Is Bill Worrell Retiring
HOUSTON Today, AT& T SportsNets Bill Worrell announced he will retire as the Rockets television play-by-play broadcaster following Houstons final home game of the season vs. Worrell will remain as a special contributor for AT& T SportsNet next season, which will be his 40th with the Rockets, before retiring.
Know Your Social Security Options
If you’re unsure whether you’re contributing to Social Security, a quick glance at your payroll deductions will clarify the matter. You may also qualify for Social Security if you’ve worked in the private sector, but it typically takes at least 10 years of private-sector work to earn enough credits to be eligible for benefits.
In 15 states, some educational employers do not participate in Social Security, so their teachers neither contribute to the program nor reap its benefits. In 12 of thoseâAlaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, and Texasâfew public school educators are covered. In three other statesâGeorgia, Kentucky, and Rhode Islandâsome school districts participate, and some don’t.
Even within so-called no-Social-Security states, though, program participation can be a checkerboard. In California, for example, teachers who participate in CalSTRS do not pay into Social Security but into the CalSTRS fund instead.
Teachers who participate in the California Public Employees Retirement System do pay into Social Security.
Do Teachers And Public Workers Without Social Security Lose Out A New Analysis Says Sometimes
Does this teacher get a fair pension for her work?
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Conventional wisdom says that the reason for public sector pension plans poor track record on funding levels is that benefit levels are simply too high, causing politicians to kick the can down the road perpetually. In Illinois, for example, Tier 1 teachers can retire at any age, after 35 years of service, without any reduction to their benefit, and receive 75% of their pay with automatic 3% increases each year. As a bonus, they can add to their service calculation two years of unused sick leave, as well as non-vested time spent teaching out-of-state, if they pay the employee contribution for that service. You simply cant beat that in the private sector, even considering Social Security benefits.
This is a very narrow test, though, and individual teachers in those plans can end up losing out. The test allows states to establish vesting periods, in some cases in excess of what federal law permits for private sector plans, such as 10 years in Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, and Massachusetts. The test doesnt question whether the benefits provide by the plan exceed the contributions required from the employees. It doesnt take into account teachers who withdraw their contributions and lose their benefits. And it doesnt require a cost-of-living adjustment, without which fixed-income pensions will lose ground relative to Social Security even if benefits are equal at retirement.
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What Income Reduces Social Security Benefits
If you are younger than full retirement age and earn more than the yearly earnings limit, we may reduce your benefit amount. If you are under full retirement age for the entire year, we deduct $1 from your benefit payments for every $2 you earn above the annual limit. For 2021, that limit is $18,960.
How Does Gpo Affect Spousal Benefits For Texas Teachers
If your spouse is entitled to get social security benefits, you might also be entitled to the same up to 50 % of the spousal benefits while they live and up to 100% when they die.
If you and your spouse are entitled to receive a government pension, either of you could still apply for spousal benefits. This is known as Dual Entitlement receiving your own share of security plus enjoying the benefits of spousal or widower entitlement.
To prevent this dual allowance, GPO was created. Based on a number of other factors, GPO may reduce spousal benefits by up to two-thirds of its original value. This rule applies to public school educators and affects their retirement annuity to some extent.
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Retired Teachers In California Struggle To Make Ends Meet With No Access To Social Security
Former teachers struggling to make ends meet during retirement
KTVU’s Rob Roth reports.
Many retired educators in California are finding retirement far less comfortable than they had assumed.
“I loved the children I taught. But I’ve been penalized for that decision by the government,” said Lee Giammona, who spent 25 years teaching elementary school children in Santa Rosa.
For her, it was a second career.
But as much as she loved teaching, she now questions whether she should have left her 10-year career in business for the classroom.
“If I had known that when I went back into teaching, I think I would have reconsidered that decision for sure,” she said.
When Giammona retired as a teacher in California, she didn’t know she would only be allowed to collect a small portion of the Social Security benefits she paid into before stepping into education.
Under the Windfall Elimination Provision, she gets only $42 a month from Social Security.
“They can just keep it. It’s embarrassing. It’s like a slap in the face,” she said.
Giammona does receive her teacher’s pension. But she didn’t teach long enough to max out her retirement. And now she says she struggles.
“It’s very hard to live on a limited amount of money,” she said.
Seniors delaying retirement
Seniors who are too poor to retire, and for whom Social Security benefits can’t support the cost of living in the Bay Area, have been working throughout the pandemic.
Giammona also received another unwelcome surprise.
