Elimination of the WEP and GPO on SS benefits?

[spartana]

So I've been news free a few days and just heard the Senate (?) passed a bill to eliminate the WEP and GPO which reduces a person's SS benefit they earned from one job(s) where they paid into SS if they have a public pension with another job(s) where they paid into the pension instead of SS. I'm in this boat and so am curious if it DID pass and when will it be enacted. Anyone know?

This is similar to what will be my situation as well as many Fed's and state employees here:


"This impact of the WEP is explained using the following example for someone turning 62 in 2024 who has more than 40 credits but less than 20 years of substantial Social Security covered earnings. The WEP can reduce their Social Security retirement benefit by as much as $587/month if they wait until age 67 to file for their benefit." 

"The Senate has cleared the path to a final vote on the Social Security Fairness Act. The Senate voted Wednesday evening 73-27 to limit debate on the bill to repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset. The Senate’s vote tees up the bill for a quicker floor vote in the coming days. If enacted, the legislation would repeal WEP and GPO, two provisions of Social Security that reduce or sometimes eliminate benefits for certain public servants, as well as their surviving spouses. The House previously passed the bill in November. The Senate is expected to vote on the bill by the end of the week.
(Social Security Fairness Act - U.S. Senate)"

[lucenzo11]

It passed the house in November, and just passed a final vote in senate less than an hour ago. It goes to Biden's desk to sign which is almost a guarantee.

Per the text of the bill and it's effective date: "The amendments made by this Act shall apply with respect to monthly insurance benefits payable under title II of the Social Security Act for months after December 2023".

Not sure if that December 2023 date is still valid, it may have been amended considering that this date was likely based on when it was originally introduced at the beginning of last year.

[Cassie]

People will get a year of back pay because of when the bill was introduced. I have been watching it for the past month and the last few days have been stressful. I’m thrilled as this will greatly improve my life. Right now I only receive 40% of my social security.

[spartana]

I guess I missed this as had no idea it was in the works. I worked about 12 years (not counting my teenage jobs) paying into SS and 10 paying into a public safety Gov pension and had always assumed I'd get my full earned benefit on both - both of which would be small as low iincome earner who Fired young . But someone here on the MMM forum mentioned the WEP and I had never heard of it before. After googling it I was surprised that whenever I decided to start collecting SS it would be cut by so much.  So Im happy to see it repealed. More hooker and blow money for future me ;-).

[Catbert]

Ugh.  This is such a bad idea.  I say that as a retired government employee who never paid into SS but has a spouse who currently collects.  I'll make money on the deal, but the change will just accelerate when the SS trust fund runs short of money.  I'm not generally a conspiracy theorist, but this smells of a conspiracy to blow up SS.

[mistymoney]

People will get a year of back pay because of when the bill was introduced. I have been watching it for the past month and the last few days have been stressful. I’m thrilled as this will greatly improve my life. Right now I only receive 40% of my social security.

That's awesome! hope it comes through for you!

[mistymoney]

Ugh.  This is such a bad idea.  I say that as a retired government employee who never paid into SS but has a spouse who currently collects.  I'll make money on the deal, but the change will just accelerate when the SS trust fund runs short of money.  I'm not generally a conspiracy theorist, but this smells of a conspiracy to blow up SS.

does it affect congress people getting soc sec?

[sonofsven]

Ugh.  This is such a bad idea.  I say that as a retired government employee who never paid into SS but has a spouse who currently collects.  I'll make money on the deal, but the change will just accelerate when the SS trust fund runs short of money.  I'm not generally a conspiracy theorist, but this smells of a conspiracy to blow up SS.

Agreed, it's going to add 190 billion in costs. So unless Congress makes other changes it will drain the available benefits even faster.
The problem with the way the bill is written is in the replacement rate of what is paid in payroll taxes vs what is paid out in SS benefits.
If your average indexed monthly earnings are $3955 over the thirty five years then your SS check at full retirement age is $1,976, which is a 50% replacement rate.
If your average is $10,000 per month your replacement rate is 35%.
If your average is $1,000 per month your replacement rate is 90%.
In other words, a progressive tax rate, where lower income workers get a higher replacement rate of taxes paid then higher income workers.
Now, the three percent of workers affected by the windfall elimination provision are going to receive a 90% replacement rate on their SS taxes paid as if they were low income workers, even though they had other paying work that they receive a government pension for.
So, are these workers entitled to SS benefits since they paid into the system? Yes, but they shouldn't be entitled to a 90% replacement rate.

