Q. On Oct. 1, 2014, I will have reached my MRA with 32 years and 11 months of total service credit, of which 27 years and two months are under FERS, the rest under CSRS. I am subject to Windfall Elimination Provision. To avoid WEP, I must have 30 years of substantial earnings per the Social Security Administration.
Am I correct in assuming that I must work until approximately Aug. 30, 2017, to attain the 30 years of substantial earnings to avoid WEP? I believe there was one year in the 1970 in which my earnings exceeded the substantial earnings amount on the SS website, so this year should count as well. If so, I might only have to work until Aug. 30, 2016, to avoid WEP. Am I correct?
A. To see if you are correct, I suggest you use the handy calculator provided by the Social Security Administration at www.ssa.gov/retire2/anyPiaWepjs04.htm.
