Q. My wife retired from the USPS in 2003 under CSRS. Upon my death, will she receive the full Social Security survivor amount, or will that amount potentially reduce her USPS pension? Also will any retirement benefits from my private company plan affect her retirement pension? A. Because she is receiving an annuity from a retirement system where she didn’t pay Social Security taxes, any Social Security survivor benefit to which she is entitled would be affected by the government pension offset provision of law. The GPO would reduce that Social Security survivor benefit by $2 for every $3 she…
Browsing: Government pension offset
Q. My husband retired from the federal government in 2004 at age 55 with 33 years of service under CSRS. He passed away in 2007 and I started receiving his pension survivor benefits. He did not pay into Social Security long enough to receive those benefits. I am now 62 and applied for Social Security on my earnings since I do have enough quarters. Since I am receiving his federal government pension survivor benefits under CSRS, am I entitled to receive my own Social Security benefits since I had enough credits? My Social Security benefit amount is $277 per month.…
Q. I am married, and I have retired from the Postal Service with 35 years of service under CSRS. I have 33 credits of Social Security. If I go back to work and earn seven more credits for SS, will I be able to collect SS when I reach my full retirement age of 66? And does my wife’s SS come into play anyway? A. If you earn 40 credits, you’ll be eligible for a Social Security benefit; however, because you are receiving an annuity from a retirement system where you didn’t pay Social Security taxes, that benefit will be…
Q. I have been a retired NSA employee since 2000 and have a CSRS annuity paid to me monthly. My husband, age 62, and is now collecting Social Security. I also have enough quarters of private-sector employment to permit me to collect Social Security. Am I eligible to collect spousal Social Security monthly? A. Because you are receiving an annuity from CSRS, a retirement system where you didn’t pay Social Security taxes, any Social Security spousal benefit to which you are entitled will be affected by the government pension offset provision of law. The GPO will reduce that benefit by $2 for…
Q. I will turn 62 in September. My husband is drawing $2,000 a month in Social Security. I have retired from the Postal Service with a monthly pension of $1,803. Can I draw off his Social Security, as well as my pension? I was a CSRS employee, but I also have 40 credits, which will enable me to draw a small amount of Social Security on my own. Can I defer my Social Security and draw on his at 62? A. While you will be entitled to a spousal Social Security benefit, that benefit will be affected by the government…
Q. I retired under CSRS after 31 years. My gross CSRS annuity is about $3,580 a month. I’ve worked for 15 years in the private sector. I now get about $800 a month from Social Security, and my wife gets about $700/month before deducting for Medicare. Would either of us qualify for spousal benefits from Social Security? A. Because you are receiving an annuity from CSRS, a retirement system where you didn’t pay Social Security taxes, any Social Security spousal benefit to which you’d be entitled would be affected by the government pension offset. The GPO would reduce that benefit…
Q. My husband and I are both 61 and considering retiring next year. I’m a CSRS Offset employee with approximately 32 years of service (complicated by a break in service for which I withdrew my retirement and never repaid it). My husband worked 41 years for the railroad. If I die, and he gets a survivor annuity, will it be subject to the windfall provisions of a reduced benefit of $2 for every $3 because he never paid into Social Security? If so, would it be better for me to take my full annuity and not have it reduced for…
Q. I am a CSRS retiree. I need four quarters to be able to collect Social Security when I reach 62. Is it beneficial to me not to get those quarters and apply for my husband’s Social Security when I am eligible? He max outs his contributions every year. A. If you get the additional credits needed to receive a Social Security benefit, that benefit would be affected by the windfall elimination provision. The WEP reduces but doesn’t eliminate the Social Security benefit of anyone who receives an annuity from a retirement system where he didn’t pay Social Security taxes.…
Q. I’m retired from the federal government under CSRS, receiving my retirement, but my husband passed away and Social Security tells me I cannot receive his benefits. He put into Social Security for 40 years, yet I’m not entitled to his benefits? Please advise me if I can collect. A. Because you are receiving an annuity from CSRS, a retirement system in which you didn’t pay Social Security taxes, your spousal Social Security survivor benefit is subject to the government pension offset provision of law. The GPO reduces that benefit by $2 for every $3 you receive in your CSRS annuity.…
Q. I am covered under CSRS as a court reporter in the federal court. I have also paid more than the minimum Social Security taxes on my transcripts earnings over my entire career of 37 years and thus am not subject to offset. When I retire, I will elect to have my spouse receive the maximum 55 percent of my CSRS pension if I predecease her. 1) Is the survivor annuity premium still deducted from her benefit upon my death? Is her 55 percent benefit calculated upon my entire CSRS pension amount, or is the survivor annuity amount first deducted? 2) Since she…