From the SS website: " Congress passed the WEP to prevent workers who receive non-covered pensions from receiving higher Social Security benefits as if they were long-time, low wage earners. In 2022 the WEP applied to 3.1% of all beneficiaries (2.01 million beneficiaries out of 65.99 million total beneficiaries)."

[Catbert]

Ugh.  This is such a bad idea.  I say that as a retired government employee who never paid into SS but has a spouse who currently collects.  I'll make money on the deal, but the change will just accelerate when the SS trust fund runs short of money.  I'm not generally a conspiracy theorist, but this smells of a conspiracy to blow up SS.

does it affect congress people getting soc sec?

Nope.  Congress already pays into SS on their full salary and would not be affected by WEP.  WEP generally impacts people who have a career of full-time employment where they do not pay into SS but also works a part-time job that would otherwise entitle them to SS.

[seattlecyclone]

Ugh.  This is such a bad idea.  I say that as a retired government employee who never paid into SS but has a spouse who currently collects.  I'll make money on the deal, but the change will just accelerate when the SS trust fund runs short of money.  I'm not generally a conspiracy theorist, but this smells of a conspiracy to blow up SS.

Agreed, it's going to add 190 billion in costs. So unless Congress makes other changes it will drain the available benefits even faster.

That's $190 billion over 10 years, or $19 billion per year. Meanwhile the government is paying out $1,150 billion per year in social security retirement benefits already. This represents a 1% increase. Not a giant change to the program's expenditures.

Now, I do think it would be good to combine this change with a change to stop exempting certain work from social security taxes in the first place so that this issue would go away over time.

[roomtempmayo]

The current WEP seems like yet another example of W2 money being subject to uniquely disfavorable treatment.

We don't dock SS based on inheritance, sale of a business, sale of a primary home, or pretty much any other way I know of that people get money. 

Given the state of SS, maybe we do want to dock benefits if you get money on the side, but if we're going to do it that way then we should do it for all money, not just wages.

[Cassie]

I split my career between social security and a state that didn’t contribute. So losing 60 percent of my SS has been difficult in retirement. I’m thrilled that this injustice has been reversed and it only affects 3 million people. It will make a huge difference for me. I have read that it mostly helps older women that were teachers and tend to not have a ton of money in retirement.

[spartana]

Ugh.  This is such a bad idea.  I say that as a retired government employee who never paid into SS but has a spouse who currently collects.  I'll make money on the deal, but the change will just accelerate when the SS trust fund runs short of money.  I'm not generally a conspiracy theorist, but this smells of a conspiracy to blow up SS.

does it affect congress people getting soc sec?

Nope.  Congress already pays into SS on their full salary and would not be affected by WEP.  WEP generally impacts people who have a career of full-time employment where they do not pay into SS but also works a part-time job that would otherwise entitle them to SS.

There are a lot of military veterans and others who worked full time (but didn't earn a pension) and played into SS for many years then transitioned to a public sector job where they stopped paying into SS and paid into a public sector pension instead. Two.seperate full time careers, both which paid into a future retirement benefit. So being denied a large % of your earned SS benefit because you changed careers seems unfair to me.  Especially when you may have worked (many)  more years at a job paying into SS then you did at a Gov job. Those who have private sector pensions aren't effected by the WEP and get both.

[Cassie]

The stories I have read online and the ones featured on the evening news were not people that worked part time while having a full time job with a government agency that didn’t pay into social security. Most people were like me and split their careers between an entity that paid into SS and one that didn’t.  In fact I worked at full time jobs that did pay into social longer than my state job. It only shortens SS solvency by 6 months because it affects such a small number of people.

[sonofsven]

Ugh.  This is such a bad idea.  I say that as a retired government employee who never paid into SS but has a spouse who currently collects.  I'll make money on the deal, but the change will just accelerate when the SS trust fund runs short of money.  I'm not generally a conspiracy theorist, but this smells of a conspiracy to blow up SS.

Agreed, it's going to add 190 billion in costs. So unless Congress makes other changes it will drain the available benefits even faster.

