Social Security Widow's Benefits & WEP - Will my reduced SS check increase?

You're dealing with Government Pension Offset (GPO), not WEP. WEP affects the worker's own benefits, while GPO affects spousal and survivor benefits when the surviving spouse receives a pension from work not covered by Social Security. Your widow's benefit is likely reduced by 2/3 of your government pension amount. This reduction will stay in place, but yes, your widow's benefit will increase when you reach your full retirement age (which would be 67 if you were born after 1960). At that point, you'll receive 100% of your husband's benefit amount (minus the GPO reduction) instead of the reduced amount you get at 55.

ur getting reduced benifits because ur taking them early at 55. thats why there less. widow benifits at 55 are only like 70% of full amount. have to wait til ur widow FRA to get 100% of his benifits. not sure bout the WEP thing tho

I went through almost the exact same situation when my husband passed in 2019!!! He was a state trooper for 12 years then worked private security that paid into SS. The SSA office kept giving me different answers every time I called. SO FRUSTRATING!!!! I finally figured out that YES your benefit will increase when you reach your widow's full retirement age (probably 66 and some months depending on your birth year). But also important - if your husband had less than 30 years of substantial earnings under Social Security, his benefit (and therefore your widow benefit) was reduced by WEP. The good news is there's a WEP public servant death benefit protection that limits how much WEP can impact widow benefits. Did they mention that to you?

Widows benefits are so complicated with all these extra provisions. I've been trying to understand them for months. Sometimes I think SSA employees don't even understand all the rules themselves.

After struggling with similar issues calling SSA for weeks, I recently used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to a real Social Security agent in less than 20 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. They have a demo video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. The agent I spoke with was able to look at my deceased spouse's earnings record and explain exactly how the WEP calculation affected my survivor benefits. Turns out I was eligible for a recalculation that increased my monthly payment by $176. Definitely worth asking specific questions about the WEP public servant death benefit provision when you get through.

To clarify a few important points about your situation: 1. The early claiming reduction is one factor - at age 55, widow benefits are reduced to about 71.5% of the full amount. This will increase when you reach your widow's Full Retirement Age. 2. WEP may have affected your husband's own benefit calculation if he had fewer than 30 years of substantial earnings under Social Security. However, there is a WEP limitation for survivors that can help in your case. 3. GPO would only apply if YOU (not your husband) receive a government pension from work not covered by Social Security. Based on your description, GPO likely doesn't apply to you since the pension you're receiving is your husband's survivor pension, not your own pension from non-covered employment. I recommend requesting an appointment with a Technical Expert at your local SSA office who specializes in WEP/GPO cases. Bring documentation showing your husband's work history (years in government service vs. years in Social Security-covered employment) and ask specifically about the WEP limitation for survivors under section 203 of the Social Security Protection Act of 2004.

My husband was a teacher for 20 years (no SS contributions) and then worked enough to get Social Security too. When he died, they cut my widow's benefit because of GPO, even though I never worked in a government job! It's so unfair they penalize us twice! First WEP reduces their benefit while alive, then GPO hits us after they're gone!

Thank you all for the helpful information! I spoke with SSA this morning (after trying for days) and learned that my situation is primarily affected by: 1) the early retirement reduction since I'm only 57, and 2) a modified WEP calculation because of my husband's mixed career. The agent confirmed there is a special WEP provision that limits the reduction for survivors, which might mean I'm eligible for an adjustment. They're sending me a detailed explanation of the calculation by mail and scheduled a follow-up with a Technical Expert. I'll update once I know more in case it helps anyone else navigating this complicated situation.