Widow receiving Spouses Soc. Sec (pension, social security, federal, state)

[beejay31]

Will a widow who receives $1,003 Gross ($661 NET after deductions) from Civil Service Retirement be entitled to receive her spouses Social Security -- which is approxiumately 1,400 per month? Also, will spouses Soc. Security be OFF SET by widow's Civil Service Retirement, and if so, by what amount? Obviously widow cannot live only on the $661Civil Service Retirement she receives. Thank You for any help you can provide.

[PeachyMJ]

My advice would be to make an appt with SS and get the information in person. I applied for my SS in April (I think) and started receiving it in September. I receive an annuity from the old Civil Service Retirement System. I had a break in service and when I went back to work I opted to go under the FERS system, where I paid into SS. When I applied for SS my benefits under my earnings were cut (I think by the off set), but was entitled to a portion of my husband's SS. I knew there were extenuating circumstances, so I opted for a face to face meeting rather than an interview over the phone.

[PeachyMJ]

I'm not sure how to edit my post, but you can go to the Retirement thread and there are a lot of federal retirees there.

[texdav]

You should be able to receive it afterall many civil service employees also qualify for SS if they worked enough qaurters in another job. the amount depends on ther money aoid in.

[RichCapeCod]

Look up Government Pension Offset regulation in the SS web site. My understanding of that reg is, if your husband DID NOT pay into the SS system, and you are receiving a pension from his work, then there will be a significant offset to what you would get from SS.

Again, check the web site. It's a complex regulation.

Rich

Let me clarify how this could happen. My situation. I am retired from a position in another state in which I paid into SS. I will be retiring from my current job in a couple of years (one which does not take out SS). Because should I predecease my spouse, and because she will be receiving a pension from my current employer in which I DID NOT pay into the SS system, she would not get any of my SS money from the government.

[TTTenor]

If a widow is receiving a government pension which is based on work not covered by Social Security, a widow's benefit based on her deceased husband's Social Security will be reduced by two-thirds the amount of the widow's own pension.

[maggiekate]

go to the social security web site, if you are 62 you can plug in figures, etc., even if you are not yet getting S.S.

[Pilgrim21784]

The CS/SS spousal interface regulations and computations are a bit complicated. You should make an appointment with a local SS office for a definitive assessment. They are your best source of advice.

[lhubbard512]

My mother in law draws $1225 a month Social Security Disability and a Pension from when she worked for $392. Her husband passed back in 2000, is she entitled to any benifits.

[arwenmark]

Certainly the OP needs to contact SS but the question is can someone who recieves a government pension also recieve spousal survivor benefits after the death of a spouse who DID work under SS and was receiving benefits.

I cannot see any reason why such a spouse would not receive survivor benefits equal to her husbands benefit. If she never worked at all she would receive them.
If her husband had a pension from where ever he had worked his SS would not have been reduced because of it. So why would her spousal survivor benefit be reduced or denied?