How do I find out if SS calculated my survivor benefits correctly? My husband died in 2013. He was subject to the Windfall Elimination Provision. He contributed to SS for 29 years prior to working as a university professor for 10 years in NV. It is my understanding that his social security was reduced by 10% as a result of the WEP.

It is my understanding that as his widow, the WEP reduction would be eliminated as to me, once I apply for survivor benefits. I turned 66 in May 2018 (my FRA) and just applied for survivor benefits. I was told that those benefits would be $ 2,229.00(+/-).

I do not know what he was receiving in 2013 when he died. However, I have a "New Benefit amount" statement for him that reflects the "new" 3.6 COLA beginning in 2012. In 2012 he was to begin receiving $ 2036.90 a month. Based on this document, how can I figure out if I will be receiving the correct survivor's benefits. Do I add the COLA amount to his benefits each year after he died in 2013? How do I figure out what his benefits would be in recalculating the WEP reduction that was being taken for him, but no longer should be reduced for me?

Hi,

I'm sorry for your loss.

I don't think there's any way you could hope to verify the accuracy of your survivor benefit rate by comparing it to your husband's benefit rate if his rate was affected by the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). WEP does not reduce benefit rates by a standard percentage, such as 10%. Social Security benefits are calculated based on a multi-tiered system, and WEP can only effect the payment rate on the first of those tiers (https://www.ssa.gov/retirementpolicy/program/windfall-elimination-provis...). Furthermore, the WEP percentage reduction on that first tier can be anywhere from 0% to 50% depending on the number of years in which the worker had Social Security covered substantial earnings.

You are correct, though, that the WEP provision doesn't apply to the calculation of survivor benefit rates. What I can tell you is that if your husband filed for his benefits at his full retirement age (FRA) and you filed for widow's benefits effective with your FRA, your benefit rate should be equal to 100% of your husband's primary insurance amount (PIA). Social Security can easily verify that amount for you.

However, if your husband started drawing his benefits before or after his FRA then your benefit amount won't match his PIA. In that case, your best hope for verifying your benefit amount would be to try to speak with a knowledgeable Social Security technical expert who would review the computation with you. It may ease your mind to know that if you filed just for widow's benefits and not also for benefits on your own record then the calculation of your benefit rate would have been done by an automated process which is virtually 100% accurate. However, if you're also drawing benefits on your own record plus a partial widow's benefit then that would have been manually computed, which is more error prone.

Best, Jerry