If You Were Employed But Werent Covered By Social Security
In the beginning, Social Security didnt cover any public sector employees. But as many states dropped their own pension plans and adopted coverage agreements with the Social Security Administration, things have changed.
Today there are still 15 states that participate solely in their own pension plans instead of Social Security:
Those states are:
- Rhode Island
- Texas
If you are a teacher in one of those states, the rules for collecting a Teachers Retirement System pension and Social Security can be confusing and maddening to try and figure out.
Thats especially true if youve paid into the Social Security system for enough quarters to qualify for a benefit, which is fairly common among teachers.
Many teachers find themselves in this situation for a variety of reasons. For some, teaching is a second career, after theyve spent years working in a job or a state where Social Security taxes were withheld.
Others may have taught in a state where teachers do participate in Social Security. For example, teachers in my town, which is divided between the states of Arkansas and Texas, could qualify for both.
If they worked in Arkansas for at least 10 years and then taught in Texas , they would qualify for both Social Security and the Teacher Retirement System of Texas.
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What Retirement Benefits Do Texas Teachers Enjoy
If you are a teacher at a public school in Texas, you are eligible to receive a monthly allowance a government pension. Once your employment ends and you met all the requirements of the pension and social security, you will start receiving the allowance. The TRS is a state-approved plan and supports more than a million beneficiaries.
Is Teacher Retirement Taxable In Texas
Yes, Texas TRS retired pay is a Qualified Plan. Amounts accumulated in your member account or your retirement benefits become taxable income in the years in which they are paid to you. As a governmental plan, TRS is not an ERISA plan under the federal Employees Retirement Income Security Act of 1974.
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Question: Can You Collect Your Own Pension And Social Security Benefits
Teachers in some states benefit from the states independent pension plan, while other states offer only coverage in partnership with Social Security. Teachers in the latter states have an easy answer to the question of double-dipping into pension and Social Security. Theyre simply the same thing, so double-dipping is not possible.
Teachers who may find the rules more confusing are:
If you fall into either of these buckets, you may be eligible to receive benefits. However, you must first qualify. Qualifying is based on earning income credits. For every $1,300 you earn, you get one income credit. But you can only earn up to four credits per year. Forty total credits are required to qualify for Social Security benefits, which means youd need to earn four credits per year for 10 years to be eligible. There is no partial benefit, its all or nothing.
When Can I Retire Under Trs
In order to retire under TRS, you must be a certain age and accumulated a certain amount of service. The age and amount of service you will need will depend on which tier level you are under the TRS system. The tiers are broken down by the day you started in the system, that is, when you became eligible to participate in the TRS system.
If you became a teacher in the TRS System before 2005 and were already at least 50 years old, you will be Tier 1. If you were in the system before 2005 but not 50 years old at that time, you will be Tier 2.
If you started your employment between 2005 and 2007, you will be Tier 2.
If you employment began after 2014 you will be Tier 5. If you are wondering what happened to Tier 3 and Tier 4, they are reserved for people who have started employment prior to 2005, left, and then came back.
Most Tiers are going to have several different ways to calculate your full-retirement age. First, you can always retire at the age of 65, no matter what tier you are in.
All tiers also have the Rule of 80 to determine if you are eligible for full-retirement. The Rule of 80 says, if you add up your age plus years of service and they add up to 80 or more, you are eligible for full-retirement.
Some of tiers still require you to be age 60 or 62, even when using the Rule of 80. It is important to understand what date is your full-retirement age because it will affect how much of your pension you are entitlted to.
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Can Texas Teachers Get Spousal Social Security
Texas educators eligible for both a spousal or widow/er Social Security benefit and their own TRS pension benefit are subject to the GPO. The GPO reduces the amount such educators are eligible to receive as a spousal or widow/er Social Security benefit by two-thirds of the amount of their TRS pension benefit.
When Do Ss Retirement Checks Come This Month
Heres how it works: If the birthday is on the 1st through the 10th, you are paid on the second Wednesday of each month. If the birthday is on the 11th through the 20th, you are paid on the third Wednesday of the month. If the birthday is on the 21st through the 31st, you are paid on the fourth Wednesday of the month.
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How Does A Teacher Contribute Towards Pension Benefits
A public school teacher makes a payment to the pension fund every month. This payment is 6.4% of their salary. A similar contribution is made by the school district and the state of Texas. The sum varies by district. Furthermore, all school districts are required by federal law to contribute to their employee pension fund. On that front public schools cannot refuse. However, there is no compulsion on school districts to pay social security. It is recommended that you check with your school district on this issue.
