You can receive both a pension and Social Security, but two federal rules may reduce one or both payments

Yes, you can collect a pension and Social Security simultaneously. Many people do. However, the amount you receive from Social Security may be lower if you also have a pension from work not covered by Social Security — typically government jobs, some railroad work, or certain foreign employment. A second rule, called Government Pension Offset, can reduce your spouse's or survivor's Social Security benefits if you receive a non-covered pension. Understanding which rule applies to you requires knowing what kind of pension you have and when you started drawing it.

The two rules that affect combined payments are the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO). WEP reduces your own Social Security benefit. GPO reduces benefits paid to your spouse, ex-spouse, or children based on your work record. Not everyone with a pension triggers these rules — only those whose pension comes from work where you did not pay Social Security taxes.

Key Takeaways

  • You can receive a pension and Social Security at the same time, but your Social Security amount may be reduced if your pension is from work not covered by Social Security.
  • The Windfall Elimination Provision reduces your own Social Security benefit by up to one-half of your pension amount, with a maximum reduction that changes yearly.
  • The Government Pension Offset reduces benefits to your spouse or children by two-thirds of your non-covered pension amount.
  • If your pension is from work where you paid Social Security taxes, neither rule applies and you receive your full Social Security benefit.
  • You should contact Social Security before you claim to learn whether WEP or GPO will affect your specific situation.

What the Windfall Elimination Provision does to your benefit

The Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) reduces your Social Security benefit if you receive a pension from work where you did not pay Social Security taxes. The reduction is calculated as one-half of your non-covered pension amount, up to a maximum. The maximum reduction changes each year — in 2024 it was $895 per month, but this figure is adjusted annually based on wage growth.

The reduction applies only to your own retirement or disability benefit, not to benefits paid to your family members on your record. If you worked in both covered and non-covered employment, Social Security uses a modified benefit formula that typically results in a lower payment than someone with the same earnings history who worked only in covered jobs. The reduction can be substantial: someone with a large non-covered pension might see their Social Security cut by several hundred dollars monthly.

WEP does not apply if you were born before 1917, if you have 30 or more years of substantial covered earnings, or if your non-covered pension is very small. "Substantial earnings" means you earned at least a certain amount in covered work each year — the threshold varies by year but is roughly $27,000 to $31,000 in recent years. If you have 20 to 29 years of substantial covered earnings, the reduction is smaller than the full WEP amount.

How Government Pension Offset affects your family's benefits

The Government Pension Offset (GPO) is different from WEP because it affects benefits paid to other people on your record, not your own benefit. If you receive a non-covered pension and you are also may have access to to Social Security benefits as a spouse, ex-spouse, or surviving spouse, GPO reduces those family benefits by two-thirds of your pension amount.

For example, if you receive a $1,500 monthly pension from a government job where you did not pay Social Security taxes, GPO would reduce your spousal or survivor benefit by $1,000 (two-thirds of $1,500). In many cases, this reduction eliminates the family benefit entirely. GPO applies whether you claim your own retirement benefit or not — if you are may be able to access for a non-covered pension, the offset applies to any family benefits you would receive.

GPO does not affect benefits paid to your children or to your ex-spouse's children on your record. It applies only to the spouse or ex-spouse benefit. If your pension is from covered employment — meaning you and your employer paid Social Security taxes on that income — GPO does not apply.

Which pensions trigger these rules and which do not

The key question is whether you paid Social Security taxes on the job that gave you the pension. If you did, neither WEP nor GPO applies, and you receive your full Social Security benefit with no reduction.

Pensions that typically trigger WEP or GPO are from:

  • Federal government civilian employment (before 1984, when FICA coverage began for most federal workers)
  • Some state and local government jobs, particularly teaching, law enforcement, and public employee retirement systems in certain states
  • Railroad employment covered by the Railroad Retirement Act rather than Social Security
  • Work for a foreign government or international organization
  • Military service pensions (though military members typically do pay Social Security taxes on their salary, so this is less common)

Pensions from private-sector jobs, most federal employment after 1984, and most state and local jobs where you paid FICA taxes do not trigger WEP or GPO. If you are unsure whether your pension is from covered or non-covered work, contact the agency that pays your pension and ask directly whether Social Security taxes were withheld from your salary.

How to learn about WEP or GPO will reduce your benefits

Social Security does not automatically tell you whether these rules apply until you claim benefits. You can contact Social Security before you claim to ask whether WEP or GPO will affect your situation. Call 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) or visit your local Social Security office. Have your pension statement or a letter from your pension provider ready, showing the amount of your monthly pension and confirming whether Social Security taxes were withheld.

You can also create a my Social Security account at ssa.gov and view your earnings record. The record shows which years you had covered earnings and which years you did not. If you see years with no earnings listed for a period when you were working, that work was likely not covered by Social Security.

Social Security also publishes a detailed WEP and GPO calculator on its website, though the results are estimates only. The calculator asks for your birth date, the amount of your non-covered pension, and your years of substantial covered earnings. The estimate can help you understand roughly how much your benefit might be reduced, but the actual amount is determined when you claim.

Strategies if WEP or GPO will reduce your benefits

If WEP or GPO will reduce your benefits, you have limited options to avoid the reduction itself, but you can plan around it. One approach is to delay claiming Social Security. The reduction from WEP or GPO is applied to your benefit amount, but your benefit grows by about 8 percent per year if you delay claiming past your full retirement age. Waiting until age 70 results in a larger benefit, which may offset some or all of the WEP reduction.

Another consideration is the timing of your pension claim. If you have not yet claimed your pension, you might explore whether delaying the pension claim affects when WEP applies. In some cases, the rules about when WEP begins depend on when you first become may be able to access for the non-covered pension, not when you claim it. This is complex and varies by situation, so discuss it with Social Security before you claim either benefit.

If GPO affects your spouse's or ex-spouse's benefit, there is no way to avoid the reduction. However, your spouse may have their own Social Security benefit based on their own work record, which is not affected by your pension. They can claim their own benefit instead of a spousal benefit, though the amount will be lower than the spousal benefit would have been without GPO.

Frequently Asked Questions

If I worked for a government employer and paid Social Security taxes, will WEP still apply?

No. WEP applies only if your pension is from work where you did not pay Social Security taxes. If your government employer withheld FICA taxes from your paycheck, your pension is covered employment and WEP does not apply. You can confirm this by asking your pension provider or checking your Social Security earnings record.

Can I avoid WEP by not claiming my pension?

No. WEP applies based on whether you are may be able to access for a non-covered pension, not on whether you actually claim it. If you are may have access to to the pension, even if you have not started receiving it, WEP can reduce your Social Security benefit. However, the reduction does not begin until you actually start receiving the pension payment.

Does WEP apply to my spouse's or children's benefits?

WEP applies only to your own retirement or disability benefit. Your spouse's or children's benefits based on your work record are not reduced by WEP. However, GPO may reduce your spouse's benefit if you receive a non-covered pension.

What if my pension is very small — will WEP still reduce my Social Security?

WEP applies to any non-covered pension, but the reduction is limited. The maximum reduction is adjusted yearly (it was $895 in 2024). If your pension is small, the reduction may be less than the maximum. Additionally, if you have 30 or more years of substantial covered earnings, WEP does not apply at all, regardless of pension size.

Can I appeal a WEP or GPO reduction?

You cannot appeal the rule itself, but you can request that Social Security recalculate your benefit if you believe your earnings record is wrong or if you have additional covered earnings that were not counted. If your earnings record is incorrect, correcting it may reduce or eliminate the WEP reduction. Contact Social Security to request a review of your record.