Q. I worked for 35 years with the Postal Service. I am 64 years old. My 40 quarters are fully paid up from work prior to the USPS job and being a military reservist and active duty. I understand the reduction that the windfall elimination provision and government pension offset takes. After my federal retirement, however, I have continued working. I have not applied for Social Security yet. I still work, landing a job at a military base as a New York state employee. So I have now been making “substantial” payments into Social Security ($100 per pay period). I am in my 12th year with New York state. I have been receiving Social Security statements these past 12 years, and every year, my “estimated” Social Security payment has increased, from $368 to the current $1,000 per month. Is this Social Security “estimated payout” including the WEP and GPO legislative thievery? I have paid thousands into Social Security but am very concerned that I will never get back what I have paid into it.
A. The figure you receive from the Social Security Administration each year doesn’t reflect any reduction that would occur because you are receiving an annuity from CSRS, a retirement system in which you didn’t pay Social Security taxes. While your own Social Security benefit would be subject to the WEP, you would only be subject to the GPO if you were entitled to a spousal Social Security benefit based on your wife’s earned Social Security benefit.
P.S. To find out why these Social Security provisions aren’t “thievery,” go to http://ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10007.pdf and http://ssa.gov/pubs/EN-o5-10045.pdf.
