Why this matters for public workers
About one in four state and local government workers holds a job that does not pay into Social Security. Most teachers in California, Texas, Ohio, Illinois, Massachusetts, Louisiana, Colorado and several other states are in that group. For decades, two rules cut the Social Security those workers earned from other jobs. The Windfall Elimination Provision shrank their own benefit, and the Government Pension Offset reduced or erased spousal and survivor benefits.
The Social Security Fairness Act ended both rules for benefits payable from January 2024 onward. Social Security sent retroactive payments during 2025 and raised monthly checks for more than 3 million people. If you have a pension from non-covered work and at least 10 years in covered jobs, your full Social Security benefit now adds to your pension. Our Fairness Act guide covers who gained the most.
How the Social Security part is figured
Social Security averages your 35 highest years of indexed earnings. Years with no covered work count as zero, which is why a teacher with 12 years of summer and pre-teaching jobs gets a smaller check than someone with a full career in covered work. The monthly average then runs through a progressive formula: 90% of the first $1,340, 32% of the amount up to $8,077, and 15% above that. The result is your benefit at full retirement age.
Claiming at 62 cuts that amount by 30% for life. Waiting past 67 adds 8% for each year until 70, so the age-70 benefit is 124% of the full amount. The chart shows the trade-off next to a pension that stays the same no matter when you claim Social Security.
Questions
Does my pension still reduce my Social Security?
Not any more. The Social Security Fairness Act, signed on January 5, 2025, repealed the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset for benefits payable after December 2023. Your own Social Security benefit and any spousal or survivor benefit are now figured the same way as everyone else’s.
I only worked a few years in jobs that paid Social Security. Do I qualify?
You need 40 credits, which is about 10 years of covered work, to get a retirement benefit on your own record. Summer jobs, work before teaching and a second job all count if Social Security tax was taken out.
Why is the estimate in today’s dollars?
Social Security indexes past earnings to wage growth and then adjusts benefits for inflation each year. Entering your average earnings in today’s dollars gives a figure close to what your statement at ssa.gov shows.
Where do I find my real numbers?
Your my Social Security account at ssa.gov lists every year of covered earnings and an estimate at 62, full retirement age and 70. Your pension system’s annual statement shows your service credit and pension estimate.