Community Chat

[chessylady]

Get ready, next year there will be efforts to privitize Social Security (to further monetize Wall Street) and to change Medicare drastically.

[shoekitty]

Police and fire and a few other jobs do not have SS taken out.  They do pay union dues. They also collect a full pay pension.  They can retire at 53. So at 53 they collect full pay, full medical insurance for themselves and a discount for family..  That is why the last 3 years most police, fire work all the overtime, premium shifts they can get.  Because the dept takes all past 3 year pay and estimated yearly salary, and pays you that.  They have a PERS account the county puts into.  When my son in law first started he didnt even have to conteibute to PERS, they gave him 9% .  They now  have to contribute a bit.  Thats why these working groups do not get ss.  Here is the thing, after they retire at 52 or so, most get another job.  Many come in the back door.  They work that for 10 years or so, then collect SS. So they have their retirement pension, SS, and PERS. many retired police I know at 55 yrs,old are collecting close to 200,000@ year. The police I know, always worked desk at the jail. We are in california

[Shawnie]

Medicare increase!  Wow!  I'll receive $60 less into my bank account.

[gidgetgh]

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@shoekitty wrote:

Police and fire and a few other jobs do not have SS taken out.  They do pay union dues. They also collect a full pay pension.  They can retire at 53. So at 53 they collect full pay, full medical insurance for themselves and a discount for family..  That is why the last 3 years most police, fire work all the overtime, premium shifts they can get.  Because the dept takes all past 3 year pay and estimated yearly salary, and pays you that.  They have a PERS account the county puts into.  When my son in law first started he didnt even have to conteibute to PERS, they gave him 9% .  They now  have to contribute a bit.  Thats why these working groups do not get ss.  Here is the thing, after they retire at 52 or so, most get another job.  Many come in the back door.  They work that for 10 years or so, then collect SS. So they have their retirement pension, SS, and PERS. many retired police I know at 55 yrs,old are collecting close to 200,000@ year. The police I know, always worked desk at the jail. We are in california

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@shoekitty- my husband was a county firefighter here in Georgia for 32 years. He had SS taken out of his check. No union. 

[tansy]

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@chessylady wrote:

Get ready, next year there will be efforts to privitize Social Security (to further monetize Wall Street) and to change Medicare drastically.

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Despite promises to the contrary:/

[shoekitty]

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@gidgetgh wrote:

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@shoekitty wrote:

Police and fire and a few other jobs do not have SS taken out.  They do pay union dues. They also collect a full pay pension.  They can retire at 53. So at 53 they collect full pay, full medical insurance for themselves and a discount for family..  That is why the last 3 years most police, fire work all the overtime, premium shifts they can get.  Because the dept takes all past 3 year pay and estimated yearly salary, and pays you that.  They have a PERS account the county puts into.  When my son in law first started he didnt even have to conteibute to PERS, they gave him 9% .  They now  have to contribute a bit.  Thats why these working groups do not get ss.  Here is the thing, after they retire at 52 or so, most get another job.  Many come in the back door.  They work that for 10 years or so, then collect SS. So they have their retirement pension, SS, and PERS. many retired police I know at 55 yrs,old are collecting close to 200,000@ year. The police I know, always worked desk at the jail. We are in california

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@shoekitty- my husband was a county firefighter here in Georgia for 32 years. He had SS taken out of his check. No union. 

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Shoekitty said,   Is it must California?  These are City Firefighters and both county sherrifs and police .  they do not have SS taken out, they do a pers thing and are given a pension

[Carmie]

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@tansy wrote:

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@Carmie wrote:

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@tansy wrote:

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@Carmie wrote:

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@topcat10 wrote:

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Does anyone have any idea why @Annabellethecat66's SS would be affected by investments?  I don't see any connection between them.  Isn't SS based only on earnings on which SS was paid by an employer...even if that employer is "self"?

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The only thing that affects your SS retirement benefits is if you rec'd a pension from your employer (which reduces SS) unless you have 30 years of coverage then your SS benefits will not be affected.

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Annabellethecat’s SS benefits were reduced because she was a former government employee who did not pay into the SS system.  It usually happens when a person receives a government pension and SS at the same time.

Look up WEP ( Windfall Elimination Provision) on  the Medicare website.

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But she’s collecting her husband’s SS benefit, right?  It’s hard to follow.  @Carmie

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You never really collect all of your benefits under your spouse’s SS if you worked and have enough of quarters on your own. You collect your SS benefit first, then if the benefits are higher under your spouse’s, you get up to the higher amount under his benefits. 

For example, if your SS benefit is $1000 and your spouse’s is $2000, when he passes, you can collect $1000 on yours and up to half under his.  So you would get $1000 more under his benefits. $1000 would come under your benefits and $1000 under his for a  total of $2000 a month.

Some of the rules have changed around May of 2016. So if you collected benefits before this time period, you didn’t have to even wait for your spouse to pass before collecting under his SS and yours at the same time.

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Not really what I was asking, @Carmie, but that’s okay🙂.  Thanks.

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@tansy  I answered the exact question you asked.  You didn’t understand my answer.

if you worked enough quarters to collect any amount of SS on your own, when you then change to collect under your spouses’ SS, you don’t collect 100% of your monthly chuck under His SS.  Your check is the combined amount from yours plus his.

So to answer your question, no she is just not collecting her husband’s SS, she is collecting a combination of hers and his.

[tansy]

@Carmie — Then I phrased my question wrong.  I am aware of the info you provided.  

[shoekitty]

We always have state and federal tax  taken out, so oir check is less.  Perhaps this is what Annabel was talking about.  As stocks go up, your income goes up....thus taxes.  An accountant might have taxes deducted before SS hits bank account.  I know we take 600 or so taken from oirs.   Saves the stress and shock come tax time.  Jmho

[LonestarBabs]

Just got my Mom's statement -- no change from last year.