I am 66 and a California school teacher affected by WEP/GPO. I am eligible to collect SS now because of other employment prior to teaching. I want to continue teaching two more years.

Can I file for SS now and get my full benefit while I continue to work? I assume that my SS benefit will be reduced by WEP/GPO when I begin to receive my school pension at age 68. When does WEP/GPO come into play? When I file at 66 or when I begin taking the school pension at age 68?

Hi,

WEP (https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10045.pdf) does not apply until you actually become entitled to a non-covered pension. Any WEP reduction would apply starting with your first month of actual entitlement to your non-covered teacher's pension.

So, you could start drawing your full Social Security benefit now. The only downside would be the loss of delayed retirement credits that you would otherwise receive by deferring your Social Security until age 70. WEP does not apply to the calculation of widow(er)'s benefits payable to a surviving spouse, so that can also be a consideration in some cases.

If you do decide to start drawing your Social Security benefits before you become entitled to your teacher's pension, be sure to notify Social Security promptly when you file for the teacher's pension. If you continue to receive your full Social Security payments for any months after becoming entitled to the teacher's pension, it will result in an overpayment that you will be asked to pay back.

You may wish to run the maximization software available on this website. It handles WEP reduction cases, and can give you a full analysis of your filing options.

Best, Jerry