Ask Larry

Non-Covered Pension - WEP / GPO

Can I Withdraw My Pension Contributions In Order To Avoid An Offset To My Divorced Spousal Benefits?

I'm was married 21 years.
I have taught in Ohio since 1981 on and off.
I put into STRS State Teachers retirement for 13 years.
I withdrew all of the money 6 different times. The was a 10% penalty on the funds I received. These funds were NOT matched by STRS. I got back only what I put in minus the 10% penalty. By doing this I was no longer vested.
Since then I have accrued 3 years in my STRS account totaling about $9000.00 and in 2 more years I will be vested again. I am 58.5 years young.

Posted: 
Saturday, June 3, 2017 - 10:04

Will My Husband Be Able To Receive My Benefits If I File And Suspend?

I will be 66 in February, 2017, my full retirement age. I am still working full time. My husband will never be able to collect any of my social security due to the windfall elimination. If I file and suspend my Social Security, if I were to die suddenly, would my husband be able to collect my suspended benefits? If not, I am thinking I should just file and collect at 66.

Hi,

Posted: 
Thursday, June 1, 2017 - 07:07

Can I Potentially Meet the 30 Year Exemption To WEP If I Continue Working Past Age 70?

If I am subject to the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset, and am currently continuing to work and pay into Social Security, if I continue to work past 70, will that give me additional years to average in order to get close to the 30 or more years required to move closer past the offset? I note the chart shows that even though I am subject to the offset that these additional working years would increase my benefit payout.

Hi,

Posted: 
Monday, May 29, 2017 - 06:26

Does My Hungarian Pension Reduce My US Social Security Benefit?

I am 66 years old. I came to US as a postdoc fellow in 1991. I became a naturalized US citizen in 2001. I got my Hungarian pension (~$300/month) since 2000 . I receiving my US SS benefit since two months (~$2200/m).
US-Hungary had made a new agreement in 2016. I made a high earning income for 24 years in US.
Does my Hungarian pension reduce my US SS benefit?

Hi,

Posted: 
Saturday, May 27, 2017 - 06:58

Do You Have Any Advice?

I was an adjunct instructor at a community college for 12 yrs. I was mandated to pay 7.5% of my salary to the Mass. Smart Plan (deferred compensation) in lieu of SS (OBRA). Six years after retiring,I withdrew the money in a lump sum .I paid federal & state taxes. The SSA now declares that this plan is "for purposes of GPO" a public pension. The state paid no money into this account & I paid all admin. fees. They placed a GPO on my spousal SS benefits & required a repayment of $5,928.

Posted: 
Thursday, May 25, 2017 - 08:05

Should I File For Social Security Now?

Please, I need help figuring this math! I've been to Soc. Security Office and still don't understand this mess of Soc. Security and WEP. My husband passed away in July of 2016, at age 63, and hadn't started collecting his Soc. Sec. I believe his full Soc. Security at age 66 would have been about $2,500.00 a month. I am 63, but haven't collected any Soc. Security, either. I have enough Soc. Sec. credits based on my own work record to get about 800 a month at age 66. But, after teaching 10 years in MO, I retired at age 60 in the Missouri State Teachers Retirement System.

Posted: 
Tuesday, May 16, 2017 - 08:35

Can I Collect On My Ex-Husband's Record At Age 62 And Collect On My Own Record At Age 64?

I was married for 24 years, been divorced since 2004. my ex husband is 63 and i will be 62 in october, 2017. I have worked for a town for 17 years and have a pension so social security is not deducted from my pay and I understand that because of the windfall act, I can not take the full amount of social security as I will be receiving a pension.
question: Can I collect my ex-husbands social security benefits when I turn 62 (but still work until I am 64) and not collect any of mine or drop his at 64 and collect
mine? will the windfall act apply?

Posted: 
Tuesday, May 16, 2017 - 06:46
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