Choose from the subcategories below to review the Frequently Asked Questions. Click on a question to expose the answer below.
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Choose from the subcategories below to review the Frequently Asked Questions. Click on a question to expose the answer below.
To return to the main FAQ page, just CLICK HERE.
The Social Security Administration mails Social Security Statements to workers age 60 and over who aren’t receiving Social Security benefits and do not yet have a my Social Security account. They mail the statements three months prior to your birthday.
You can get your personal Social Security Statement online by using your my Social Security account. If you don’t yet have an account, you can easily create one. Your online Statement gives you secure and convenient access to your earnings records. It also shows estimates for retirement, disability and survivors benefits you and your family may be eligible for.
To set up or use your account to get your online Social Security Statement, go to Sign In Or Create An Account.
You can also request your Social Security Statement by following these instructions. The Statement will arrive by mail in four to six weeks.
Social Security offers an online retirement application that you can complete in as little as 15 minutes.
In most cases, once your application is submitted electronically, you're done. There are no forms to sign and usually no documentation is required. Social Security will process your application and contact you if any further information is needed.
You can receive benefits in many countries. To find out whether you can receive your benefits in the country where you are retiring, you should use the Payments Abroad Screening Tool from the Social Security Administration.
You pay Social Security taxes each year up to a maximum amount that is set by law. That amount has changed frequently over the years. For 2018, the maximum amount of taxable earnings is $128,400.
Credits are the "building blocks" we use to find out whether you have the minimum amount of covered work to qualify for each type of Social Security benefit. For most people, the minimum number is 40 credits. If you stop working before you have enough credits to qualify for benefits, your credits will stay on your record. If you return to work later on, more credits will be added. No benefits can be paid if you do not have enough credits.
It takes a minimum of 40 work credits to qualify for Social Security retirement benefits. In 2018, you need $1,320 in earnings to qualify for a single credit, and you can earn up to four credits per year. You would need to earn at least $5,280 in order to receive the four possible credits for the year.
If you do not have at least 40 credits, you are not currently entitled to a retirement benefit, but you may become entitled with additional work. Learn about "How You Earn Credits" for more information.
You will know if you have at least 40 credits under Social Security because you will see projected benefit amounts (for you age 62, your FRA and age 70) on your Social Security statement.
Most employees are eligible to draw Social Security benefits at the age of 62.
No. The earliest Social Security benefits can be drawn is age 62. If you are retiring under FERS, you may be eligible for a program called the Special Retirement Supplement that is payable prior to the age of 62. This program is similar in many ways to Social Security, but completely separate.
Your Full Retirement Age (FRA) is somewhere between age 65 and 67 depending on the year you were born.
| Year of birth | Age |
|---|---|
| 1937 and prior | 65 |
| 1938 | 65 and 2 months |
| 1939 | 65 and 4 months |
| 1940 | 65 and 6 months |
| 1941 | 65 and 8 months |
| 1942 | 65 and 10 months |
| 1943-54 | 66 |
| 1955 | 66 and 2 months |
| 1956 | 66 and 4 months |
| 1957 | 66 and 6 months |
| 1958 | 66 and 8 months |
| 1959 | 66 and 10 months |
| 1960 and later | 67 |
| Notes: 1. Persons born on January 1 of any year should refer to the normal retirement age for the previous year. 2. For the purpose of determining benefit reductions for early retirement, widows and widowers whose entitlement is based on having attained age 60 should add 2 years to the year of birth shown in the table. | |
No. Although you may be eligible to retire at age 62, you are not required to draw benefits at that time.
No. Your decision to retire from federal service and your decision to draw Social Security benefits are completely independent of one another.
Social Security benefits are typically computed using "average indexed monthly earnings." This average summarizes up to 35 years of a worker's indexed earnings. The SSA applies a formula to this average to compute the primary insurance amount (PIA). The PIA is the basis for the benefits that are paid to an individual. This is the amount payable at a person's Full Retirement Age (between 65-67 depending on the year you were born).
Social Security retirement benefits are increased by a certain percentage (depending on date of birth) if you delay your retirement beyond full retirement age. These are called "delayed retirement credits".
The benefit increase no longer applies when you reach age 70, even if you continue to delay taking benefits.
If you are a FERS participant (and not drawing any other kind of pension from a job not subject to Social Security), you can draw your FERS pension and Social Security benefits simultaneously without reduction.
