Ask Larry

Is It True That I Can't Receive Spousal Benefits Because My Retirement From The Postal Service Is Too High?

I was told by Social Security that I cannot receive spousal benefit because my retirement from the Postal Service is too much.

Hi,

I don't have enough information about your circumstances to know if what you were told is correct, but it's certainly possible. What Social Security was telling you is in reference to the Government Pension Offset (GPO) provision, which can result in a person's spousal benefit being reduced to zero. For more information on GPO and it's exceptions, refer to the following Social Security publication: https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10007.pdf.

Best, Jerry

Posted: 
Oct 10 2019 - 6:37pm
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