That's $190 billion over 10 years, or $19 billion per year. Meanwhile the government is paying out $1,150 billion per year in social security retirement benefits already. This represents a 1% increase. Not a giant change to the program's expenditures.

Now, I do think it would be good to combine this change with a change to stop exempting certain work from social security taxes in the first place so that this issue would go away over time.

Sure, only 19 billion. But that's 19 billion coming out of the existing pool since Congress didn't allocate any more money to SS.
They should have adjusted the WEP payments to reflect the existing bend point replacement rates.
Or, give the rest of us a 90% replacement rate.
Why should the 3% get a higher replacement rate than the rest of us that paid into SS?

[spartana]

^^^maybe someone can explain this to me (@grantmeaname help! Again ;-)). If  person #1 works a job paying into SS for 12 years and earns their 40 credits then quits and never works again aren't they entitled to whatever SS benefit they earned once 62 and up dispite having  30 or more years of zero earnings or paying SS tax? If person #2 worked 12 years paying into SS then worked a second career for a government agency (Fed, state, county, etc) and worked 10 years and paid into a gov pension instead of SS and had 30 or more years of zero SS earnings and payments into SS wouldn't they get the same SS benefit as person #1? So person 1 and person 2 would get the same amount of SS benefit in my eyes whether they quit work or worked another career not paying into SS.

[sonofsven]

^^^maybe someone can explain this to me (@grantmeaname help! Again ;-)). If  person #1 works a job paying into SS for 12 years and earns their 40 credits then quits and never works again aren't they entitled to whatever SS benefit they earned once 62 and up dispite having  30 or more years of zero earnings or paying SS tax? If person #2 worked 12 years paying into SS then worked a second career for a government agency (Fed, state, county, etc) and worked 10 years and paid into a gov pension instead of SS and had 30 or more years of zero SS earnings and payments into SS wouldn't they get the same SS benefit as person #1? So person 1 and person 2 would get the same amount of SS benefit in my eyes whether they quit work or worked another career not paying into SS.

Yes, person 1 will receive their benefit at retirement age (62 will be a reduced check, however. For those of us born after '60 full retirement age is 67. And if you wait until 70 your check is higher) since they paid tax on it and have 40 quarters in, even if they don't work again.
Your SS check amount is determined by your average indexed monthly earnings. They take your 35 highest earning years, or in your example, 12 years and a lot of zeros.
Person 2 would have a reduced SS check, even with the same earnings record as person 1, because they would be subject to the Windfall Elimination Provision.
This link explains how the WEP is formulated:
https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/program-explainers/windfall-elimination-provision.html

[AccidentialMustache]

Why should the 3% get a higher replacement rate than the rest of us that paid into SS?

I mean, those 3% paid into SS as well, no? Otherwise they wouldn't be getting SS. I (and my spouse) will be in that 3% when we eventually start collecting. She's full time gov pension. I'm split about 40/60 for time right now between gov pension and SS.

Here's the thing: because my private career was second, I've been paying in and bouncing off the SS cap pretty much every year I've been in SS. But I also have a lot of zeros (probably?), because FIRE.

Not only is my SS reduced, but hers via spousal is too. Which is just extra bullshit. WEP actually reduces her spousal SS to 0.

[sonofsven]

Why should the 3% get a higher replacement rate than the rest of us that paid into SS?

I mean, those 3% paid into SS as well, no? Otherwise they wouldn't be getting SS. I (and my spouse) will be in that 3% when we eventually start collecting. She's full time gov pension. I'm split about 40/60 for time right now between gov pension and SS.

Here's the thing: because my private career was second, I've been paying in and bouncing off the SS cap pretty much every year I've been in SS. But I also have a lot of zeros (probably?), because FIRE.

Not only is my SS reduced, but hers via spousal is too. Which is just extra bullshit. WEP actually reduces her spousal SS to 0.

