My wife and I are Canadian citizens, ages 62 and 65. We are collecting CPP in Canada, and will be applying for SS in the US soon We have worked 24 years in Canada and 24 here in the US. Is my social security affected by my Canadian pensions? Our CPP is minimal, under $300/ month each . We are not U S citizens but have a green card

Hi. Yes, if both you and your wife are collecting CPP pensions that are based on your own individual earnings in Canada, then your U.S. Social Security retirement benefit rates will likely be reduced due to the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). The WEP can cause a person's U.S. Social Security disability or retirement benefits to be calculated using a less generous benefit computation formula if they are also collecting a pension that's based on their work and earnings that were exempt from U.S. Social Security taxes.

However, there is a WEP guarantee provision that limits the amount of reduction that can be applied to a person's U.S. benefits to no more than roughly one-half of the amount of the non-covered pension. Our software is fully programmed to handle WEP computations, including the WEP guarantee provision, so you and your wife should strongly consider using the software (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/purchase) to fully compare and analyze all of your options so that you can determine your best strategy for maximizing your benefits.

Best, Jerry