Q. I have worked for the U.S. Postal Service for 43 years. I retired in 2011 with a CSRS pension. Prior to USPS, and afterwards, I worked under Social Security. I believe I have the required 40 quarters. Will the Windfall Elimination Program affect my getting Social Security and how will it affect my pension? A. While the Windfall Elimination Provision will have no affect on your CSRS annuity, your Social Security benefit will be affected by it. The WEP reduces the Social Security benefit of anyone who is receiving an annuity from a retirement system – like CSRS –…
Browsing: Windfall elimination provision
Q. What are the chances of the windfall elimination provision being eliminated? A. Not very good. Here’s why: Before the law was changed in 1983, employees who worked in jobs not covered by Social Security had their benefits computed as if they were long-term, low-wage workers. As a result, they received the advantage of a higher percentage of Social Security benefits plus their other annuity. The modified formula used to compute the benefits of those who have fewer than 30 years of substantial earnings under Social Security eliminated this windfall.
Q. Does the WEP start when you sign up for Social Security or when you retire from your non-SS job? A. First things first: Unless you have reached your full Social Security retirement age and are still working, any Social Security benefit you are entitled to would be reduced by $1 for every $2 you earn above the Social Security earning limit. In 2019 that limit is $17,640. Full Social Security retirement ages range from 65 to 67, depending on your year of birth. After you retire, the windfall elimination provision would apply. The amount of Social Security benefit you’d…
Q. I have worked for the government in two different agencies. I worked for the U.S. Postal Service for 12 years under CSRS, which was followed by time in the U.S. Department of Commerce for the remainder. This includes four years of military service. There was a break of more than a year between the two. I was classified as being Offset CSRS in the Department of Commerce, but I have always paid into Social Security both in the Postal Service and Commerce. Shouldn’t I be exempt from WEP? A. Because you had a period of service under CSRS –…
Q. I am a federal employee with 42 years of CSRS service. Will I be afforded the opportunity to receive Social Security benefits when I reach the age of 65? A. You would only be entitled to a Social Security benefit if you had worked outside the government and earned at least 40 Social Security credits. However, because you worked under CSRS – a retirement system where Social Security taxes weren’t deducted from your wages – you’d be subject to the windfall elimination provision of law. The WEP would reduce that benefit unless you had at least 30 years of…
Q. I am eligible to retire under CSRS with what is currently 37 years of service (SCD JUL 1982). I am still working and plan to for a couple of more years. However, I became eligible for full Social Security January 2019, for work employed outside of CSRS. Would my CSRS pension (when I retire) be reduced by this amount if I were to sign up for it or is it the Social Security amount that will be reduced or eliminated? A. If you have reached the age when you are eligible for a full Social Security benefit (between 65…
Q. I paid 33 quarters into Social Security before retiring from my government job at the age of 55. I worked after to pay my 40 quarters needed to collect Social Security and I was still penalized over 70 percent of my monthly check and was told that had I paid my 40 quarters first before working for the government, that I would receive the full amount. I am very disappointed and feel my government owes myself and thousands of others a lot of back pay.
Q. I retired at age 64 with 41 years and nine months. I had over 2,457 hours of sick leave. I also had two years military. At the time of retirement I did not qualify for Social Security. I am now 70 1/2 and work a part-time job. I now qualify for Social Security. Due to sick leave saved I get 82 1/2 percent of my high-3. Will applying for Social Security in any way affect my annuity?
Q. As a CSRS employee I chose to reduce my pension in order that my wife could get a spousal benefit pension when I die. She worked many years in the private sector, and her Social Security pension benefit is about $10,000 a year. Now my question: At my death, would the windfall elimination provision be applied to her spousal federal pension and reduce her Social Security pension benefit?
Q. I retired in 2006. Now in 2018 have worked enough time to get a Social Security check. Can I apply for it without penalizing my U.S. Postal Service retirement annuity?