Will part-time work now increase my WEP-reduced Social Security benefits after teaching career?

Yes, the money you're earning now CAN help your benefit amount even with the WEP reduction. Social Security uses your highest 35 years of indexed earnings to calculate your benefit. If you have zeros in your record and your current earnings exceed any of those zeros (after indexing), they will replace them in the calculation. You should create an account at my.ssa.gov if you haven't already. You can view your complete earnings history and see which years have zeros. Keep in mind that recent earnings replace the lowest years, not specifically the zero years. The WEP reduction is still going to apply because of your teacher's pension, but improving your earnings record can still help mitigate some of that reduction. Over time, if you get 30+ years of "substantial earnings" in Social Security-covered employment, the WEP penalty can also be reduced.

im in almost the same situation!! retired teacher here with 22 years no ss taxes. but i thought once your benefits started they dont recalculate?? my brother in law told me this and now im confused

Let me add some real numbers to make it clearer for you. Let's say your highest 35 years of indexed earnings average out to $30,000 per year, but that includes 10 zeros. If you replace one zero year with $15,000 in earnings, your average would increase to about $30,429. That might increase your monthly benefit by $15-25. Since you mentioned WEP, it gets a bit more complicated. WEP reduces your benefits based on something called the "primary insurance amount" (PIA). The maximum WEP reduction in 2025 is $618 per month, but this gets reduced if you have more than 20 years of "substantial earnings" under Social Security. Each additional year of substantial earnings (about $30,075 for 2025) reduces the WEP penalty. If you manage to get 30+ years of substantial earnings, the WEP penalty goes away completely. So your current part-time work might help a little by replacing zeros, but might help A LOT if it pushes you over the substantial earnings threshold for the year and gives you another year toward reducing that WEP penalty.

This whole WEP thing is GARBAGE!!! I worked my butt off for 15 years paying into SS before becoming a teacher. Now they cut my SS benefit by almost 40% because of my pension. It's legalized THEFT of our benefits. I think everyone affected by WEP should join a class action lawsuit. The government is punishing us for choosing to teach!

I've been dealing with the same issue for years. Getting someone on the phone at SSA to explain it clearly is impossible. Last time I tried calling, I waited on hold for 3+ hours and then got disconnected. Then tried for TWO WEEKS calling every morning when they opened. It's ridiculous!

To directly answer your question: The earnings you're generating now will only increase your benefit if: 1. They're higher than your lowest indexed earnings year currently being used in your calculation (likely yes if replacing a zero) 2. The recalculation results in a benefit increase of at least $1 (they round down to the nearest dollar) It's important to understand that the actual increase might be small. For example, if you're earning $15,000 this year and it replaces a zero in your calculation, your benefit might increase by just $10-20 per month. This is because the earnings are averaged over 35 years, and the benefit formula is weighted. However, keep working as long as it's not a hardship for you. Those small increases can add up over time, especially if you live a long life. Plus, there's always the chance that Congress could modify or eliminate WEP in the future, which would make those earnings even more valuable.

Social Security automatically recalculates your benefit each year after your employer reports your earnings (typically after you file taxes). If your earnings increase your benefit, they'll make the adjustment and send you a notice. The increase would be effective January of the year following the work. However, there can sometimes be delays in this process. If you believe you should have received an increase based on recent earnings and haven't seen it after filing taxes for that year, it might be worth contacting SSA. Also, regarding your earlier question about trying to reach the substantial earnings threshold to reduce WEP: If you're able to work more without affecting your quality of life, it could be worthwhile. Each year of substantial earnings above 20 reduces your WEP penalty by 5%. So if you're currently at, say, 22 years of substantial earnings, getting to 25 would reduce your WEP penalty by an additional 15%.