Will Social Security Fairness Act eliminate WEP reduction from my UK pension?

Unfortunately, the Social Security Fairness Act is specifically designed to eliminate the WEP and GPO penalties for US federal, state, and local government pensions where Social Security taxes weren't paid. Foreign pensions like yours from the UK would still be subject to WEP reductions even if the act passes. The legislation targets public employees like teachers, firefighters, and other government workers within the US who have been affected by these provisions.

my husband had same situation with canadian pension and WEP. we thought fairness act would help too but our financial advisor told us no it wont change anything for foreign pensions, only for state workers in US. really stinks!!!

The Social Security Fairness Act specifically targets the WEP/GPO provisions as they apply to public servants who earned pensions from non-covered employment within the United States. The bill's language focuses on "noncovered service which constitutes employment as a State or local government employee." Foreign pensions like yours from the UK fall under different sections of the Social Security Act and international agreements (totalization agreements). Your WEP reduction is applied because the UK pension system is considered "non-covered" under US Social Security laws. The US and UK do have a totalization agreement, but it doesn't eliminate WEP - it just prevents double taxation and helps establish eligibility when you don't have enough credits in one country. If you want definitive answers about your specific situation, you'll need to speak with SSA directly.

When I tried calling SSA about my benefits I kept getting disconnected too! SOOOO FRUSTRATING!!! I finally used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got through to an agent in 15 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Seriously saved my sanity because I needed answers about my survivor benefits calculation and couldn't get through any other way.

The WEP is such a SCAM!!! I worked for 30 years, paid into SS for 22 years, then 8 years teaching and now they steal $400 from me every month!!!! They're robbing us blind while Congress does NOTHING!!!! They've been "about to pass" this Fairness Act for YEARS and nothing ever happens. Don't hold your breath waiting for them to fix anything!

i think i heard somewhere that if you have 30+ years of substantial earnings under social security the WEP reduction goes away or gets smaller? maybe check if that helps your situation?

Dealing with international benefits is SO complicated! When my uncle retired with pensions from both US and Germany, it took him almost 8 months to get everything sorted out. Have you checked the US-UK totalization agreement details? Sometimes there are specific provisions for different countries.

One important point for everyone following this discussion - while the Social Security Fairness Act would eliminate WEP/GPO for domestic public employees, international pension issues are typically governed by bilateral Social Security agreements (totalization agreements). These agreements are negotiated country-by-country and have their own unique provisions. If you have work history in multiple countries, it's essential to understand both the general WEP rules and the specific provisions of any applicable totalization agreement. These agreements help determine: 1. Whether you can combine work credits from both countries to qualify for benefits 2. How benefits are calculated when you have split work histories 3. Which country's benefits you're eligible to receive The US-UK agreement helps prevent double taxation and allows for totalizing credits, but it doesn't completely eliminate WEP reductions.