The issue is not that they should or shouldn't get SS, it is what their replacement rate should be.
Everyone who pays the taxes and is entitled to benefits is paid less in benefits than they paid in taxes. This replacement rate is determined by the bend points: for average indexed monthly earnings up to $1,174 you receive 90% back in benefits.
From $1,175 to $7,078 you receive 32% back in benefits. Above $7,078 you receive 15% back.
But unless changes are made to the current bill, or perhaps made down the road by the IRS, those whose benefits were reduced by the WEP will be receiving a much higher replacement rate than is possible for those not subject to the WEP, on the same amount of income.
This is because the wages from the non covered employment, that is not subject to SS tax, are not considered when applying the bend points to the SS income.
What they should do is add all the income together, from covered and non covered employment, and apply the same replacement rate bend points as those with just covered employment.

[JupiterGreen]

I'm pretty sure this is not going to impact me or my partner at all unless I take a public job. Thanks @sonofsven for your excellent points in this thread you've really helped me understand the the nuances of this issue. I'm still really glad this passed though because the old system doesn't really sound fair. From my perspective the small percentage of people who will benefit (mostly teacher I believe) deserve the extra benefit of the higher replacement rate. Lots of jobs have extra benefits so this will just be an extra benefit for being a public servant. Maybe it will attract more people into the field. This change will allow people to get out of the pension system jobs since they will still have SS as a backup for retirement. That's great for people who go into something like teaching and then find out they hate it. I'm all for anything that helps the American people directly like this, I'd rather see some of our tax dollars shaved off somewhere else. I understand that SS has a funding problem right not but I'd rather it get fixed after this issue got resolved so the solution is comprehensive. With that said, I'm not opposed to these jobs paying into SS along with pension (if that's even were possible) or as @sonofsven said having all of their work considered for the replacement rate of SS.

[sonofsven]

I agree that the old system wasn't fair, it's just a little frustrating that our politicians can't see such an obvious fix.
Similar to how they refuse to raise the FICA cap with the excuse that it will only provide 70 something percent of the current shortfall, so why bother. Better to privatize it, government bad!!
Perfect is not the enemy of good, people! lol

[StarBright]

I am excited about this!

I have always wanted to be a civil servant or teacher as a second career but moved to a state that doesn't pay into SS and offers pensions instead.

My husband works a job that does not pay into social security, but he also doesn't have a pension, so I had given up on working for local towns, libraries, or school systems because my social security became more important to our long term plans.

This leaves a whole avenue of second careers open to me now :)

[spartana]

^^^maybe someone can explain this to me (@grantmeaname help! Again ;-)). If  person #1 works a job paying into SS for 12 years and earns their 40 credits then quits and never works again aren't they entitled to whatever SS benefit they earned once 62 and up dispite having  30 or more years of zero earnings or paying SS tax? If person #2 worked 12 years paying into SS then worked a second career for a government agency (Fed, state, county, etc) and worked 10 years and paid into a gov pension instead of SS and had 30 or more years of zero SS earnings and payments into SS wouldn't they get the same SS benefit as person #1? So person 1 and person 2 would get the same amount of SS benefit in my eyes whether they quit work or worked another career not paying into SS.

Yes, person 1 will receive their benefit at retirement age (62 will be a reduced check, however. For those of us born after '60 full retirement age is 67. And if you wait until 70 your check is higher) since they paid tax on it and have 40 quarters in, even if they don't work again.
Your SS check amount is determined by your average indexed monthly earnings. They take your 35 highest earning years, or in your example, 12 years and a lot of zeros.
Person 2 would have a reduced SS check, even with the same earnings record as person 1, because they would be subject to the Windfall Elimination Provision.
This link explains how the WEP is formulated:
https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/program-explainers/windfall-elimination-provision.html

Thanks for the info! I'm not getting SS yet but I started to collect a small public pension at age 50 (a Public Safety/LE CalPERS pension) and got around $800/month (now around $900/month). I didn't know about about the WEP then and just planned to get any SS benefit once 62 (which would be around $650/month) to supplement public pension. Once I heard about the WEP from someone here I recalculated what my SS benefit would be at various ages and saw that if I took it at 62 as I had planned it would be reduced by several hundred dollars per month so kind of sucked even though I never counted on SS or my pension to fund my retirement. So eliminating the WEP and getting some extra $$ in SS benefits  (earned imho) once I collect will be nice.

[Cassie]

I just realized that the GPO portion of this bill will help me more than the WEP portion. I have 3 ex husband’s and I can collect 50% of their SS if it’s more than mine. Husband 2 fits that bill and my SS is going to be triple what it is now. I also realized that I will be eligible for survivor benefits and as # 2 is 8 years older than me it’s likely I will outlive him.

