Hello,

My wife has a Conneticuit Teachers retirement pension, if we select a surviving spouse benefit and she passes away before me would I be able to collect my social security benefit $2,250 and her surviving pension of 36K annually. Or would my social security benefit be reduced?

Thank you

Hi,

No, your Social Security would not be reduced if you receive a survivor benefit from your wife's teachers' pension plan. Pension benefits that are based on earnings that were exempt from Social Security taxes can only affect a person's Social Security benefits if the non-covered pension is based on the person's OWN earnings.

Best, Jerry