Hi,
Great website with loads of useful information! I have a couple questions about "Safe Harbor" contributions that I hope you can answer. I want to determine whether or not I'm facing a potential 401(a) "horror story"....
I'm struggling with one question, and I can't believe my situation is that unusual, but I can't find a definitive answer.
I'm eligible to collect a benefit on my former spouse's earnings record. I, too, worked and paid into Social Security for 40 quarters but my former spouse always made much more than me. I was told by Social Security the amount of the benefit I would be eligible to collect when I quit my job soon.
Hi Larry, I am considering filing for SS and having my wife file but suspend. She would claim her spousal benefit until she is 70, when she will file for her own benefits. I worked for the State of Alaska for 26 years. Will the Windfall elimination prevent me from claiming spousal benefits if she dies before me? And will my state employment result in other complications with SS benefits? My DOB is 12-23-52; her's is 8-17-51. Thanks! Paul
Hi Paul,
Will my pension (which SS considers a "windfall" against my own SS benefit) be deducted from the amount that I can draw from my ex-husband's monthly benefit?
Hi,
Hi Larry,
I'm very interested in purchasing your software and would like to ask if it will be able to calculate my scenario as detailed below?
I lived in the UK for a long time and now the US and do not have "full" retirement in either country, as far as I understand the definition.
UK:
State Pension -
Made 25 Years Full Contributions
Still have 10 Years to Contribute (make up contributions)
30 Years Is Deemed To Be "Full" Contributions
Hello. I have been trying to get an answer to this question and no one seems to be able to help me. I participate in an alternative retirement plan that is considered a 401a. I understand that it is subject to WEP and GPO, and that Social Security will use a formula to calculate the assumed monthly payment to know how much to reduce Social Security payments. Assuming I stop working well before a "traditional" retirement age (let's say I stop at age 50), at what point does Social Security determine the monthly equivalent of the lump sum?
I have paid in my 40+ quarters of SS contributions. But, I also worked for an international organization overseas for several years without making SS contributions. I now receive a pension paid by this organization that exceeds the WEP threshold. When I file for my SS benefits, will I be exempt from, or subject, to, a WEP deduction? My pension has a non-US origin. Thank you.
Hi,
A friend of mine is 74 and started drawing SS at age 70. His wife is 68, and hasn't drawn SS -- she worked as a teacher and is drawing STRS (State Teacher's Retirement System) which is non-SS covered employment. Has a very small SS entitlement which would probably be wiped out by her teacher's pension.
Would she still be able to claim spousal SS on her husband? Or would that also be reduced by her non-covered pension. Her husband's a doctor and is collecting at or near the maximum rate. I understand her spousal entitlement would be based on his age 66 entitlement.
I retired in July 2014 and receive a Federal pension (Dept of State, Foreign Service). I am under a program called the Foreign Service Retirement and Disability System Offset. (FSRDS Offset). Under that system, when I reached 62, my Pension was to be reduced by the amount I was authorized to get from SSA. So contacted SSA to apply for the benefits available to me at age 62 to avoid a reduction in my monthly income.
I currently receive benefits with a slight WEP reduction. My wife is not receving benefits but is receiving a State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) benefit from OH. She has enough time in covered employment to earn a small SSA benefit (probably about $300 per month) which, I believe, will be reduced further by WEP. At her full retirement age (66y4m) can she claim a spousal benefit of 50% of my benefit?
Hi,