Ask Larry

Can My Husband Collect Social Security And His Other Pension?

My husband is 57 and collecting a pension. If he gets a job and works until age 65-can he collect social security in addition to his pension?

Hi,

Yes, if your husband has at least 40 quarters of Social Security coverage and is at least age 62, he could be potentially draw Social Security retirement benefits even if he receives another pension. However, if his other pension is based on earnings that were exempt from Social Security taxes, his Social Security benefit rate would likely be lower than normal due to the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). For more information on WEP, refer to this Social Security pamphlet: https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10045.pdf.

By the way, the maximization software available on this website handles computations involving WEP, and it can also calculate benefit rates using projections of future year earnings. Your husband may want to use the software to determine what he could likely expect to receive if he works long enough to qualify for Social Security benefits.

Best, Jerry

Category: 
Posted: 
Oct 3 2017 - 6:30am
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