Educators Are Speaking Out About Retirement Insecurity
When Jon-Paul Roden started teaching in 1965, he found that he needed to supplement his income. The side jobs he took on over the years made him eligible for Social Security benefits when he retired. But when he did so in 2000, he felt the impact of the WEP provision. Roden knew that he would be affected, but many of his colleagues are unaware until they are about to retire.
It changes a persons lifestyle because they dont have the income they were expecting or were entitled to receive, Roden says. For nearly two decades, Roden has been an active NEA retired member, advocating with fellow former educators to explain the problem within their own communities and speaking with lawmakers at the U.S. Capitol.
Roden encourages other retirees to thank their members of Congress if theyve signed on to legislation to address the problem. If they havent signed on, you can join Roden in communicating regularly to members of Congress: Email, write, and tell them your story about the negative effects of WEP, he advises. Heres an easy way to do that: .
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Should I Start At Age 62
Starting at age 62 or any age before FRA means your monthly Social Security payment will be reduced. You can learn more about the reduction for starting early here.
Even though the payment is lower, there are still good reasons to start your benefits before FRA. Lets explore a few of the potential reasons for starting Social Security early.
I need the extra income to cover my expenses
Most people who start Social Security early do so simply because they need the money. If your PSERS payments and other retirement income are not enough to cover your expenses, claiming Social Security might be the best option. The alternatives might be using your investments and retirement accounts or spending less money each month neither of which are great options.
I need the extra income to cover my expenses
If you have a serious health condition and dont expect to live long into retirement, starting your Social Security benefit early might be the best option. This way, you can potentially receive as much money as possible and use it towards expenses or to plan for your spouse and family.
Your decision here may also be impacted by which PSERS pension option you choose and what your spouse would receive in terms of PSERS benefits at your death. For example, if you choose a survivor annuity option like Option 2 or Option 3, your spouse might have enough income after your death and not need a higher Social Security payment.
Answer: It Depends On The Amount Of Your Pension And Your Spousal Or Survivor Benefit
Traditionally when a spouse passes away, the survivor is entitled to collect 100 percent of the deceaseds Social Security benefit, if it is larger than their own. However, a spouse is only entitled to receive 50 percent of living spouses retirement benefit. Thats why it is rare for teachers to receive any spousal benefit if their spouse is alive. Their pension is usually larger than 50 percent of their spouses Social Security benefit.
So lets say a teacher wants to collect her deceased husbands benefits. She already receives $3,500 per month from her teaching pension and her husbands Social Security benefit was $1,750 per month. She would not be eligible to receive anything. Why? Her pension is too large. In order for her to receive benefits, her pension would have to be closer to $2,500 per month. And even if that were the case, her survivor Social Security benefit would be under $100 per month.
Every teachers retirement scenario is a little different. Its important to be aware of the rules so you dont have any surprises upon retirement.
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Do Michigan Teachers Collect Social Security At Retirement
Do michigan teachers collect social security at retirement? If You Only Qualify for a Teachers Retirement System Pension. If you have never paid Social Security tax and only qualify for your teachers retirement, its likely youll never receive a Social Security benefit.
Do retired Michigan teachers get Social Security? The state sets specific windows when teachers can retire with benefits based on age and years of experience. For teachers in either the Pension Plus or Pension Plus 2 plan, they can retire will full DB benefits at age 60 with at least 10 years of experience.
When teachers retire do they get Social Security? Teachers in California dont pay social security taxes or receive social security benefits. Instead, they pay into STRS. (STRS stands for State Teacher Retirement System.
What is the average pension for a Michigan teacher? A teacher who worked in the public school system for 30 years and then retired earning that statewide average salary would get an annual pension of $28,026 a year.
Calculating How The Wep Will Affect You
I know this is a lot to follow, so if you want to take a shortcut in figuring out how the impact of the WEP, you may want to use my free calculator.
This calculator will tell you:
- The amount of monthly Social Security benefit you can expect after the WEP reduction .
- The number of substantial earnings years you already have
- How additional years of substantial earnings will affect the WEP penalty
To use this calculator youll need to get a copy of your earnings history from the SSA. You should only put in your years of earnings that were covered by Social Security.
- My article on the potential repeal of the WEP
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How Much Nfl Players Make When They Retire
Even though NFL players retire at a much younger age, they usually use their endorsement deals or money saved from their lucrative contracts to keep them afloat for a good amount of time, or the rest of their lives if theyre lucky . The current average retirement pay for NFL players is $43,560 a year.
