Hello,

My husband passed away from cancer when he was 47. I'm now going to be 57 in December. I've worked for local school district for 32 years and can retire at anytime. At this time, I would receive $2,900 from PERA. The railroad retirement office said that at age 60, I can receive $263.00 in tier two payments but cannot receive tier one. So because I have worked I'm not able to collect anymore that $263 because my retirement is more than what my husbands retirement would be.

Hi Larry,

Does a foreign spousal pension trigger WEP?
A US person who is eligible for SS benefits on her own account, but has also started receiving a foreign pension because she is the spouse of someone eligible for a foreign pension. She has never worked, in the foreign country, so the pension she get's is totally non-dependent on her previous work (it is dependent on her husbands previous work).

Thanks

Hi,

Hi Larry
In regard to the WEP.
If you take SS at 71 continue working after age 71
in order to increase the years of substantial earnings
can you do that? At 71 the years of substantial earnings are
only 25 years. If I want to collect ss while I continue to work can I get to the 30 years of substantial earnings? ie do the years increase or does the clock stop ticking at 71 when I take my ss?

Hi,

I have been told that I will lose a percentage of Social Security Benefits because I have worked for a municipality (for the past 28 years) and it is considered "double dipping". Does this sound right? My money went to social security and my money went into my pension. Why would I lose any of it?

Hi,

I was married for 23 yrs to my ex-husband. He is now deceased. Before his death he was receiving Social Security Disability. I want to draw off his SS as mine is very low. I only worked, paying SS taxes, from age 16 to 24. After that I worked for local government & so will retire with a government pension. (I had 40 credits & so did he.) My question is: will what I draw off his SS be subject to the Windfall Elimination Provisions (WEP) or any other law which would reduce the amount I can draw?

Dear Larry, My father age 85 just passed away and my mother age 81 has been denied his social security because they say she receives a pension. She does not receive social security but receives $300 a month in state teachers retirement. Shouldn't my mother be eligible for my deceased fathers social security even with the small pension she receives? His benefit is almost 4 times her pension.
Thank you.

Hi,

I'm sorry for your loss.

Windfall Elimination Provision.
I am a British Citizen no a naturalized American. I moved here at the age of 48 in Aug 2001. I have 40 qtrs. and more on my SS record. I am entitled to a UK National Pension of about $800 per month. I have also contributed to my companies final salary pension plan pre tax since I joined them at 16, which should net me about $2300.00 per month.
How will the windfall elimination provision effect my US SS entitlement, are both these entitlements effected by the provision?

The info i need is concern over a surviving spouse (wife) who is on WEP. The social security bearing spouse (husband) is not affected by her WEP. Presently, the wife is not entitled to spousal survival benefits because of WEP status.

What happens to the wife as surviving spouse upon the husband's demise? Will she be entitled to any social security benefits?

Thank you

Hi,

My husband is 62 years old and recently retired from the police department and is collecting a pension and his social security benefits. His social security benefit was greatly reduced by the windfall provision. I am 60 years old and will not have a pension at retirement age. My social security benefits will be much higher than what my husband is now collecting in social security. When I retire will I be able to collect my full social security benefit?

Hi,

Hi Larry
We moved to the USA from South Africa in 2001 and have been working here full time since then. I resigned earlier this year and have just turned 62.
I receive a monthly government pension in South Africa since I was retired from the police service due to medically unfitness. I had almost 20 years service in the police and contributed to that pension plan the whole time. This pension is taxed in South Africa and gets paid into a bank account over there.
My question is twofold: