My husband is receiving deferred Social Security retirement benefits, which he started receiving at age 67. He is also receiving retirement benefits from the Canada Pension Plan, for work while we lived in Canada. Since benefits are reduced due to the Windfall Elimination Provision. I will be applying for Spousal Social Security benefits based on my husband's work record next year at my full retirement age of 66. I will also be receiving a small pension from CPP.
I know that I will be receiving half of my husband's benefits and that my spousal benefits will also be reduced because of my husband's CPP. I would like to know if my spousal benefits will also be reduced because of my own CPP benefits or just my husband's.

Hi,

No, your spousal benefits won't be reduced because of your Canadian pension. If your husband's benefits are reduced due to the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), that reduction is applied to his primary insurance amount (PIA). That in turn would cause your spousal rate to be lower, since spousal benefits are based on a percentage of the worker's PIA. But, your spousal rate won't be separately reduced due to the fact that you're receiving a Canadian pension.

A person's PIA is equal to their Social Security retirement benefit rate if they start drawing their benefits at full retirement age (FRA). If you start drawing spousal benefits at full retirement age (FRA) and if you aren't eligible for U.S. Social Security retirement benefits, what you'll receive is 50% of your husband's PIA. If your husband waited past FRA to start drawing his U.S. Social Security retirement benefits, then he must be receiving more than his PIA as a result of delayed retirement credits (DRC). So, it sounds like your spousal rate will be somewhat less than half of your husband's actual benefit rate.

Best, Jerry