Do California Teachers Get Social Security? What the WEP/GPO Repeal Means

The Short Answer

California public school teachers do not pay Social Security tax on their CalSTRS-covered earnings, so teaching years do not generate Social Security credits. But many teachers have Social Security credits from other jobs — summer employment, a previous career, or part-time work outside education. And as a spouse, you may qualify for Social Security spousal or survivor benefits based on your partner's work record.

Until January 2025, two federal provisions — the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) — reduced or eliminated those Social Security benefits for anyone receiving a government pension like CalSTRS. Both provisions are now repealed.

What Changed in January 2025

The Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 82), signed January 5, 2025, fully repealed WEP and GPO retroactive to benefits payable from January 2024. This is a permanent legislative repeal, not a temporary waiver.

WEP reduced your own earned Social Security benefit if you also received a pension from work not covered by Social Security. A CalSTRS retiree with 20 years of teaching plus 15 years of Social Security-covered private sector work would have seen their Social Security check reduced by up to $587 per month. That reduction is gone.

GPO reduced Social Security spousal and survivor benefits by two-thirds of your government pension. A CalSTRS retiree with a $3,000 monthly pension claiming a $1,500 Social Security spousal benefit would have had the spousal benefit reduced by $2,000 — wiping it out entirely. That reduction is also gone.

What CalSTRS Retirees Should Do Now

If you're already receiving Social Security: The Social Security Administration automatically adjusted affected payments starting February 2025 and issued retroactive backpay covering January 2024 forward. Check your mySocialSecurity account to confirm the adjustment appeared.

If you never applied because of WEP or GPO: You must file a new application with the SSA. The retroactive adjustment is not automatic for people who never filed — SSA doesn't know you exist as a claimant until you apply. Contact the SSA at 1-800-772-1213 or visit your local office.

If you're still working and haven't retired yet: Factor your full, unreduced Social Security benefits into your retirement income planning. Your CalSTRS pension formula is unchanged — it calculates the same way it always has. But your total household retirement income may now include Social Security payments that weren't in the picture before.

What the Repeal Doesn't Change

Your CalSTRS pension is calculated entirely by CalSTRS using its own formula — service credit times age factor times final compensation. The Social Security Fairness Act didn't change anything about how CalSTRS calculates benefits, contribution rates, or age factors.

Teaching years still don't generate Social Security credits. If all of your working years were in CalSTRS-covered positions, you won't have enough Social Security credits (40 quarters) to qualify for your own earned benefit. The repeal only matters if you have Social Security credits from other work or qualify for spousal/survivor benefits.

CalSTRS member contribution rates (10.25% for 2% at 60, 10.205% for 2% at 62) go to CalSTRS, not Social Security. You can't redirect them.

Beware of Outdated Information

Thousands of web pages, union handbooks, and financial advisor blogs still describe WEP and GPO as active law. Any resource telling you that your CalSTRS pension will reduce your Social Security benefits is working from pre-2025 information. The offsets are repealed — permanently, retroactively, and completely.

State-level pension plan offsets (like Illinois SERS's coordinated-member offset) are separate from the federal WEP/GPO and still exist. But CalSTRS has no such plan-level offset.

The CalSTRS Service Retirement Guide covers how to coordinate CalSTRS pension income with Social Security benefits, including a timeline for when to contact the SSA relative to your CalSTRS retirement date.

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