Social Security survivor benefits with WEP - will I get my husband's full benefit amount?

GPO is definitely gonna reduce ur survivor benefit. My mom was a teacher with state pension and when dad died, she lost most of his SS. Think it's like 2/3 of ur pension gets taken off ur survivor benefit. Sorry 4 the bad news

The previous commenter is correct about the Government Pension Offset (GPO), but I want to clarify a few important points. The GPO applies to people who receive pensions from work not covered by Social Security (like some government or school systems). The reduction is calculated by subtracting 2/3 of your non-covered pension from your potential survivor benefit. In your case, 2/3 of your $1,325 pension is approximately $883. So if your husband's benefit is $2,850, your survivor benefit would be reduced to about $1,967 ($2,850 - $883). This is significantly different from the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), which affects your own Social Security retirement benefits, not benefits you receive as a spouse or widow. I'd recommend calling SSA directly to get an official calculation based on your specific situation. They can provide you with the exact figures.

I literally just went through this exact situation when my husband passed last year. My teacher's pension is almost the same as yours too. What they did was take 2/3 of my pension away from what would have been his full benefit. It was a HUGE hassle getting it all sorted out tho. Took like 4 months to get everything processed and I had to keep calling them over and over.

They did give me backpay eventually, but I had to really stay on top of them. Make sure you keep ALL paperwork and documentation. And yes, the final amount matched what that formula said it would be - about 2/3 of my pension got subtracted from his full amount.

ur lucky u get anything!!! my mom got NOTHING from dads SS when he died cuz her teacher pension was too big. GPO totally wiped it out! the whole system is rigged against public servants!!!! 😡

Just want to add that you should consider meeting with a financial planner who specializes in retirement planning for government employees. They can help you calculate your exact benefit amounts and develop strategies to maximize your income across all sources. GPO calculations can get complicated, especially if you have multiple pensions or periods of covered/non-covered employment.

Many financial planners offer a free initial consultation, and then either charge hourly ($150-300/hr) or a flat fee for specific services. Look for a fee-only fiduciary (they're legally obligated to act in your best interest) who has experience with government pensions and Social Security. The National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) is a good place to start your search.

I've been trying to reach Social Security for WEEKS about my own GPO issues and kept getting disconnected or waiting for hours. I finally tried a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got through to SSA in 20 minutes! They have a bypass system that holds your place in line and calls you when an agent is ready. Saved me hours of frustration. They have a video explaining how it works here: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU

Yep, it definitely worked for me! Before using it I wasted 3 days trying to get through. The video explains the whole process. Basically they wait on hold for you and then call you when they get a real person. I was skeptical but it saved me so much time and frustration.

Something else to consider: if you have any periods of employment where you DID pay into Social Security (outside of your non-covered pension job), you might qualify for your own Social Security benefit. If that's the case, you wouldn't be subject to GPO on those benefits - only on the spousal/survivor benefits. This could potentially increase your total retirement income. Do you have any work history outside of your pension-covered employment?

That could absolutely make a difference! Those 8 years of covered employment would contribute to your own Social Security benefit, which would not be reduced by GPO (though it might be affected by WEP, but differently). In fact, if your own benefit is higher than your reduced spousal benefit, you'd receive your own instead. When your husband passes, you'd then get the higher of: your own benefit OR your reduced survivor benefit. Having multiple income sources can significantly improve your financial situation. I strongly suggest getting a Social Security benefits analysis to see exactly how these calculations would work in your specific case.