Husband 3 was affected by WEP and never reads or watches the news. I called him to tell him he can now collect all of his first wife’s SS because she died. He was thrilled needless to say.

[simonsez]

Sounds good to me.

My wife followed me out to DC and worked in Virginia as an educator for several years.  She had a pension (5% of her paycheck went toward the pension IIRC) and also paid into SS.  When we moved back to the Midwest, she found another educator job and this was pension-only with no SS. 

It's weird that you could have career Virginia teachers, career Midwest teachers, and teachers that jumped around from state to state and the SS payout would be different in all scenarios.  Some would have full SS bennies, some would have no SS, and others would be subject to WEP.

It seems arbitrary.  I'm sure the super planners who tailor their career around the WEP rules exist(ed) but I would guess the majority of people doing the best to live their lives and navigate a career aren't thinking about if a particular job would make them subject to a significant WEP SS haircut decades down the road.  Similarly, if this legislation passes, I'm sure there will be some people who purposely change jobs to try to take advantage of a way to keep their PIA/AIME in that 90% bracket (assuming there are still jobs that don't pay into SS) but again, I would think the majority of people are going to work whatever jobs they can find and receive whatever benefits that come with it.

I'd much prefer if all wage systems paid into SS.  The pension programs in those states that currently do not participate in FICA would/could likely tweak the % they require to be paid in for the pension benefit.  I.e. If a state started making employees pay 6.2% for FICA coverage that previously did not pay for FICA, they would likely be able to decrease the pension % taken from each paycheck.  I believe MO is at 14.3% for contributions and IL is at 9% (both do NOT pay into SS).  Yes, it would decrease the pension benefits received in retirement but in theory this would be made up by the newly acquired SS benefit.  Then program-wise, I imagine having a larger tax base with people earning dollars over at least the first bend point (teachers aren't highly compensated for typically having degrees and professional certs but they are still a group making more than min wage, especially for career educators that end up earning 80k+ by the end) would only be a long-term boon to SS.  Then, eventually, you also wouldn't have the gnashing of teeth at those who are receiving non-covered pensions because there wouldn't be any.

[Cassie]

President Biden is signing the bill 1/6 at 10 AM eastern time. He has invited the major people from unions and other groups that worked years to pass this legislation. I’m sure it will be televised.

[spartana]

I just realized that the GPO portion of this bill will help me more than the WEP portion. I have 3 ex husband’s and I can collect 50% of their SS if it’s more than mine. Husband 2 fits that bill and my SS is going to be triple what it is now. I also realized that I will be eligible for survivor benefits and as # 2 is 8 years older than me it’s likely I will outlive him.

Husband 3 was affected by WEP and never reads or watches the news. I called him to tell him he can now collect all of his first wife’s SS because she died. He was thrilled needless to say.

I'm not sure how that works with multiple ex-spouse's (or even if it does) but I read that you have to have been married for 10 or more years and that it's not 50% of your ex's benefit but some combo of your benefit plus a percent of ex's benefit to bring it up to 50% or the ex's full SS benefit. I'll also be able to get a higher amount of SS based on my ex's SS benefit once he's old enough to collect at 62  (younger than me) whether he begins collecting it or not but I'm not how it works beyond that. So you might not want to count on getting 50% of each ex's benefit.

[Cassie]

I was married for two decades each to number 2 and 3 so since I’m divorced I can draw off of whichever is higher. I’ve been researching for days. You are correct about how they compute first using my benefit and then using part of his but it always brings the person up to 50% of the highest earner. It’ll be interesting to see how long until it shows up in the monthly checks. They are saying it could take a year to back pay everyone.

[spartana]

I was married for two decades each to number 2 and 3 so since I’m divorced I can draw off of whichever is higher. I’ve been researching for days. You are correct about how they compute first using my benefit and then using part of his but it always brings the person up to 50% of the highest earner. It’ll be interesting to see how long until it shows up in the monthly checks. They are saying it could take a year to back pay everyone.

That makes sense. I was married 17 years so I figured I could add in a percentage of his amount to mine once I (and he) were old enough to collect. He's a SWAMI so is still working so have no idea what (if any) increase it would add to my benefit.

