PERA and Social Security
Notice: The recent passage of the Social Security Fairness Act eliminates the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset for Social Security benefits payable for January 2024 and later. Your PERA retirement benefits are not affected by this legislation.
Please read our FAQs and contact the Social Security Administration with questions about Social Security benefits.
If you’ve earned a Social Security benefit from other employment, you’ll receive benefit payments from both PERA and Social Security in retirement. These are separate benefits and neither affects the other.
Most PERA members do not contribute to Social Security while they are working for PERA employers. The PERA Defined Benefit and Defined Contribution Plans serve as a substitute for Social Security. Members in the Defined Benefit Plan have many of the same benefits as Social Security, including:
- Retirement income you cannot outlive
- Survivor benefits to provide for your loved ones
- Disability benefits in case you can’t work due to injury or illness
Social Security Fairness Act – Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO)
Prior to 2024, many public-sector retirees were subject to Social Security’s Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO). The WEP reduced Social Security benefits for retirees who receive a pension for work not covered by Social Security, such as PERA-covered employment, while the GPO reduced or eliminated Social Security spousal or widow(er) benefits for these same individuals.
The Social Security Fairness Act, which became law in January 2025, repealed WEP and GPO, removing the Social Security benefit reduction. The bill applies to benefits earned in 2024 and later—benefits paid in 2023 and earlier will not be adjusted.
For more information on the Social Security Fairness Act, visit ssa.gov.
