Will we keep both SS benefits with my pension? Confused about spousal vs. retirement benefits

Yes, you can both receive your own Social Security benefits simultaneously, plus your pension. However, there are two important considerations you need to understand: 1. The Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) might reduce YOUR Social Security benefit because you receive a pension from work where you didn't pay Social Security taxes (assuming your teaching job didn't pay into SS). 2. The Government Pension Offset (GPO) could reduce any spousal or survivor benefits you might qualify for by two-thirds of your government pension amount. So while you both get your own earned benefits, yours might be reduced due to WEP. And if your husband passes away, any survivor benefits you'd normally receive could be reduced by GPO. I recommend creating a my Social Security account at ssa.gov to see your personalized estimates with these provisions factored in.

theres some bad info going around about this. i thought i wud lose ALL my ss when my wife got her pension but that was wrong!!! u BOTH get ur own ss benefits that u earned. the pension doesnt cancel that out at all. but ask them about that windmill thing the other person mentioned, think thats only if YOUR the one with the pension

I went through almost this exact situation with my wife two years ago. Here's exactly what happens: you'll each receive your own Social Security retirement benefits. Having a pension does NOT stop you from receiving your earned Social Security, but the WEP formula will likely reduce your SS benefit somewhat. Based on the numbers you provided, you'll receive: - Your pension: $2,500/month - Your reduced SS benefit: Probably around $1,400-1,700/month after WEP reduction (depends on years of substantial earnings) - Your husband's SS: $2,125/month (reduced if he takes it before his FRA) That's a total household income of approximately $6,000-6,300/month before considering the reduction for filing early at 62. If you're struggling to get clear information from SSA, I found that using Claimyr (claimyr.com) was incredibly helpful for getting through to an actual person at Social Security who could explain my specific situation. Their video shows exactly how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU

The previous responses are correct, but I want to clarify one important detail about the GPO (Government Pension Offset). This only affects spousal or survivor benefits. Since you're claiming your own retirement benefit, not a spousal benefit, GPO won't affect your current claiming strategy. However, it could become relevant in the future. If your husband passes away, survivor benefits would normally entitle you to 100% of his benefit amount. But with GPO, this survivor benefit would be reduced by 2/3 of your pension amount. In your case: - 2/3 of $2,500 pension = $1,667 reduction - Your husband's benefit = $2,125 - $2,125 - $1,667 = $458 potential survivor benefit Since this is less than your own benefit (even after WEP), you'd just continue receiving your own. Also remember that taking benefits at 62 means a permanent 30% reduction compared to your Full Retirement Age amount.

wait i'm confused does this mean the wife loses some social security because of her pension or not??

I went through EXACTLY this with my wife. The SSA representatives gave us incorrect information TWICE about how WEP and GPO would affect us! I spent HOURS on hold trying to get straight answers. The pension will reduce YOUR SS benefit through WEP, but you'll still get some of it. Your husband keeps ALL of his SS benefit. BUT - and this is important - they won't automatically apply these reductions when you apply! YOU have to tell them about your pension or they might give you full benefits at first, then come back years later demanding thousands in overpayments. This happened to my sister-in-law and it was a NIGHTMARE. SSA's systems don't automatically know about your pension until tax records catch up 1-2 years later. Then they'll discover the overpayment and demand repayment WITH INTEREST in some cases!

i remember my neighbor got both checks AND his wife got both checks to. but they didnt have pensions so maybe thats the difference?? my brother said somethin about the first 3 years of taking ss early is when you lose the most money but i dont know if thats true

When I was figuring all this out last year, I found a calculator on the SSA website that helps estimate WEP reductions. It's complicated though! Definitely recommend talking to an actual person at SSA before making decisions. And yes, you each get your own Social Security benefit (though yours may be reduced by WEP). This is separate from spousal benefits, which is a whole different thing that comes into play if your own benefit would be less than half of your spouse's.