My wife has a teaching pension. Is she eligible for spousal benefits?

Published: November 29, 2022

Full question: My wife is a teacher in Texas and eligible for full teacher retirement. Can she earn partial SS benefits under myself as her spouse?

Hi there,

If your wife is collecting a “non-covered” pension from work that did not pay into Social Security, then yes, she would be affected by the Government Pension Offset, GPO rule when collecting a spousal benefit.

The amount of the GPO reduction to the spousal benefit depends on the amount of her own retirement benefits (if she is eligible to collect), the amount of your retirement benefit, her pension amount and other factors.

To determine the actual impact, we would need more information. Our team of RSSA’s can put together a personalized Social Security plan for you and your wife to help you decide what claiming strategy works best for both of you! Learn more here.

Take care,
Martha

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