I haven't heard if it was signed yet but the giant police/LE union said it was suppose to be today. I'm curious to see how it plays out. I'll just assume I'll get my full benefit amount in the future and not have to calculate the WEP reduction into that once I begin to collect. I did pay into Medicare while working my government job (as well as 7% to my Gov pension) so at least I knew I could get that once 65.

[mistymoney]

I am excited about this!

I have always wanted to be a civil servant or teacher as a second career but moved to a state that doesn't pay into SS and offers pensions instead.

My husband works a job that does not pay into social security, but he also doesn't have a pension, so I had given up on working for local towns, libraries, or school systems because my social security became more important to our long term plans.

This leaves a whole avenue of second careers open to me now :)

that's awesome! hoping you find something you like!

[Cassie]

The bill was scheduled to be signed on Monday at 10 am but yesterday it was moved to tomorrow at 4 pm. The national WEP and GPO group always has the correct information on Facebook. The leader Pam was instrumental in getting this passed and has worked on it for years. She’s invited to the signing.

[spartana]

I'm curious if this will still go through or if Papa Trump and Uncle Elon plan to retract it. For those of you like @Cassie who are already receiving benefits has your benefit increased yet? I know back payments for 2024 will take awhile but I heard that new benefit amounts were suppose to take effect by Feb 26th.

[Ladychips]

I read today that back pay checks would arrive by the end of March and adjusted amounts would be seen in the April checks (unless your situation is complicated). I hope that's true!!

[Catbert]

I applied earlier this month for a spousal benefit since I had never been eligible for SS before due to GPO.  Got a letter in the mail saying they need "additional (but unspecified) information" and giving me a POC.  I've called and left a voicemail for the last 4 working days starting the day I received the letter.  So far, no return call.  Nada.  Who knows Elon may have fired her in the meantime.
 

[Cassie]

I read today that back pay checks would arrive by the end of March and adjusted amounts would be seen in the April checks (unless your situation is complicated). I hope that's true!!

Yes social security posted this information on their website yesterday so should be accurate.

[spartana]

A guy I use to work with just said $9k just magically showed up in his checking acct and he's pretty sure it was the WEP buy back. He retired at 50 with a state pension and started taking his SS at 62 last year so think he got the full year buy back and will get his new full monthly amount later this month. So guess it's happening!

[Catbert]

I applied earlier this month for a spousal benefit since I had never been eligible for SS before due to GPO.  Got a letter in the mail saying they need "additional (but unspecified) information" and giving me a POC.  I've called and left a voicemail for the last 4 working days starting the day I received the letter.  So far, no return call.  Nada.  Who knows Elon may have fired her in the meantime.
 

I got an electronic notice today that my SS spousal annuity had been approved on March 10th.  (The date seems a bit wonky since its only the 8th today,)  No information about the amount I'll be getting, but it should be something north of 1K.  I'll keep an eye on my checking account.

[Cassie]

This week I received 7k back pay because of WEP. A day later I was awarded spousal benefits that will start in April and I will get a few thousand back because I applied on Jan 6. California and Nevada are both in region 9 so you should receive yours soon Spartana.

[Ladychips]

My dad's wife (89) should be eligible for this. But because she doesn't do online banking, she (we!) won't know until she gets her statement at the end of the month. It's driving me crazy (even though it's none of my business.  I'm just so happy that she's finally getting what she's always deserved). When the original news was that it would take a year, I was so mad because who knows if she is going to live for a year!

[spartana]

This week I received 7k back pay because of WEP. A day later I was awarded spousal benefits that will start in April and I will get a few thousand back because I applied on Jan 6. California and Nevada are both in region 9 so you should receive yours soon Spartana.

I'm not on SS yet but it's nice to know that I'll get more then I planned on when I do get it. Last time I checked I would Only get around $450/month if I took it at 62 and around $600/month if I took it at 67 after the WEP withdrawal. I don't know how much this will change now with the WEP eliminated but I'll get more in any case. Yippee!

[spartana]

My dad's wife (89) should be eligible for this. But because she doesn't do online banking, she (we!) won't know until she gets her statement at the end of the month. It's driving me crazy (even though it's none of my business.  I'm just so happy that she's finally getting what she's always deserved). When the original news was that it would take a year, I was so mad because who knows if she is going to live for a year!

you could probably have her check her balance via phone. That's what I do for my checking account because I don't always have secure internet so don't do online banking.

