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…

Full question: My husband is in hospice. When he passes, I will be able to collect his railroad pension, but no longer mine. Can I collect my Social Security to make up for the lost? Hi there, I am sorry about your husband. Railroad retirement benefits and Social Security benefits are similar. There are a…

Full question: (I am an American citizen) Is it fair that I paid into Social Security and obeyed the rules while working in the USA until I came to Portugal and began working here where I then paid into Social Security here and obeyed all the rules? My pension original pension from the states was…

Full question: My mom (68 years old) is receiving survivor benefits and is in the process of selecting an annuity option from TRS. She doesn’t have 40 credits and paid into TRS only. We’ve been prepping and searching for answers on IF and how a partial lump-sum option affects the government pension offset, GPO. Do…

Full question: I am 57, at 45 became a widow. I was told I could receive benefits at 60. Problem is I am a teacher in public school system. I called Social Security and they said I am not entitled to anything because my estimated pension monthly is more than my husband monthly Social. Is…

Full question: Hi Martha. I have tried the WEP screening tool, but it refers to a totalization agreement that confuses me. Asking this question so I can perhaps talk to a WEP expert in a consultation. I wish to know if the section on this document entitled: “Payments which cannot be used to apply WEP…