Q. I am employed by the Postal Service and covered by CSRS. I turned 66 this past spring and applied for and now receiving Social Security benefit checks. I applied at my local office and was told that as long as I keep working, I am not subject to WEP but when I retire, it will kick in and I must inform them. Is this true? A. Yes
Browsing: WEP
Q: I am a FERS TRANSFER and I will be retiring with 30 years with CSRS and 13 years with FERS. If my husband’s SSI spousal portion is higher than my full SSI, can I take the full spousal portion or is it subject to windfall elimination provision, too? A: Because you will be receiving an annuity — in whole or part — from a retirement system where you didn’t pay Social Security taxes (CSRS), any spousal Social Security benefit to which you would otherwise be entitled would be affected by the government pension offset provision of law. The GPO…
Q: My husband is 66 and has been collecting Social Security since he was 65. He is at the maximum level of Social Security (apart from the early withdrawal reduction) having been at the maximum earnings level for most of his working life. I am 66 and am not collecting Social Security. I am employed part time and earn less than “substantial earnings” as defined by the windfall elimination provision rules but enough to get credit for Social Security benefits. I have about 18 years of substantial earnings and do not expect to have 20 years or more of substantial…
Q: My mother started with the U.S. Postal Service in 1974. Due to health issues, she retired on disability (not based on age or years of service) with her annuity commencing in September 1992. Her husband died in March and was receiving Social Security. When she applied for survivor benefits, it took almost three months for the Office of Personnel Managment to get back to Social Security and we were told even at that point they did not provide the information originally requested. Social Security made the decision that the survivor benefits fell under the windfall elimination provision. We are…
Q: I will retire at the end of this year with 33 years’ service in the Civil Service Retirement System. I will be 58 years old. I have 10 quarters of Social Security credits I earned before working for the federal government. Under a new law effective Jan. 1, 2010, federal employees can be re-employed after retirement on a part-time basis without the earnings affecting their retirement annuity. Am I assuming correctly that the part-time earnings I receive count toward Social Security? Is there an effect on the windfall elimination provision? A: You would be covered by Social Security during…
Q: My husband recently turned 62 and applied for Social Security benefits. He is a previous Civil Service Retirement System employee, so we know that his Social Security benefit will be reduced. The problem is that he was previously married and must pay his ex-spouse a large portion of his CSRS retirement. Yet when his retirement income from CSRS was taken into account in order to offset his benefits, the Social Security Administration used his gross benefit amount and did not subtract the annuity for his former spouse. This reduced his benefits by a large portion. Why is it that…
Q: My spouse is a civil service employee and is planning to retire within the next eight months. He is 64 years old and will be 65 in March. He could have retired at age 55 but did not because of personal reasons. His health is beginning to fail him now, and he cannot continue to work in his current capacity. He worked more than 10 years at other companies before joining the civil service. He can receive full retirement benefits from the Civil Service Retirement System, but he is also eligible for a very small Social Security check, they…
Q: I served in the Air Force from 1971 to 1977. In 1977, I joined the Air National Guard. I retired from the ANG in 1991 with 20 years of service, including the six active-duty years. In 1977, I also got a job with the federal government as a civilian employee under the Civil Service Retirement System. In 1986, I payed back my six years of active-duty military time to receive credit for them under CSRS. I am planning to retire in 2011 from the federal government with 40 years of creditable service in CSRS, including the six years bought…
Q: I received a federal disability pension in 1991. I retrained and was able to work until 2004, when the same condition worsened. I applied for Social Security disability benefits and received them beginning in 2008. I just received a notice that the federal civil service disability pension is considered a windfall. A calculation will be made with the windfall rule to reduce my Social Security disability. Is this discrimination against the disabled? Is there a way I can fight or protest this situation? A: Apparently you are subject to the windfall elimination provision, which applies to the Social Security…
Q: I will be retiring in January with 31 years of federal service. I also have more than 40 quarters to qualify for Social Security. My wife will be applying for Social Security benefits when she turns 62 this January. When we retire, will she be able to collect her full Social Security benefit, and will I be able to collect my share of Social Security under the windfall elimination provision? A: She will be able to collect her full earned Social Security benefit. When you apply for a Social Security benefit, it will, as you pointed out, be subject…