The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1184010
The Press-Dispatch Local Wednesday, November 13, 2019 A- 5 Dear Rusty: My husband retired at his full retirement age of 66. He qualified for Social Se- curity but also qualified for Civil Service Retire- ment System (CSRS). Being so, he falls under the Windfall Offset Pro- vision, and subsequent- ly had his Social Securi- ty benefit reduced from around $900 to $450. His full CSRS benefit is $3,400. I have not claimed my So- cial Security benefit, but I expect it to be around $2,000 at my full re- tirement age of 66 in November. At my full retirement age could I col- lect half of his benefit and let mine grow until age 70? Or upon filing, am I forced to take my full bene- fit instead? If I can take half of his benefit, would it be half of his full benefit or half of the reduced ben- efit? Also, upon claiming my bene- fit, would my husband be entitled to claim half, and thus increase what he is currently receiving on his own benefit? In addition, upon my death, would my husband qualify for my full Social Security benefit or is he subject to offset by the Windfall Off- set or Government Pension Offset? Signed: Confused About SS. Dear Confused: Because of your husband's CSRS pension, his own Social Security benefit is re- duced by the Windfall Elimination Provision ( WEP), and any spousal benefit he may be enti- tled to will be affected by the Government Pen- sion Offset (GPO). Both WEP and GPO are pro- visions which affect any- one with a pension from employment which did not participate in the So- cial Security program. GPO is the more se- vere of these two provisions, be- cause it reduces any spousal (or sur- vivor) benefit your husband might be entitled to by 2/3rds of his CSRS pension, which means that he will not be able to get a spousal benefit from you when you apply (2/3rds of his CSRS pension is more than he would get as a spousal benefit). You, on the other hand, will be el- igible (at your full retirement age, or "FR A," of 66) to file a "Restrict- ed Application for Spousal Benefits Only," which will give you half of his WEP-reduced Social Security bene- fit (about $225/month). You are el- igible to use the restricted applica- tion because you were born before January 2, 1954 (those born after January 1,1954 cannot use this op- tion). By doing so, you can collect a spousal benefit from your husband while allowing your own SS retire- ment benefit to grow by 8 percent per year of delay (2/3rds of 1 per- cent per month of delay) up until you are 70 years of age, when your benefit amount will be 32 percent more than it would be at age 66. But when you claim your benefit at age 70 your husband's spousal benefit won't be based on your increased amount, but rather upon your FR A benefit amount of $2,000, which means he still won't get a spousal benefit due to the Government Pen- sion Offset. Finally, if you should predecease your husband, the GPO will also affect his survivor's benefit, which is based upon 100 percent of what you were receiving at your death (not on your FR A benefit). So, us- ing the numbers you provided, if your FR A benefit would be about $2,000 your age 70 benefit will be about $2,640 (not including COL A increases). Since 2/3rds of your husband's CSRS pension is $2268, he'd normally be entitled to the dif- ference $372) as his survivor's ben- efit. But since that amount is less than his own WEP-reduced SS ben- efit, he won't get a survivor's bene- fit. As you may be aware, the Fed- eral CSRS plan has been replaced by the Federal Employee Retire- ment System (FERS) which partic- ipates in Social Security, so WEP and GPO do not apply to those who retire under FERS. Social Security Matters How does my spouse's pension affect benefits? 604 E. Illinois St., Petersburg 812-354-1303 Regular Hours: Mon-Thur:10am-7pm Friday:10am-6pm • Saturday: 10am-1pm Black Friday Savings Black Friday Savings Single $275 $220 Student/Senior $225 $170 Husband/Wife $460 $395 Family $635 $520 NOW 1 FREE WEEK OF TANNING with purchase of year membership $60 $10 2 MONTHS TANNING NEW ZONE GRUNT-STYLE T-SHIRTS ANY BED Like us on Facebook! 1-year Memberships Savings Valid Only Nov. 29 & 30 Friday:10am-6pm • Saturday: 10am-3pm MONDAY VEGETABLE BEEF SOUP Spaghetti $ 6.99 Cheesy Mozzarella Toast, Side Salad and Drink* DAILY dine in or carry out *Your Choice of Regular Coffee, Tea or Coke Product. /CakesAndCoffeeCafe Like us on Facebook! In a Hurry? Call 812-354-2004! 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We're not afraid to shed some light on the truth. 812-354-8500 Pike County Scouts head 'Into the Woods' Petersburg Boy Scouts Gavin Sickles, Dominick Smith and Gage White identify different types of trees and plants at the "Into the Woods" campsite during Webelos in the Woods at the Old Ben Scout Reser- vation on Saturday, Nov. 9.