[Topspinmo]

Originally Posted by Villager Joyce

I met with the folks at the SS office in Leesburg. Very professional and helpful. You check in on a computer when you arrive. We were seen a few minutes earlier than our appointment. I should have said that. Make an appointment.

Yes you want to make appointment! Otherwise the end of the line will be out the door and down the street .

[MSGirl]

I've heard of folks getting $500. Check with SS to see what you get

[Topspinmo]

IMO wouldn't wait too late in the year to retire, if you make over 39k or so ? (Can not remember the exact amount) you will get pentialized cause you made too much money in that year and your SS check may be less or none for that year depending on how much over the limit you make.

IMO best to retire early in the year, also any money you take out of retirement fund counts as yearly income and may put you in way higher tax bracket.

Also you will get questionnaire inquiring how much money you will make in that year which includes your wage before you retired minis the Ira or thrift monies ( SS can't count that as earned income for that year,)but, you will get taxed by fed on income tax earned forthe year. Just let you know what's head and how it could effect your SS retirement check or fed income tax the year you retire?

[Ohiogirl]

Originally Posted by Topspinmo

I am waiting for my wife to turn 62 so she can claim me and get 1 /2 of what I get. Will be in the bucks then! "O". Wait my money is our money and her money is her money!

You may want to check this out again - unless I am mistaken (and I have made a mistake once or two in my life , she will need to wait until she is 66. Also, she cannot claim on her own earnings at 62 to do this (get the spousal benefit of 1/2 spouse's earnings).

I am going to double check myself this summer in person at an SSA office. There is also a great website you can click around on and get these questions answered there. I think it is ssa dot gov

[Villager Joyce]

I made an appointment because there are so many factions involved. My SS was delayed a couple of months because I was still working, albeit a part time job. The rep helped determine if I was better off taking spousal half or my own. I liked that she printed the worksheet and signed it.

[jnieman]

Originally Posted by MSGirl

I've heard of folks getting $500. Check with SS to see what you get

I think it depends on how much you earned in your job and how much you paid in.

[Topspinmo]

I remember this from the SS retirement portion of the retirement briefings I got before I retired less than two years ago.

As far as a spouse you can claim your spouse no matter how many times you been married. Plus you can claim the one that made the most money! It does not effect the spouses SS benefits.
Your eligible at 62 to collect SS. It will not be the full benifit. Depending on your age the full benifit could be over 65. My example for me to collect full benifit would of been 66 four months being I am baby boomer. But I can collect it at 62 with reduced benifit. You have to decide at what age and amount you can afford to retire with the amount right for you.

[Walt.]

Originally Posted by MSGirl

I've heard of folks getting $500. Check with SS to see what you get

I would love $500 per month. You can lose 60% of your SS if you get a government pension. If you got that same amount of pension working for a business you wouldn't be penalized.

[Nightengale212]

Originally Posted by Walt.

You can lose 60% of your SS if you get a government pension. If you got that same amount of pension working for a business you wouldn't be penalized.

I work for the Federal Government and the information you relayed about loosing 60% of your SS if you get a Federal Government pension is incorrect info. The FERS retirement system which came about around 1987 consists of SS, a Federal pension, and TSP which is a 401K plan which the employee pays into all 3 and collects on all 3. The small remaining number of employees under the old CSRS Federal retirement systems did not pay into SS unless they had a private sector job prior to or during their Federal service employment and they would lose some SS money through the WEP process. This would not be a huge financial loss because CSRS employee's retirement calculation with 30 years of service works out to about 70-75 % of the average of their top 3 salaries. For me under FERS, my combined pension and SS will yield slightly less than 1/2 of the average of my top 3 salaries, and this is the reason why I heavily contribute to my TSP to make up the difference.

[Bavarian]

Originally Posted by Nightengale212

I work for the Federal Government and the information you relayed about loosing 60% of your SS if you get a Federal Government pension is incorrect info. The FERS retirement system which came about around 1987 consists of SS, a Federal pension, and TSP which is a 401K plan which the employee pays into all 3 and collects on all 3. The small remaining number of employees under the old CSRS Federal retirement systems did not pay into SS unless they had a private sector job prior to or during their Federal service employment and they would lose some SS money through the WEP process. This would not be a huge financial loss because CSRS employee's retirement calculation with 30 years of service works out to about 70-75 % of the average of their top 3 salaries. For me under FERS, my combined pension and SS will yield slightly less than 1/2 of the average of my top 3 salaries, and this is the reason why I heavily contribute to my TSP to make up the difference.

Not all of us Feds are under FERS, just the young ones. Don't assume that the poster was under FERS, he, like me, could very well be one of "those tine amount of retired Feds under CSRS"

[Bavarian]

Originally Posted by Walt.

I would love $500 per month. You can lose 60% of your SS if you get a government pension. If you got that same amount of pension working for a business you wouldn't be penalized.

Which is totally unfair!

[jnieman]

Originally Posted by Bavarian

Which is totally unfair!

Yes it is unfair. My husband paid in the full amount for over 30 years to Social Security and now his is reduced because he is in the Fed Gov't CSRS Offset retirement.

[hulahips]

Think that depends on how long you worked and what you contributed I just turned 62 and am enjoying that check I worked all those yrs for. Treat yourself and enjoy

[Topspinmo]

Originally Posted by jnieman

Yes it is unfair. My husband paid in the full amount for over 30 years to Social Security and now his is reduced because he is in the Fed Gov't CSRS Offset retirement.

The CSRS gov employees are in the same boat as railroad workers. They didn't pay into SS so they don't get credit under the employment time they worked off the grid. IMO CSRS vs furs pretty close to as stated above 80% vs less that 50% monthly retirement annuity for the same years served IMO.

I know this cause I compared my years of service to buddy with the same under CSRS. That's exactully why IMO they thought up FURS to reduce retirement pay. Also IMO if you invested fully in thrift saving over 20 years and made the right investment choices it offset it and in some cases made off better, but that was 10 to 12 percent (my last few years max is 15%) coming out of you pay check above all other deductions and then big tax hit where you drew from it. So they got there invested money back that they invested in your retirement.


I paid over 45k in taxes this year. I didn't have the army of lawyers (or the deductions) like WB the tax cheat did to reduce my tax bill to less than his secretary.

I like it how people don't work for the gov. think gov. employees have it so
good. They forget the years of lower pay (at least in My pay grade).

I also like how people think military retiree got it made. But, they never served day in the military.

Also CSRS employee's had choice to convert to FURS. Few did cause the numbers didn't add up at the time of there retirement. I know the last year of two I worked there was big push to get all employees under furs. I don't know their options cause it didn't affect me.

This is just my opinion (based on my experience) , others my disagree in there world or pay grade?

[Walt.]

Originally Posted by Nightengale212

I work for the Federal Government and the information you relayed about loosing 60% of your SS if you get a Federal Government pension is incorrect info. .

I guess I would be incorrect IF I said I worked for the Federal Government.... which I did NOT. I did work in the private sector for quite a number of years before working for a city government.
I have no idea what CSRS, FURS, etc are.
If I worked those same earlier years and then sat home for 30 years instead of working at my city job my Social Security would not have been cut... which it was.

This thread was about how much SS you get and what could effect it?