Social Security survivor benefits from ex-spouse at 60 while having teacher pension - WEP/GPO questions

Yes, you're eligible for survivor benefits based on your ex-spouse since you were married over 10 years and haven't remarried. However, your strategy needs some tweaking because of GPO and WEP. When you start collecting your teacher pension at 67, the GPO will kick in and reduce your survivor benefits by 2/3 of your pension amount. For example, if your pension is $3,000/month, your survivor benefits would be reduced by $2,000/month. As for switching to your own benefits at 70 - yes, you can do this, and you would stop receiving survivor benefits at that point. But be aware that if you've worked mainly under your teacher retirement system and not paid into Social Security for many quarters, your own SS benefit might be affected by WEP. I'd strongly recommend scheduling an appointment with SSA specifically to discuss this coordination of benefits with someone who understands GPO/WEP issues.

ive been dealing with this exact situation!!! was married 22 yrs, ex passed 3 yrs ago & i get a state pension. started survivors at 60 and it was about $1850/mo. then when i started my pension at 62 the GPO kicked in and now i only get $213 in survivors!!! The 2/3 rule destroyed my beneift. wish someone had warned me before i retired early

You've got a couple of misconceptions here that need clearing up. First, your strategy of claiming survivor benefits at 60, pension at 67, and own SS at 70 *can* work, but you need to understand the timing and reductions. Important point: If you start your survivor benefits at 60, they will be permanently reduced to 71.5% of what you'd get at your Full Retirement Age (FRA). This reduction is separate from any GPO reduction. Regarding GPO: Yes, once your teacher pension starts, your survivor benefits will be reduced by 2/3 of your pension amount. If there's anything left after that reduction, you'll receive it. Regarding WEP: This will likely reduce your own SS benefit when you claim at 70, depending on how many "substantial earnings" years you have in SS-covered employment. With 12 years in the private sector, you'll have some WEP reduction, but it won't be the maximum reduction. I strongly suggest getting a detailed benefits analysis from a financial advisor who specializes in federal benefits and GPO/WEP issues. The SSA agents often don't fully understand these complex interactions.

my sister went thru this and what she did was take survivor benefits at 60 then her pension at 65 and shes still getting a small amount of survivors benefits. she said the ssA office told her wrong info THREE TIMES and she had to keep going back. make sure u get everything in writing!!!

I had a similar situation and found that getting through to knowledgeable SSA reps was nearly impossible with regular calls. After getting disconnected multiple times and receiving conflicting information, I discovered Claimyr (claimyr.com). They got me connected to an actual SSA agent in under 20 minutes after I'd spent days trying on my own. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU showing how it works. Once I got through to an actual specialist at SSA who understood the GPO/WEP rules, I was able to properly plan my benefits strategy. For complex situations like yours involving GPO/WEP, getting to the right person makes all the difference.

just wanted to jump in and say dont forget that survivor beneft will be based on what your ex-husband would have gotten at his FRA even tho he died before claiming. if he had high earnings this could still be worth it even with the GPO reduction later. and YES u need to stop survivor when u switch to ur own at 70, they dont let u take both!!!

I was in this EXACT situation. Teacher pension and ex-spouse survivor benefits. The most important thing I can tell you is to apply for survivor benefits BEFORE you start your pension! I got 6 years of full survivor benefits before my pension started, and that made a HUGE difference financially. When your pension starts, GPO will kick in hard. In my case, my survivor benefit was completely wiped out because 2/3 of my pension was more than my survivor amount. Also, don't trust what the SSA phone reps tell you. I got different answers every time I called. Get an appointment with someone in person who specializes in GPO/WEP cases. And bring documentation of EVERYTHING.

DONT FORGET about the earnings limit if ur still teaching when u take survivors at 60!!! if ur under FRA they will take back $1 for every $2 u earn above limit. learned this the hard way :

Thank you all SO much for the helpful responses! I think I have a clearer strategy now: 1. Apply for survivor benefits at 60 2. Be aware of the earnings limit while I'm still teaching 3. Consider delaying my pension as long as possible to minimize GPO 4. Switch to my own SS benefit at 70 (which will end survivor benefits) I'll definitely look into Claimyr to get connected with an SSA specialist who actually understands these rules. And I'll find a financial advisor who specializes in GPO/WEP issues as well. This is all so complicated! I'm grateful for all your help and experiences.