Social Security and teacher retirement
I will be retiring within a couple years. My wife is a retired Illinois grade school teacher. When I finally file for my Social Security benefits, will she also be able to file for spousal benefits based on my employment record?
Terry Says
Your wife may be eligible for spousal and widow’s Social Security benefits, but the amount may be reduced because of the Government Pension Offset (GPO), which affects many people who earned a pension from a federal, state or local government and did not pay Social Security taxes. The GPO affects certain federal civil-service employees and some state- and local-government employees, such as some police officers, teachers and others who did not pay into the Social Security system, according to Social Security. I suggest you contact your local SS office for the specifics in your situation.
