Teachers and Social Security?

Question:Why is it that teachers are not eligible to receive Social Security? I worked for twenty years before I became a teacher and now I learn that all of those contributions I made to SS are useless to me because teachers can't receive SS benefits. And to add to this, I teach at a private university in the evenings, am still required to contribute to social security even though they tell me I can't recevie any benefits. If I've contributed, why can't I receive benefits? If I can't receive benefits, why am I still required to contribute? It doesn't make sense to me.

Answers:
There are new rules about "double dipping" but you can possibly get around them.

If you retire from teaching with full pay and don't have to give anything back if you work, then you can work a straight job (you know Door Greeter at Wal Mart) for 7 years and qualify for minimuma SS in most instances.

It might be worth while talking with a CPA or Attorney to find out your legal options.

I have friends who were in the Military and got Military retirement. Then worked Post Office and got Post Office retirement and then worked a Warehouse job and got SS

But as I said, the "double dipping rules" have changed.

Now, double dipping MY NOT APPLY to 72 year olds.

So talk with a CPA, retirement planner or Attorney.

It's worth $250 to find out what your legal options are and what the loop holes are.

I know people right now who are 55 and 60 and 65 on Pensions and working at Wal Mart and they will get SS at 72

It won't be much mind you, maybe $400-$700 a month but they will get it.

They will also get a Wal Mart 501 K
As a teacher, I do not contribute to social security. I do contribute to a teachers retirement fund that is designed like social security.

It is my understanding that all teachers are social security exempt. Go back and check your paystubs. You may be misunderstanding your contributions statement.

Prior to teaching, when I worked in the industry, I did contribute to SS. I receive quarterly statements that show my contributions and my eligible payments upon retirement. However, the contribution year stops at the first year that I began teaching at the community college.

www.ssa.gov

Please check this site. It explains in detail teacher eligibility and ineligibility for SS.
My understanding is that you are elgible to Social Security benefits when you get a certain amount of points. I recently received a Social Security statement saying that I currently have 30 points after working for 7 years not as a teacher. Most of this was part-time work. It says I am eligible when I receive 40 points. My understanding is that if I return back to a job where I pay into Social Security I will only need 10 more points to be eligible.
From my understanding it depends on what state you are in. There are different laws about double dipping and such. Definitely check with BOTH the Social Security Administration and your state teacher's retirement system.
This is only slightly related, but a site that may be worth visiting is

http://www.tiaa-cref.org/

From their "About..." page,

"For nearly 90 years, TIAA-CREF has been helping those in the academic, medical, cultural and research fields plan for and live in retirement."

I know almost nothing about them, so proceed with caution.

Good luck.
YOU CAN RECEIVE SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS based on non-public school related positions.

This all depends on which state you are in. Teachers are eligible to receive social security benefits in most states.

If you have been having social security taken out of your paychecks, you are eligible to receive social security benefits based on those deductions. You should get a social security "report card" a few months before your birth month every year telling you what you have contributed and estimating your monthly social security checks, or you can call the local social security office and ask for a record of your contributions.

Some states have a special pension plan for teachers and the teachers and district do not contribute to social security, so if that was their only job, they would not be eligible for social security because they never contributed, but they do have a state pension program.

If you taught in one of the few states that does not pay into social security for teachers and also held other jobs through which you and your employer did contribute to social security, you should not only get your state pension, but also a social security check based upon your contributions from other jobs (including those 20 non-teaching years and your current university positon). You can check with a tax advisor in your state to see how this will affect you.

In Florida we not only have our state pensions (the district pays into this, teachers don't) and we (teachers and district) contribute to social security, so we get social security and state pension checks when we retire!

This article contents is post by this website user, EduQnA.com doesn't promise its accuracy.



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