Social Security filing strategy with WEP/GPO and spouse with higher benefit - best timing?

Have u looked at ur ssa statements online? my wife and i were in similar boat except she didnt have wep/gpo. best thing we did was both wait til 70. bigger checks for life plus survivor benefit is bigger too.

Since your husband's benefit is significantly higher than yours, you should consider having him delay filing until 70 if possible. This will maximize his monthly benefit by 24% over his FRA amount (approximately $3,472 instead of $2,800). This is especially important because whichever of you lives longer will inherit the higher benefit amount as a survivor benefit. For your situation with WEP/GPO, the math is more complicated. Since your own SS benefit is already reduced by WEP, and any spousal benefit would be reduced by GPO (by approximately 2/3 of your pension amount), you might consider filing for your own benefit at FRA. Delaying your own benefit might not provide as much advantage due to these offsets. Have you had your WEP/GPO calculations officially determined by SSA? The exact reduction can significantly impact the optimal strategy.

My husband and I both claimed at 62 and we're happy we did. We've been enjoying the money for years while we're still healthy enough to travel. Nobody knows how long they'll live!!

im confused about something - if you get ur teacher pension does that mean you CANT get any spousal benefits at all from ur husbands record? my sister has wep but i dont think she knows about gpo

I had a similar situation - retired teacher with WEP/GPO and husband with higher benefit. We found it was best for me to file at FRA and him to wait until 70. That way we had some income coming in sooner, but also maximized his benefit which will become my survivor benefit if he passes first. The WEP/GPO rules are SO frustrating! I worked 25 years as a teacher and lose so much of what I should have gotten from Social Security.

I recommend looking into using Claimyr to get through to a Social Security representative quickly. I was in a similar situation with WEP/GPO questions and spent weeks trying to get through on the SSA phone lines. With Claimyr, I got through in about 20 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. You can see how it works in their demo: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Once I finally spoke with a knowledgeable SSA rep, they ran personalized calculations for my WEP/GPO situation that were different from what the online calculators showed. For complex situations like yours with pension offsets, it's really important to get the official numbers before making any filing decisions.

does ur hubby know if hes gettin ss disability? my buddy got that and it turned into his regular ss when he hit fra

Since you're subject to both WEP and GPO, your decision-making process is quite different from standard advice. Here's what you should consider: 1. Your husband should almost certainly delay until 70 to maximize his benefit (and consequently, your potential survivor benefit). 2. For your own benefit, the WEP reduction (which is capped if you have 20+ years of substantial earnings under Social Security) means delayed retirement credits may not be as valuable to you. 3. GPO will reduce any spousal benefit by 2/3 of your pension amount. With a $1,875 pension, that's a reduction of approximately $1,250. 4. The optimal strategy typically has the lower-earner with WEP/GPO claiming at FRA or even earlier in some cases, while the higher earner without these reductions delays to 70. Did you know that WEP reductions are lessened if you have 20+ years of substantial earnings covered by Social Security? How many years of SS-covered substantial earnings do you have?

With 22 years of substantial earnings, your WEP reduction is less severe than someone with fewer years. For each year over 20, the WEP reduction decreases by 5%. So at 22 years, your reduction would be 10% less than the maximum WEP penalty. This strengthens the case for you to consider filing at your FRA, while your husband should still likely delay until 70. The reduced WEP penalty makes your own benefit more valuable, but the GPO will still significantly impact any spousal benefits. I'd strongly recommend scheduling an appointment with SSA to get precise calculations of your benefits under different filing scenarios. These provisions create complexities that are difficult to estimate without official calculations.

i heard somewhere that wep and gpo might get eliminated soon has anyone else heard this?

One other thing to consider - if your husband plans to keep working until next April but is reaching FRA before then, make sure he understands the earnings limit doesn't apply once he reaches FRA. My husband didn't realize this and unnecessarily delayed filing for a few months thinking he'd be penalized for his income. Just wanted to mention that in case it's relevant to your situation!