As A Georgia Teacher, Will I Receive Social Security?

If you are a teacher in Georgia, you are paying into the Teacher’s Retirement System of Georgia (TRS), which – once you are vested – will provide a pension for you when you retire.  This is a great retirement perk that plays a crucial role in most educator’s retirement plans (remind me to tell you the story of my Great Uncle Harvey, a public school teacher from Virginia, who lived to be 100 years old and received a pension check every month of his entire life in retirement).

There is some confusion as to whether teachers will also receive Social Security benefits – I have heard from many educators in the TRS system that they aren’t eligible for Social Security at all.  This article will help shed light on this potential misconception.

Will I receive Social Security?

A good starting place is to take a moment and create/log into your Social Security Statement online.  You’ll see you need 40 “credits” to qualify for a monthly social security payment upon retirement age – each credit is the equivalent of a quarter of a calendar year.

Some school districts in Georgia pay into both TRS and Social Security while others do not. If you find years with $0 (or close to $0) credits that coincide with your years in the public school system, you were likely working for a Georgia school district that does not pay into Social Security. You can also check with your district office to confirm if your system pays into Social Security on your behalf or not.

Also, many educators are surprised to find they might have had or have previous jobs where they have paid into Social Security (for example, the coffee shop job you had at 16, the summers you worked in retail, or the consulting business you picked up in your late 40’s).  This could also influence your decision to work towards getting social security once you retire from the public school system.

What if I do qualify for Social Security as well as the TRS pension?

If you do qualify to receive Social Security, there are currently two provisions that will impact the amount of money you will receive:  The Windfall Elimination Provision or WEP and the Government Pension Offset.

Windfall Elimination Provision

The WEP uses a formula to reduce your Social Security benefit if you are also receiving a pension – this can feel like a bit of a curveball if you don't know about it when planning for your retirement.

The WEP recalculates your Social Security benefit if you have a previous position where you paid into Social Security. The maximum monthly WEP for 2023 is $558 for 20 or fewer years of employment in a covered job. The WEP completely phases out if you worked 30 or more years in a previous job where you paid into Social Security. One way to eliminate the WEP is to work part-time or take on another job after teaching to get the 30 years of required work if that is something you would like to do and seems beneficial (the pros outweigh the cons).

Government Pension Offset

If you are married, you might be looking forward to getting some Social Security benefits as a spouse. Now, the Government Pension Offset (GPO) is like a rule that comes in, and if you have a government pension from a job where you didn't pay Social Security taxes, they are going to adjust your Social Security spousal or survivor benefits.

So, let's say you're married, and your spouse is getting Social Security benefits. The GPO might reduce the amount of spousal or survivor benefits you can receive based on your government pension.

In conclusion, public school educators in Georgia might be eligible to collect both their pension through TRS and Social Security if they qualify for both.  Educators are advised to contact the Social Security Administration to learn more about their benefits and how they interact with the Teachers Retirement System of Georgia. It is also best to talk to a financial advisor to see what options work best with your retirement goals.

Please refer to the Teacher’s Retirement System of Georgia for official information about details on your pension, including vesting status, credits, and pension estimates. Please refer to the Social Security website for official information on the Government Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination Provision.