[mistymoney]

This week I received 7k back pay because of WEP. A day later I was awarded spousal benefits that will start in April and I will get a few thousand back because I applied on Jan 6. California and Nevada are both in region 9 so you should receive yours soon Spartana.

I'm not on SS yet but it's nice to know that I'll get more then I planned on when I do get it. Last time I checked I would Only get around $450/month if I took it at 62 and around $600/month if I took it at 67 after the WEP withdrawal. I don't know how much this will change now with the WEP eliminated but I'll get more in any case. Yippee!

are you not able to see this at ssa.gov yet?

[Cassie]

This week I received 7k back pay because of WEP. A day later I was awarded spousal benefits that will start in April and I will get a few thousand back because I applied on Jan 6. California and Nevada are both in region 9 so you should receive yours soon Spartana.

I'm not on SS yet but it's nice to know that I'll get more then I planned on when I do get it. Last time I checked I would Only get around $450/month if I took it at 62 and around $600/month if I took it at 67 after the WEP withdrawal. I don't know how much this will change now with the WEP eliminated but I'll get more in any case. Yippee!

At 65 and with raises I’m 70 and was only receiving 461. Then with WEP gone it was 975. Now with spousal benefits it’s 1353. The dogs and I are doing the happy dance:)).

[spartana]

This week I received 7k back pay because of WEP. A day later I was awarded spousal benefits that will start in April and I will get a few thousand back because I applied on Jan 6. California and Nevada are both in region 9 so you should receive yours soon Spartana.

I'm not on SS yet but it's nice to know that I'll get more then I planned on when I do get it. Last time I checked I would Only get around $450/month if I took it at 62 and around $600/month if I took it at 67 after the WEP withdrawal. I don't know how much this will change now with the WEP eliminated but I'll get more in any case. Yippee!

are you not able to see this at ssa.gov yet?

I haven't checked yet. Just waiting to see if it actually started before checking. SO/BF, also a CalPERS employee, won't really be effected since he really only worked at a state job since 18 so never paid much into SS. Don't even think he has 40 quarters. But I had my military time (12 years) and my teen age jobs paying into SS so will likely get a few extra $100s/month. No back pay for me though.

[spartana]

This week I received 7k back pay because of WEP. A day later I was awarded spousal benefits that will start in April and I will get a few thousand back because I applied on Jan 6. California and Nevada are both in region 9 so you should receive yours soon Spartana.

I'm not on SS yet but it's nice to know that I'll get more then I planned on when I do get it. Last time I checked I would Only get around $450/month if I took it at 62 and around $600/month if I took it at 67 after the WEP withdrawal. I don't know how much this will change now with the WEP eliminated but I'll get more in any case. Yippee!

At 65 and with raises I’m 70 and was only receiving 461. Then with WEP gone it was 975. Now with spousal benefits it’s 1353. The dogs and I are doing the happy dance:)).

I wonder if I qualify for a spousal benefit too? Married over 10 years and I haven't remarried so likely will qualify. Ex-DH isn't 62 yet and is still working (SWAMI) so I believe I'd have to wait until he was at least 62 or older. Sounds like it's a pretty big benefit.

[Cassie]

It depends on how much money he made. I had my pick of 2 of my 3 ex’s and picked the one making the most money over time. They said it’s approximately half of what they get but it’s a complicated formula and I’m actually getting more than half of what he gets. When you’re older apply for everything you qualify for and you will get the highest amount.

[Catbert]

My dad's wife (89) should be eligible for this. But because she doesn't do online banking, she (we!) won't know until she gets her statement at the end of the month. It's driving me crazy (even though it's none of my business.  I'm just so happy that she's finally getting what she's always deserved). When the original news was that it would take a year, I was so mad because who knows if she is going to live for a year!

you could probably have her check her balance via phone. That's what I do for my checking account because I don't always have secure internet so don't do online banking.

Does she (you) have an ATM card.  You can check the balance that way.  A year's worth of back pay will make a noticeable different in her balance.

[mistymoney]

This week I received 7k back pay because of WEP. A day later I was awarded spousal benefits that will start in April and I will get a few thousand back because I applied on Jan 6. California and Nevada are both in region 9 so you should receive yours soon Spartana.

