Dear Sir, I am Canadian and moved (job) to Florida from Toronto in 2005 on Green card visa. I retired in Canada and collect CPP and at 66 I applied for SS retirement benefits. Here first time I found out about WEP (Windfall Elimination Provision) I feel this is very wrong....and I am looking for a solution to avoid this if there is one.

I am a retired teacher in Minneapolis, MN who paid into and am now receiving a pension. I retired in 2008 but continued tow work in the same school district as an independent contractor. I paid social security for 5 years from 2008-2013. I have applied for spousal benefits but was denied because of GPO. Can I take exception to their ruling because I paid social security payments for 60 months? Can you provide any advice or suggestions? Thank you for your help.

Hi,

Dear Larry,
I am a US citizen who worked in the Middle East (oil and gas industry) for most of my career. I worked for one company, but for the first third of my career (14 years) I paid FICA taxes because the company was US owned. For the remaining 27 years the company was locally owned so I was not required to (nor did I) pay FICA, except for those brief periods when on business assignments int he USA. When I retired I received a lump sum settlement in lieu of pension.

Hello,
I am 66. My husband died April 11, 2017. I was informed because I receive a $3000.00 retirement check monthly that I'm ineligible for any widows benefits.
I don't receive any ss money because I worked for the city of Dallas and at that time they did not take out social security payments. I worked there 26 years
I know of other people who receive both pensions and ss from deceased spouses. Is there a loop hole somewhere ?

I try to help my 96 year old grandmother with her financial matters as best I can from a distance. Last year her combined social security check was adjusted downward about $100/mo. She collects on herself and her deceased husband. I have not seen any paper work but was told this was an adjustment due to her gross income. She reports about $100K+ gross income a year from investment income and a City Retirement Pension Income from her deceased husband.

If I collect a state PERA pension under which I did not pay social security will my husband be able to collect hus full social security for which he worked 48 yrs?

Hi,

You can rest easy. Your PERA pension will have no effect on your husband's Social Security retirement benefits.

Best, Jerry

Hello. My father was a state (of Massachusetts) employee for 40 years and therefore eligible for a state pension upon retirement. My mother was an elementary school teacher for 30 years (in Mass as well), and also eligible for a pension. Both my parents retired in 1994 and began collecting their pensions. My father also had enough quarters paid into Social Security to qualify for a small monthly benefit, which he collected in addition to his pension. My father died in 2013 at the age of 87.

My dad is 67, and is a legal resident with a green card, in 2016 he lost his job and applied for social security with the credits he had from working in the US since 2002. In June of 2016 he applied for his Portuguese pension, and started receiving his Portuguese pension in October. We were told that Portugal had an agreement with the USA and that he needed to declare his foreign pension to Social Security and declare his pension in his income taxes in the USA, instead of doing his taxes in Portugal for that money. When it was time to do his taxes, we were completely lost.

I receive a state pension and a federal pension (FERS). I have 28 years of substantial earnings. Will my social security benefit be reduced because of the windfall elimination provision if I have 28 years instead of 30 years of substantial earnings but I was a federal worker hired in September 1987?

Hi,

Hi
I am entitled to half my ex's pension benefits through a Federal Employee Pension Program once he retires. He will not collect Social Security as he did not pay into this system. I am age 62 in March 2018. I would like to begin collecting SS then which will be around $1100 per month.
When my ex retires will MY SS of $1100 a month be reduced by 2/3 due to me being eligible to recive half his pension for the 22 years we were married?