Q. Can explain why the windfall elimination provision applies to a current U.S. resident alien for a period when he was neither resident in the U.S. nor working for a U.S. company overseas.
A. According to the Social Security Administration, “If you work for an employer who does not withhold Social Security taxes from your salary, such as a government agency or an employer in another country, any pension you get based on that work may reduce your Social Security benefit.” For more information about the windfall elimination provision, go to http://ssa.gov/pubs/10045.pdf.