If you are a FERS Transfer, CSRS, or CSRS Offset employee, you may be subject to a reduction to your Social Security benefit because of a program called the Windfall Elimination Provision. Under WEP, the most a person's Social Security benefits can be reduced is the lesser of these two calculations: 1) up to $448 for 2018 or 2) "half" of their Social Security benefit.
Yes. Generally, up to 85% of your SS benefits are taxable, but taxes are NOT automatically withheld. You may request taxes to be withheld either on your initial application for SS benefits, or at a later point in time using form W-4V.
Taxes are NOT automatically withheld, but you may request them to be withheld either on your initial application for Social Security benefits, or at a later point in time using form W-4V. You may choose to withhold 7%, 10%, 12% or 22%.
States who tax Social Security benefits to some extent:
There are other states that have exemptions/exclusions based on AGI. Check your individual states if such an exclusion applies.
No. The Social Security Administration does not have the authority to withhold state income taxes.
The Social Security Earnings Test applies if all of these are true:
Their Social Security benefit will be reduced by $1 for every $2 of earnings over the allowable limit of $17,040/year (for 2018).
NOTE: “Wages” do not include income from a pension, TSP, other investments, etc.
No. Only wages from a job or self-employment count in the earnings test calculation.
No. Your spouse's income does not come into play for your Earnings Test. This is based solely on your own current wages.
No. Social Security benefits and Medicare are independent programs and enrolling in one does not require you to enroll in the other.
Yes. This eliminates the need to pay Medicare directly.
Probably not. As a regular (non-Offset) CSRS employee you will be subject to the Windfall Elimination Provision which will reduce the amount of Social Security benefit you will receive by up to "half" of your benefit (with a maximum reduction of $448/mo).
WEP is a provision that reduces the amount of Social Security benefits a person receives because of a “generous” government pension received from a career not covered by Social Security (like CSRS).
WEP reduces Social Security benefits by either “half” or up to $448/month (for 2018)—whichever yields the higher benefit
The Windfall Elimination Provision affects any federal employee whose pension includes the more generous CSRS formula (that is, CSRS, CSRS Offsets and FERS Transfers. To avoid the WEP reduction (penalty), an employee would need to have 30 years of substantial earnings under Social Security.
The WEP specifically does NOT affect FERS and Survivor Annuitants.
These are two different concepts.
Earning Social Security "credits"
Earning a Social Security "credit" simply helps you to become eligible to receive benefits and you will need 40 credits to qualify for Social Security benefits. In 2018, you need $1,320 in earnings to qualify for a single credit, and you can earn up to four credits per year. You would need to earn at least $5,280 in order to receive the four possible credits for the year.
Substantial earnings
The idea of "substantial earnings" is used for a different purpose. Each year, the substantial earnings limit changes. For 2018, you must earn at least $23,850/yr for it to be considered "substantial".
For federal employees who receive any portion of their federal pension from the more generous CSRS calculation (that is, CSRS, CSRS Offsets or FERS Transfers), they may be subject to a reduction to their Social Security benefit under the Windfall Elimination Provision. They can avoid the reduction by having at least 30 years of "substantial earnings" under Social Security.
No. The reduction associated with the Windfall Elimination Provision does not apply to widows/widowers who receive your Social Security benefit after you die.
Under normal Social Security rules, a person has a choice to either receive all of their own "earned" benefit, or half of their spouse's earned benefit. However, under Government Pension Offset rules, regular CSRS retirees will likely not be entitled to receive any of the spousal benefits because they receive a generous pension from CSRS.
GPO is a provision that reduces the amount of Social Security “spousal benefits” a person receives if they are also receiving a government pension from a career not covered by Social Security (like CSRS).
GPO reduces Social Security “spousal benefits” by 2/3 of the CSRS pension you are receiving (most often, this renders NO benefit payable).
When a worker files for retirement benefits, the worker's spouse may be eligible for a benefit based on the worker's earnings. Another requirement is that the spouse must be at least age 62 or have a qualifying child in her/his care. By a qualifying child, we mean a child who is under age 16 or who receives Social Security disability benefits.
The spousal benefit can be as much as half of the worker's "primary insurance amount," depending on the spouse's age at retirement. If the spouse begins receiving benefits before "normal (or full) retirement age," the spouse will receive a reduced benefit. However, if a spouse is caring for a qualifying child, the spousal benefit is not reduced.
No. A spouse (or former spouse) who receives the spousal benefit under Social Security does not lower the amount you receive.
See Government Pension Offset FAQ for details.