and finding out I only get $12/month was shocking.
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