by AMAC Certified Social Security Advisor Russell Gloor Association of Mature American Citizens Ask Rusty - Widower’s Retirement Stymied by Social Security’s “WEP” and “GPO” Rules Dear Rusty: My wife passed away 4 years ago. I want to retire so called SSA and was told I can collect my own SS at 62, reduced by WEP. My wife’s SS was greater than mine, but they said I do not qualify for hers at age 60 because of the GPO. This seems odd that I get zero for her, however I can collect mine at the two thirds reduction at 62. Is this true? This zero dollar amount places my retirement on hold for now. I was counting on her SS. Signed: Discouraged Widower Dear Discouraged: The Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) are two of the most confusing (and unpopular) of Social Security’s myriad rules. From the way you describe your conversation with the Social Security Administration, it doesn’t appear to have concluded with you fully understanding how these provisions work, so allow me to elaborate.WEP and GPO affect anyone who has a retirement pension from a federal, state, or local government agency which did not participate in Social Security, meaning neither the employee nor the employer paid into Social Security based on the employee’s earnings. Obviously, you have such a pension, which means that WEP will reduce any Social Security retirement benefit you have earned from other employment where SS payroll taxes were withheld, and the GPO will affect any survivor benefit you are entitled to.WEP affects only the SS retirement benefit you earned elsewhere; WEP does not affect any surviving spouse benefit you might be entitled to from your wife. Rather, it is the GPO which affects your survivor benefit, again because of your state retirement (called a “non-covered pension” – one earned without contributing to Social Security). The GPO will reduce any surviving spouse benefit you might be entitled to by 2/3rds of the amount of your “non-covered” state pension. Depending on the size of your state pension, that reduction may entirely eliminate your surviving spouse benefit from your wife.Under normal SS rules, a surviving spouse does not become eligible for survivor benefits until they reach age 60 (age 50 if disabled). Normally, a surviving spouse benefit claimed at age 60 is reduced by 28.5% and it is the GPO (not ...
