Ep 50 - Social Security: understanding provisions for public employees

Editor's note: In December 2024, Congress repealed the two provisions within Social Security benefits that we discuss in this episode.

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Continuing our discussion of Social Security benefits, we focus on unique provisions that can apply to public employees. Some people assume all public employees participate in Social Security, but this isn't always the case. We explore why some government workers, such as police officers and firefighters, might not be part of Social Security due to their unique pension plans.

We discuss two critical provisions that can impact Social Security benefits: the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). Our guest, Kirk, from the Social Security Administration explains how these rules apply to folks trying to claim benefits on their own or a spouse's record while receiving a government pension.

More about the GPO: https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/program-explainers/government-pension-offset.html

More about the WEP: https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/program-explainers/windfall-elimination-provision.html