Social Security, CalSTRS and You

Because you do not pay into Social Security for your CalSTRS-covered employment, you are subject to two federal provisions that may reduce or eliminate your Social Security benefit.

If you are counting on Social Security to supplement your CalSTRS benefit, it's important that you are aware of how the Government Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination Provision will affect you. Watch the webinar below:

A webinar from the Social Security Administration (External Site) explains how members of some public employee and teacher pensions may be affected by the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO).

Watch the Webinar
(External Site)

Use the Social Security Administration's online calculators to get an estimate of your reduced benefit.

Also, read the CalSTRS fact sheet: Social Security, CalSTRS and You (PDF; 189KB).

Former Teachers' Retirement Board Chair Dana Dillon provided written testimony which was presented to the Subcommittee on Social Security, Pensions and Family Policy of the Committee on Finance, U.S. Senate on November 6, 2007.

View the testimony (PDF; 95KB)