Will my government pension reduce my SS benefits? WEP confusion at FRA

Yes, you'll still be eligible for Social Security benefits even with a government pension, but the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) will likely reduce your benefit amount. The WEP affects people who receive pensions from jobs where they didn't pay Social Security taxes (like many state and local government positions) but also qualify for Social Security from other work. How much it reduces depends on your years of "substantial earnings" in jobs covered by Social Security. If you have 30+ years of substantial earnings, there's no reduction. With fewer years, the reduction can be significant but is capped at a certain amount. Since you worked 18 years in covered employment, you'll see a reduction, but you'll definitely still receive something. You should create an account on ssa.gov and request a WEP-adjusted benefit calculation.

My situation is similar to yours! I get a fire department pension and SS. Let me tell u, WEP is a total ripoff! I lost almost half my SS benefit even tho I paid in just like everyone else. The govt is basically stealing your money. My brother in law didn't have a govt pension and got way more than me even though we had similar earnings. Total scam if u ask me!

The WEP calculation is actually quite specific. For 2025, if you have less than 20 years of substantial earnings, your Social Security PIA (Primary Insurance Amount) could be reduced by up to $593 per month. With 18 years of substantial earnings, you'd be looking at a reduction factor of about 80%. For 2025, "substantial earnings" means you earned at least $31,725 in each of those years (the threshold is adjusted yearly). You can use the SSA's WEP calculator here: https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/anyPiaWepjs04.html The years do NOT need to be consecutive - it's the total number that matters. Make sure you're also aware of the Government Pension Offset (GPO) if you might be eligible for spousal or survivor benefits.

You might want to check if your state is one of the 15 states where teachers don't pay into Social Security. If you paid SS taxes while teaching, WEP might not apply to you at all! Worth checking your old pay stubs or W-2s to see if SS taxes were deducted.

I went through this exact situation last year! I had a NY state pension and applied for SS at 67. The WEP reduced my benefit by about $450/month from what was on my SS statement. Here's what I learned - call Social Security directly and ask for a WEP calculation BEFORE you apply. I tried for WEEKS to get through to someone who could help me. I finally discovered Claimyr (claimyr.com) which got me connected to a real SSA agent in under 5 minutes. Totally worth it after wasting hours with busy signals and disconnects. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU The agent was able to look at my specific situation and give me the exact WEP calculation so I wasn't surprised when I applied. Definitely get this info before you file!

My mom went through something similar with her teacher's pension from Ohio. From what I remember helping her, the reduction was something like 40% of what she would have gotten otherwise. But there's a maximum reduction they can apply - they can't take away your entire benefit. Also, the number of years with "substantial earnings" really matters. Each year above 20 reduces the penalty. She had 22 years I think, which helped a bit.

i think ur talking about the windfall thing. my uncle had same issue with his police pension and his SS was cut by like half!! totaly unfair sytem they cut ur benefits even tho u worked and earned them

One more important point - when you apply, make sure you tell SSA about your pension right away. If you don't and they find out later (which they will), they'll determine you've been overpaid and demand the money back, sometimes years later with interest. Also, if your government employer was a state that made a Section 218 Agreement with SSA (allowing government employees to be covered by Social Security), then WEP might not apply. Worth checking if California had such an agreement for teachers during your employment years.