Q: I working for the federal government in September 2010 at the GS 13 level after ending a 30-year career in state government in which I paid no Social Security taxes. I have accumulated approximately 30 quarters of Social Security credits over the years. Most of these credits were earned at low-paying jobs during my high school and college years. Will I be eligible for any Social Security benefit after I reach 40 quarters of credit? Do the provisions of both the GPO and WEP apply to my circumstances? A: Because you are a FERS-covered employee, Social Security taxes are…
Browsing: WEP
Q: I was a CSRS employee and I retired from the federal government in 1994 under the 10 percent reduction by President Clinton. I have been working in the private sector from 1995 to 2011. Can I connect Social Security from 1995 till 2011 if I am 65? A: Because you are receiving an annuity from CSRS, a retirement system where you didn’t pay Social Security taxes, your Social Security benefit will be affected by the windfall elimination provision. The WEP reduces the Social Security benefit of anyone who has fewer than 30 years of substantial earnings under Social Security.
Q: I elected to receive federal workers’ compensation payments in lieu of my federal annuity; I know I cannot receive both, and the workers’ compensation is a higher amount. I have also been receiving Social Security payments. Now the Social Security Administration has informed me that they’ve overpaid me more than $9,000 because, they say, the windfall elimination provision is triggered by my eligibility to receive the federal pension, whether I actually receive it or not. Information on the Social Security Administration website is ambiguous. In at least one place, they say the WEP applies if one “gets” a federal…
Q: I will retire as a CSRS-Offset participant in December of 2011 with 34 years of federal service and 30 years and six months of “substantial earnings” of Social Security credit. Will I be affected by the WEP? A: No. Although the windfall elimination would apply to you because you’ll be receiving an annuity in part from a retirement system where you didn’t pay Social Security taxes (CSRS, not CSRS Offset), the fact that you have at least 30 years of substantial earnings under Social Security will mean that there won’t be any reduction in your Social Security benefit. But…
Q: I am receiving a CSRS annuity and Social Security. The social security was reduced by WEP. I am now eligible for a supplemental annuity because I worked as a re-employed annuitant for over three years. I will need to pay the deposit in order to get the supplemental annuity. Will the supplemental annuity further reduce my Social Security? If yes, how can I calculate the reduction? I need to know if it will pay me to accept the supplemental annuity. A: No, it will not further reduce your Social Security benefit. That benefit is based solely on your years…
Q: I am currently receiving military retirement pay for service with the U.S. Navy from 1960 to 1980. I began drawing my full Social Security pay at 65 years and 10 months. I began working under CSRS in 1980 and am planning on retiring in 2013 or 2014. My question: Since all of my time for my Social Security was from my military service and not CSRS service, will I be under either the GPO or WEP provisions when I do retire from CSRS? Can I receive all three of my retirements without any penalties of GPO or WEP? A:…
Q: I was hired and worked for the DoD for about 30 years. I’m currently collecting retirement under the CSRS system, however I have slightly more than 40 quarters paying into Social Security. I worked prior to my stint in the government. I keep receiving notices I’m about to receive $691 in my annual SS letters. I know very well I will not receive much money from them but I wonder if the Windfall Elimination Provision applies or the Government Pension Offset applies to my situation. I think I might receive some money. I was born in February, 1946. A: You…
Q: When I started receiving Social Security retirement, my Social Security employment history was just under 30 years and so a modest WEP was applied to my benefits. Early the next year, with my 30th year W2 in hand, I was able to have my Social Security benefits recalculated to an amount absent the WEP. I also have a modest CSRS pension from about 11.5 years of service. When I reached age 62, but before I began taking Social Security benefits, a CSRS offset was applied, as I understand is a requirement of law. However, now that it can be…
Q: I recently went into the Social Security office and was given three different answers by three different people regarding offsets and the windfall elimination provision. I received an increase in my Social Security monthly payment for 2011 based on my 2009 earnings. In 2009, I made more then the minimum and qualified for another year (26 years now) toward my 30-year full exemption from the offset and windfall, so should Social Security also have given me an additional 5 percent because I now have one more year of substantial earnings toward my 30-year exemption? I was told by the…
Q. I had 40 quarters paid into Social Security before I went to work with the Veterans Affairs Department. I have retired with 30 years’ service with the VA. Why do I have my Social Security reduced by the windfall if I had 40 quarters already paid before federal employment? A. It’s not a question of when you earned enough credits to be eligible for a Social Security benefit, only if you did. The law is clear. If you receive an annuity — in whole or part — from a retirement system where you didn’t pay Social Security taxes, any Social Security…