Louisiana state public employees face special challenges when it comes to figuring out their retirement benefits. Most Louisiana state public employees, who may be covered by LASERS, LSERS, TRSL, or other public employee retirement plans, don’t pay into the Social Security system. This means their ability to receive Social Security benefits is different from typical employment where the employee pays Social Security taxes. The situation gets more confusing when an eligible employee has some Social Security covered employment and some non-Social Security covered employment. Even worse, many people don’t learn about the rules until they reach retirement age, and they may have made decisions based on faulty information. Thankfully, the rules aren’t too complicated, and I’m here to help you decipher them. There are two rules that apply here: the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO). These links give more detailed information about each rule, but here are summaries:
How confident are you that your Social Security earnings record is accurate?
Unless you’ve checked it recently, you shouldn’t be too sure.
Mistakes in an individual’s Social Security earnings record are actually much more common than most people think. In tax year 2012 alone, the Social Security Administration reported $71 billion in wages that could not be matched to an individuals earnings record! The good news is that the Social Security Administration has a system for sorting out some of these mistakes and assigning the earnings to the correct record. But nearly half of the mismatches are never corrected. That means that in 2012 there were approximately $35 billion in wages that was never credited to an individual’s Social Security history.
Why A Social Security Earnings Record Mistake Matters
A mistake in your earnings history can make a big difference in how your Social Security benefits are calculated. How? It all goes back to the benefit’s formula. The Social Security Administration uses your highest 35 years of earnings as a cornerstone of the benefit calculation. If any of these 35 years are incorrect or missing altogether, the average is skewed. One year of missing earnings can make a difference of $100 per month (or more!) in your benefit amount. Over your lifetime, that could be nearly $30,000 in missed benefits from one year of missing earnings.
You need to check your Social Security earnings record today. Thankfully, it’s pretty easy to do.
Here’s how to accomplish this in five easy steps.
Step 1
Visit www.ssa.gov/myaccount to get started. If you click the link, it will open Social Security’s website in a separate page so you can keep using this guide.
Once the page loads, simple click on the button labeled “Sign In or Create an Account.”
Step #2
Type your username and password and click the button labeled “Sign In.”
Step #3
In the third step, you need to read and agree to the my Social Security Terms of Service. Be sure to carefully read this page before clicking in the “I agree” box and then clicking “Next.”
Although you need to understand this information for yourself, here’s a summary of what you are agreeing to.
-You will never share your information with anyone or use anyone’s account
-Once you open an account, you will no longer receive a paper statement in the mail. Instead, you’ll receive an annual email reminding you to log in and check your information.
Step #4
Now that you are on the home page, you just need to click on “Earnings Record” tab at the top.
Step #5
On your screen you should see your earnings record. Check it carefully. If there is a mistake, the burden is yours to prove it. You’ll need to locate documents that prove the error such as tax forms, W-2 forms or pay stubs. If you can’t find these, Social Security says to write down the name and address of your employer, the dates you worked there, how much you earned and the name and Social Security number you were using while you were employed, and the agency will use this information to investigate the problem.
For more information from the Social Security Administration on the procedure, you can visit the section of their POMS manual that discusses this.
Step #5 1/2
Dont forget to sign out! This system has too much valuable information to leave it open.
If you have questions about any of this, you could leave a comment below, but what may be an even greater help is to join my FREE Facebook members group. It’s very active and has some really smart people who love to answer any questions you may have about Social Security. From time to time I’ll even drop in to add my thoughts, too.
“Do stay at home moms get Social Security benefits?”
My wife asked me that question a few weeks ago after the topic came up over lunch with friends. She thought she knew the answer, but after hearing the varied opinions of her friends she was confused.
Here’s how I explained it to her in one sentence.
“Social Security benefits are paid to eligible spouses and children if the working spouse becomes disabled, dies or retires.”
Your Social Security benefits statement has some really important information in it. But where do you find it?
Several years ago the Social Security Administration stopped mailing the annual benefits statement to save cost. Then they started back…but not for everyone. Now, you’ll only receive a statement 3 months before you turn age 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, and 60. After age 60, you should receive a statement every year.
I’m glad they started mailing them again, but for those under age 60 receiving a new Social Security statement every five years in not nearly often enough. Your estimated benefits are most likely changing on an annual basis when your yearly earnings are recorded. If you keep your retirement plan updated annually (and you should), you’ll need these numbers to change your calculations.
So forget waiting on the postal service to deliver this important document. Just use this step-by-step guide and you’ll be looking at your benefits statement in less than two minutes!
Whatever your age, setting up a my Social Security account is a great idea. Especially if you hate the long lines at the Social Security office! It’s really easy too. From the comfort of your sofa you can go the Social Security sign in page and conduct business that would otherwise require a trip to the SSA office.
Also, the information available in your online Social Security account is critical for sound retirement planning. So if you haven’t already claimed your account, you should today!
Here are a few things you’ll be able to do once you sign up.
If you have already filed for Social Security
You can:
-Change your direct deposit
-Get a replacement SSA-1099 or SSA 1042S for tax purposes
-Instantly print a letter wtih proof of your Social Security benefits
-Change your address
-Request a replacement Medicare card (if over 65)
-Check your benefit and payment history
If you have not already filed for Social Security
You can:
-Verify your earnings history and then keep track of your yearly earnings
-Get an estimate of your future benefits
-Apply for Social Security benefits
If all of those reasons aren’t enough to convince you to set up your online account today, consider this: For every day that goes by without YOU setting up your online account, your chances increase that someone else will! If for no other reason, do it to keep yourself protected!
How to Set Up Your Online Social Security Account
Setting up your my SSA account is really simple. In fact, I can show you how in 8 super-easy steps.
Getting answers to your Social Security questions can be really frustrating.
I’ve talked to many individuals who have nearly given up and just accepted what they were being told (even if it didn’t make sense). One client, Mr. Brewer, really stands out in my memory. He’d been looking for answers for a long time and had just returned from the local Social Security office. He was red-faced angry! “Devin, why is Social Security so &#%!@ complicated?”
Thankfully, he wasn’t directing his anger at me but at an almost incomprehensible set of Social Security rules.
Why It’s So Difficult to Get Answers To Your Social Security Questions
If you have a pension from a job where you did not pay Social Security taxes, your benefit may be reduced by the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP).
How do you know if you’ll be impacted? Don’t expect it to be on your Social Security benefits statement.
This may surprise you but your Social Security statement does not reflect any reduction in benefits due to this provision.The Social Security Administration will wait until you file to tell you how much the reduction is if you qualify for both Social Security and a non covered pension.
Understanding if a reduction in benefits will apply to you, and how much that will be, does not have to wait until you file for Social Security. You can find out today. It starts by understanding the mechanics of the Windfall Elimination Provision.
If you retire and file for Social Security and then later decide to return to work, will your Social Security benefit increase to reflect the taxes you’re paying? Or do all those tax dollars just go down the drain?
The answer depends on two things:
1) Your earnings history
2) How much you are making now
There’s no doubt this can be a complex topic and most of the teachers that I’ve talked to have seen lots of conflicting information — so let’s clear up the confusion and take a closer look at the rules on teacher’s retirement and Social Security.
If you have a pension coming from a government job where you did not pay Social Security tax, you need to know about the Government Pension Offset. Why? If you are affected, it could drastically reduce, or even completely eliminate, your Social Security benefits.
I’ve had more than one client who was shocked to find out they would not receive a spousal or survivor’s benefit due to the Government Pension Offset. It can seem incredibly unfair and can be a nasty surprise. Especially if you’ve been planning your retirement income with this stream of payments calculated in.
