Will 2025 WEP/GPO Relief Act affect my TRS pension and Social Security survivor benefits?

There is a bill called the Social Security Fairness Act that's been proposed to fully repeal both the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO), but it hasn't passed yet. There was also a modified version that would provide partial relief rather than full repeal. As of my last check, neither has been enacted into law. Under current rules, your GPO reduction would be calculated as follows: 2/3 of $3,750 = $2,500, which would be subtracted from your $2,280 survivor benefit. Since the reduction is greater than your benefit amount, you would receive $0 in survivor benefits while receiving your TRS pension. I would suggest contacting your local SSA office to get the most up-to-date information on any legislative changes, as this is an area where rules can change.

my sister in law has the SAME EXACT problem!!!! she worked for the school district for 30 years and her husband died in 2021. when she took her pension last year they took ALL of her survivor benefits away. she was so mad because nobody told her this would happen!!! she thought she would get both. now shes struggling to make ends meet.

I've been following the WEP/GPO legislation closely because I'm in a similar situation. The Social Security Fairness Act would completely eliminate both provisions, but it hasn't passed despite having bipartisan support. There's also been talk of a compromise bill that would provide partial relief. Here's what I can tell you for certain: Don't make retirement decisions based on legislation that hasn't passed yet. These reforms have been proposed for years without success. If you're planning to retire next year, I'd recommend making your financial plans based on current law. One strategy to consider: Some people in your situation choose to continue working a few more years to increase their own Social Security benefit (if you have enough quarters of coverage) which isn't affected by GPO. You might also consider if there are non-pension covered employment options that would let you build more Social Security credits.

This whole GPO thing is ROBBERY! My mom worked as a teacher for 35 years and paid into her state pension. Dad worked construction and paid SS his whole life. When he died, mom lost almost all his SS benefits because of this stupid rule. She paid taxes her whole life AND SO DID DAD! Double taxation if you ask me! Call your representatives and tell them to pass the Fairness Act NOW!!

Have you thought about delaying your TRS? My aunt was in a similar spot and delayed her pension for a year while collecting the full survivor benefit. Then she did some calculations about the long-term math.

I've been dealing with this exact issue. I spent countless hours trying to reach someone at Social Security for accurate information about GPO calculations. After weeks of busy signals and disconnections, I found a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me through to a live SSA agent in under 5 minutes. The agent I spoke with confirmed what others here have said - currently, you'll likely lose all or most of your survivor benefits once you start collecting your TRS pension. She also mentioned that if you have enough credits under your own work record (40 quarters/10 years), you might want to compare that benefit amount since your own retirement benefit isn't affected by GPO. There's a video demo of how the service works here if you're interested: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU It saved me so much frustration and I got actual answers from a real SSA representative instead of guessing.

One more thing to consider: the GPO only affects Social Security benefits based on someone else's work record (like survivor or spousal benefits). If you have enough Social Security credits from your own work history (at least 40 quarters/10 years), you might be eligible for retirement benefits on your own record. Those benefits would be subject to WEP (which typically reduces less than GPO) but not GPO. I'd recommend requesting a Social Security statement to see if you qualify for your own retirement benefit and what the estimated amount would be. This could be a better option depending on your work history.

can u just delay getting ur TRS for a while and keep collecting the SS? thats what my neighbor did

What state are you in? Some states have different rules about how their pensions interact with Social Security.

Based on the numbers you've shared, here's what your situation might look like: 1. Your TRS pension will be $3,750/month 2. Your survivor benefit is $2,280/month 3. Your own SS benefit would be about $840/month Under GPO, they would reduce your survivor benefit by $2,500 (2/3 of $3,750), which would eliminate your survivor benefit completely. However, your own SS benefit of $840 would be subject to WEP but not GPO. The WEP reduction is generally less severe than GPO and depends on your years of substantial earnings under Social Security. So your best option might be to take your TRS pension and your own reduced SS benefit rather than the survivor benefit. I'd recommend speaking with an SSA representative who can calculate the exact WEP reduction based on your work history.