Ask Larry

Can My Husband Get Spousal Benefits If His Own Rate Is Reduced By WEP?

Since my husband's as has been cut because of windfall elimination, can he collect more if he gets SS as my spouse

Hi,

Possibly, but he may not be able to draw spousal benefits either due to the Government Pension Offset (GPO) provision. Under GPO, a person's spousal benefits are reduced by 2/3rds of the amount of any US federal, state, county or local government pensions they receive based on work that was exempt from Social Security taxes. For more information on GPO, refer to the following pamphlet: https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10007.pdf.

Best, Jerry

Posted: 
Jan 14 2017 - 8:00am
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