Hi Larry,
Thanks so much for offering such a wonderful tool to use for us WEP retires. It is fantastic.

I waited 5 months from someone at SS to attempt to answer my questions that I had about WEP and the GPO. I had three phone appointments with them. No one understood how to answer my WEP questions. SS finally had a women reach out to me that was supposedly an expert on WEP and she supplied me with numbers that don't even come close to my manual calculations and what your software arrived at. My confidence level of the answers she supplied me with is very low.

I am a planner and I really would like to have an idea as to what my SS benefits will be in 2024 when I start drawing on my PERS 2 (non-covered pension of $1,327). I totally get that things can change by 2024. I'm not holding my breath that WEP or GPO will be repealed.

This is my information:

DOB 6/17/59, I applied for my SS benefits on 12/1/21 first benefit payment of $1,164 was deposited in January 2022.
I have substantial earnings of 22 years counting year 2021 (50%).
I can't start drawing on my non-covered pension of $1,327 until I'm 65 which will be on 6/17/24. Per WA State Dept of Retirement Systems, I will be eligible on 7/1/24.
My earnings record in “Maximize my SS” and on my “SS statement match exactly”.

I understand that WEP is complicated but I felt pretty confident that I understood the substantial earnings and how to manually calculate my reduced benefit (upon my starting to receive my pension) based upon the maximum monthly amount my benefit can be reduced.

I understand that WEP reduces my Eligibility Year (ELY) benefit amount due to early retirement or other factors. Since I started taking my SS Benefit before I am eligible for my PERS 2 (non-covered Pension) that I will be drawing on my SS benefits by 52 months early. (Jan 2022 - May 26). Based upon my full retirement age of 66 years and 10 months. I used the SS WEP Chart and selected 2021 the year I turned 62 then selected 22 years of substantial earnings to arrive at $398.40. I used what my SS statement shows of $1,753 for my Full Retirement Age subtract the $398.40 to arrive at $1,354.60 less the 71.7% reduction (for someone with 56 additional months) for a total of a reduced benefit of $971.25, once I start drawing on my pension. I figured I must have done something wrong as your software generated $877.75 a difference of $93.50. I figured yours is correct.

What I'm concerned about is the gal at SS that is supposed to be the expert. Advised me that I can't use my FRA (66yrs and 10 months) of $1,753 due to I started drawing my SS early prior to receiving my pension. She said that my adjusted FRA is $1,588.30 not the $1,753. She told me that my reduced benefit will be only $652.00 a month in 7/1/24. (When my pension starts) I was really devastated when she told me this; I don't believe that she is correct.

I don't understand what I'm missing? I believe that your software is correct and that she is not calculating my benefit correctly. I'm so worried about this low amount she gave me.

I would appreciate any insight or assistance you would be able to supply me with.

Thanks so much,
Robin

Hi Robin. This 'Ask Larry' forum is intended for people who are not current subscribers to our software. I answer the general Social Security questions submitted to this site, but I don't have access to our software customers' data or results. Please resubmit your question using an online contact form (https://maximizemysocialsecurity.com/contact-form) so that your question can be answered by one of our experts with access to your earnings history information and software results.

Best, Jerry