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April 29, 2018
Can I Collect My Social Security If I Receive A Railroad Pension Based On My Husband's Employment?
I was never a railroad employee but I receive a railroad pension through my husband's employment. Can I also collect on my paid in social security?
Hi,
You couldn't receive both benefits in full. If you file for Social Security benefits your tier 1 Railroad (RR) benefits would be offset dollar for dollar by the amount of your Social Security. However, your Social Security benefits would not reduce the amount of any tier 2 RR benefits for which you qualify.
Bottom line, it would likely only benefit you to file for Social Security (SS) if your SS rate is higher than your tier 1 RR rate. And if it is, you may want to wait until age 70 to file for your SS retirement benefits since your rate would continue to grow until then (https://www.ssa.gov/planners/retire/delayret.html).
Best, Jerry