My wife and I are US citizens aged 68 and 67. We both worked in the UK for 30 years. I am receiving a UK state pension and a US social security pension which is reduced by the WEP. My wife receives a US spousal pension ( she did not have enough points to apply for a SS pension) which was determined at the same time as my WEP reduced pension.
My wife is entitled to a UK state pension. When she claims that will she need to notify the SSA and will it reduce her spousal pension?
Regards
William

Hi William. No, your wife's spousal benefits won't be reduced if she receives a UK pension, nor would there be any need for her to notify Social Security if she isn't eligible for U.S. Social Security retirement or disability benefits based on her own earnings history. Spousal and survivor benefits are not subject to reduction from the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). There is a Government Pension Offset (GPO) provision that can cause a person's spousal or survivor benefits to be reduced if they receive a government pension based on their earnings that were exempt from Social Security taxes, but that only applies to pensions that are based on a person's earnings from governmental agencies in the U.S.

Best, Jerry