I am a retired teacher and am receiving a monthly pension from my retirement account. As a result I receive about half of my SS check due to the WEP program. Is there anything I can do about this or can I work to get the quarters I need for a full monthly check? Thank you.

Hi,

Honestly, there's probably not much that you can do. To be exempt from the WEP (Windfall Elimination Provision) reduction, you would need to have at least 30 years of 'substantial earnings' on which you paid Social Security taxes. You can lessen the amount of the WEP reduction if you have between 20 & 30 years of substantial earnings. To see the annual levels of earnings that are considered to be 'substantial', refer to the following pamphlet: https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10045.pdf.

Numerous bills have been presented in Congress to amend or rescind WEP, but no significant changes have been made to it in the 30 years since the provision went into effect. I'd be very surprised if any significant changes are made in the future.

Best, Jerry