Will my federal employee husband get spousal benefits from my Social Security at 70 with GPO impacts?
Hi everyone, I'm in a bit of a complicated situation with Social Security and government pensions. My husband has worked for the USPS for 31 years and will get a FERS pension when he retires next year. He only worked in the private sector for about 5 years early in his career, so he doesn't have the 40 credits needed for his own Social Security benefits. Meanwhile, I've worked in the private sector my whole life and I'm planning to delay claiming my Social Security retirement benefits until I turn 70 (about 3 years from now) to maximize my monthly amount. I'm trying to figure out two things: 1) Can my husband claim any spousal benefits based on MY Social Security record since he doesn't qualify for his own? 2) If he can get spousal benefits, will that reduce the amount I receive when I claim at 70? I've heard something about a Government Pension Offset (GPO) but I'm confused about how it works in our situation. Anyone dealt with this FERS/Social Security spousal situation before?
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Charlotte White
Yes, your husband can claim spousal benefits based on your record even though he doesn't have enough credits for his own benefit. However, the Government Pension Offset (GPO) will likely reduce what he receives. The GPO typically reduces spousal benefits by 2/3 of his government pension amount. So if his FERS pension is $3,000/month, his Social Security spousal benefit would be reduced by $2,000. The maximum spousal benefit is 50% of your Primary Insurance Amount (your benefit at full retirement age, not your age 70 amount). But don't worry - his collecting spousal benefits won't affect YOUR benefit amount at all. Your benefit will still be the same whether he collects on your record or not.
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Anthony Young
•Thank you for explaining! So if my benefit at full retirement age would have been $2,800 (before the increase for waiting until 70), then his maximum spousal benefit would be $1,400 before any GPO reduction? And I'm relieved to hear it won't impact my payment amount.
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Admin_Masters
my wife was a teacher for 30 years with a pension and we ran into this gpo thing too. it basically wiped out all her spousal benefits from my record. the 2/3 reduction is brutal!! check out the ssa calculator on there website to get the exact numbers for ur situation
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Anthony Young
•Oh no, that's disappointing to hear! Was your wife's pension from a state that didn't participate in Social Security? I've heard the GPO hits those pensions harder. My husband's FERS pension has had Social Security taxes taken out, so I'm hoping that makes a difference?
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Matthew Sanchez
There's a critical distinction you need to understand for your husband's situation. Since he worked under FERS (Federal Employees Retirement System), not the older CSRS (Civil Service Retirement System), his situation is different than many government employees. FERS employees pay into Social Security, unlike CSRS employees. This means: 1. The GPO (Government Pension Offset) typically doesn't apply to FERS employees because they've paid SS taxes on those earnings 2. However, if he only has 5 years in covered employment, he may face the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) if he somehow gets those 40 credits 3. As a FERS employee with less than 40 credits, he should be eligible for spousal benefits on your record without GPO reduction 4. When you file at 70, he can receive up to 50% of your PIA (Primary Insurance Amount), which is what you'd get at your FRA, not your age-70 increased amount Double-check this with SSA directly as your specific numbers matter, but FERS pensions generally don't trigger GPO for spousal benefits.
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Anthony Young
•This is incredibly helpful information! You're right - he is under FERS, not CSRS. I was getting confused between the two provisions (GPO and WEP). So if I understand correctly, since he's under FERS and paid SS taxes, he should be able to get the full spousal benefit (50% of my PIA) without the GPO reduction? That would be such a relief!
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Ella Thompson
Wait I thought ALL government pensions reduce spousal benefits!!! My brother-in-law lost ALL his spousal SS when he got his fire department pension. They took EVERYTHING with that stupid 2/3 rule. The whole system is designed to PUNISH government workers!!
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Matthew Sanchez
•It depends on whether the government employment paid into Social Security or not. Many state/local pensions (like firefighters, teachers, some police) didn't pay into Social Security, so those are subject to GPO. But federal FERS employees DO pay into Social Security, which is why they're generally not subject to GPO for spousal benefits. Your brother-in-law was likely in a position that didn't pay SS taxes on those earnings.
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JacksonHarris
I had a similar situation with my wife who worked for the state before retiring. You should call the Social Security Administration directly to get the most accurate information for your specific situation. I spent HOURS trying to get through on their 800 number but kept getting disconnected or told the wait time was over 2 hours. Finally, I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a real SSA agent in about 20 minutes instead of waiting for hours. They have a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. The agent was able to look at our specific records and calculate exactly how much my wife would receive after the pension offset. Getting those exact numbers directly from SSA gave us peace of mind for retirement planning.
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Jeremiah Brown
•did that claimyr thing actually work? ive been trying to reach someone at ssa for weeks!!
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JacksonHarris
•Yes, it worked really well. I was skeptical too, but after being on hold for 3+ hours the day before and getting disconnected, I was desperate. Got through to an actual agent in under 25 minutes. They knew exactly how to calculate the pension offset amounts for our situation.
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Royal_GM_Mark
Your situation sounds complicated but I think most people are overthinking this. The simplest thing is just fill out the application for spousal benefits when you turn 70 and start collecting. SSA will figure out all the calculations and tell your husband what he qualifies for. I went thru something similar with my husbands federal job and we just applied and let them sort it out. What's the worst that can happen, they say no?
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Charlotte White
•While it's true SSA will make the final determination, it's always better to understand what you're likely eligible for in advance. Retirement planning requires knowing approximate benefit amounts, and SSA has been known to make errors. Understanding the rules helps ensure you receive all benefits you're entitled to.
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Jeremiah Brown
omg i'm so confused by all this pension offset stuff too!! my husband worked for the county for 20 yrs and i worked retail my whole life and we still dont know what were getting when we retire next year. all these rules make my head spin!!!!
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Anthony Young
•I know, right? It's so confusing with all the different rules and exceptions! I think I'm getting a better handle on our situation now, but it took a lot of research. Hope you figure yours out too!
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Matthew Sanchez
One additional important point: Your husband will only be able to collect spousal benefits when YOU file for your retirement benefits. Since you're planning to wait until 70, he won't be able to receive spousal benefits until then, even if he's already retired from his federal job. There used to be a strategy called "file and suspend" that would have allowed him to collect while you delayed, but that option was eliminated in 2015 with the Bipartisan Budget Act. So factor that timing into your retirement plans.
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Anthony Young
•That's a really important point I hadn't considered. He's retiring at 62 next year, but I won't be 70 for another 3 years after that. So there will be a gap where he'll have his FERS pension but no Social Security spousal benefits. We'll need to budget accordingly. Thanks for pointing this out!
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