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If you receive a pension from a government job in which you did not
pay Social Security taxes, some or all of your Social Security spouse's,
widow's or widower's benefit may be offset due to receipt of that
pension. This offset is referred to as the Government Pension Offset, or
GPO.
The GPO will reduce the amount of your Social Security spouse's,
widow's or widower's benefits by two-thirds of the amount of your
government pension.
Complete information with links to FREE online GPO calculators are
listed below.
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GPO Menu
The Government Pension Offset, or GPO, is a second provision of the Social
Security law that affects many Federal employees. It affects workers who are
entitled to a pension based on work in a Federal, State, or local government
that was not covered by Social Security, such as CSRS. It also affects employees
who transfer to FERS, but do not work for 5 years under FERS. The GPO does not
affect employees who were required by law to have Social Security coverage --
such as employees who were automatically covered by FERS without electing it,
and people with CSRS Offset coverage.
The GPO affects the Social Security benefits you may be entitled to as a
spouse, former spouse, or surviving spouse of someone who is eligible for a full
Social Security benefit. Under the GPO, your Social Security spousal benefit
will be reduced by $2 for every $3 you receive from your CSRS annuity. Your own
Personal Earnings and Benefit Estimate Statement (PEBES) will not give you
information about the impact of the GPO. You need to review your spouse's
(PEBES), which will give you information about your spousal benefit and adjust
that amount.
Example: Suppose you are eligible for a $600 Social
Security spousal benefit, and that you receive a CSRS annuity of $1,200 a
month. The GPO would be two thirds of your monthly $1,200 CSRS benefit, or
$800. Since the offset amount is larger than your $600 Social Security
benefit, your Social Security benefit would be eliminated.
If you leave Federal service and return to a CSRS-covered appointment after
more than 365 days, you would be required by law to have Social Security
coverage, so you would have CSRS Offset coverage. In this case, you would be
exempt from the GPO. In addition, employees who transfer to FERS and work for 5
or more years under FERS are exempt from the GPO.
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