I'm not on SS yet but it's nice to know that I'll get more then I planned on when I do get it. Last time I checked I would Only get around $450/month if I took it at 62 and around $600/month if I took it at 67 after the WEP withdrawal. I don't know how much this will change now with the WEP eliminated but I'll get more in any case. Yippee!

At 65 and with raises I’m 70 and was only receiving 461. Then with WEP gone it was 975. Now with spousal benefits it’s 1353. The dogs and I are doing the happy dance:)).

I wonder if I qualify for a spousal benefit too? Married over 10 years and I haven't remarried so likely will qualify. Ex-DH isn't 62 yet and is still working (SWAMI) so I believe I'd have to wait until he was at least 62 or older. Sounds like it's a pretty big benefit.

Are spousal benefits based on their final total benefit, or just the years you were married? (I have no clue!)

But if you get spousal based on his entire and still on-going career, this could be a pretty big benefit for you! Hope you get a big boost from it!

[sonofsven]

This week I received 7k back pay because of WEP. A day later I was awarded spousal benefits that will start in April and I will get a few thousand back because I applied on Jan 6. California and Nevada are both in region 9 so you should receive yours soon Spartana.

I'm not on SS yet but it's nice to know that I'll get more then I planned on when I do get it. Last time I checked I would Only get around $450/month if I took it at 62 and around $600/month if I took it at 67 after the WEP withdrawal. I don't know how much this will change now with the WEP eliminated but I'll get more in any case. Yippee!

At 65 and with raises I’m 70 and was only receiving 461. Then with WEP gone it was 975. Now with spousal benefits it’s 1353. The dogs and I are doing the happy dance:)).

I wonder if I qualify for a spousal benefit too? Married over 10 years and I haven't remarried so likely will qualify. Ex-DH isn't 62 yet and is still working (SWAMI) so I believe I'd have to wait until he was at least 62 or older. Sounds like it's a pretty big benefit.

Are spousal benefits based on their final total benefit, or just the years you were married? (I have no clue!)

But if you get spousal based on his entire and still on-going career, this could be a pretty big benefit for you! Hope you get a big boost from it!

It's based on their entire work history, so hopefully they keep working!
I forget the details, but I believe the spousal benefit is based on their FRA benefit, but I think the amount you get is determined by your age as well.

[spartana]

This week I received 7k back pay because of WEP. A day later I was awarded spousal benefits that will start in April and I will get a few thousand back because I applied on Jan 6. California and Nevada are both in region 9 so you should receive yours soon Spartana.

I'm not on SS yet but it's nice to know that I'll get more then I planned on when I do get it. Last time I checked I would Only get around $450/month if I took it at 62 and around $600/month if I took it at 67 after the WEP withdrawal. I don't know how much this will change now with the WEP eliminated but I'll get more in any case. Yippee!

At 65 and with raises I’m 70 and was only receiving 461. Then with WEP gone it was 975. Now with spousal benefits it’s 1353. The dogs and I are doing the happy dance:)).

I wonder if I qualify for a spousal benefit too? Married over 10 years and I haven't remarried so likely will qualify. Ex-DH isn't 62 yet and is still working (SWAMI) so I believe I'd have to wait until he was at least 62 or older. Sounds like it's a pretty big benefit.

Are spousal benefits based on their final total benefit, or just the years you were married? (I have no clue!)

But if you get spousal based on his entire and still on-going career, this could be a pretty big benefit for you! Hope you get a big boost from it!

It's based on their entire work history, so hopefully they keep working!
I forget the details, but I believe the spousal benefit is based on their FRA benefit, but I think the amount you get is determined by your age as well.

I just googled it and looks like I'd qualify for sure. Who knew!! It says if I base it on his record instead of mine I'd be entitled to 50% of whatever benefit he be entitled to once he was at FRA. And I think I'd also have to be at my FRA too but not sure about that. I guess that amount would be lower if I took it earlier. He's younger then me and has quite awhile to go before eligible to get SS - especially at FRA - but sounds like it would be higher than my benefit even if I took it early. He's still working and has a 30 year military pension (which I choose not to get any part of when we divorced) that he earned (from 18 to 48) plus has about 10 years as a Fed so not sure if that changes anything.